Phaung Daw U Pagoda

'principal royal barge pagoda'), also spelt Phaung Daw Oo or Hpaung Daw Oo, is a notable Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar (formerly Burma), located in the village of Ywama on Inle Lake in Shan State.

[2] The pagoda houses five small gilded images of Buddha, which have been covered in gold leaf to the point that their original forms cannot be seen.

Annually, during the Burmese month of Thadingyut (from September to October), an 18-day pagoda festival is held, during which four of the Buddha images are placed on a replica of a royal barge designed as a hintha bird and taken throughout Inle Lake.

The high point of the festival is on the day when the images arrive at the main town of Nyaung Shwe, where most pilgrims from the surrounding region come to pay their respects and veneration.

The images would be taken from the barge and a grand procession would take them to the palace or haw of the Saopha, entering the prayer hall from the eastern entrance, and where it would reside for a few hours.

The Phaung Daw U Buddhas in the centre shrine in the main hall of the temple.
Phaung Daw U Festival
Phaung Daw U Pagoda Festival karaweik barge.