Pindaya Caves

The Pindaya Caves (Burmese: ပင်းတယရွှေဥမင်, pronounced [pɪ́ɰ̃dəja̰ ʃwè ṵmɪ̀ɰ̃]; officially ပင်းတယရွှေဥမင်သဘာဝလိုဏ်ဂူဘုရား), located next to the town of Pindaya, Shan State, Burma (Myanmar) are a Buddhist pilgrimage site and a tourist attraction located on a limestone ridge in the Myelat region.

The collection as a whole forms an impressive display of Buddhist iconography and art from early Konbaung era to the modern period.

Within the cave, there are about seventy unique images of the Bhisakkaguru tradition dating to the late 18th century.

The barely readable inscription on the bell states it as being cast in 1842 with a weight of 400 viss (654 kg).

There is also the legend of the seven princesses bathing in a lake and how they were captured by a giant spider and trapped in the cave to be rescued by Prince Kummabhaya of Yawnghwe.

Sculptures of the spider and the prince aiming with his bow and arrow have been added in recent times at the entrance of the covered stairway to the caves.

One of the caverns in the interior
Inside the Pindaya Caves
Hsaungdan (covered stairway) to the caves
Buddha images to the right on entering the caves
Pindaya town, lake and caves
Inside Pindaya Caves