After visiting Kalaw, we drove to Nyaungshwe on Inle Lake. On the way I visited Shwe Yan Pya, a 250 year old monastery with a nicely carved teak wood building. After arrival in Nyaungshwe we walked around town for a couple of hours, visiting local Buddhist sites and the boat launch area.
The next day I went on a full day boat excursion on Inle Lake. We saw the fishermen on the lake, the floating village, floating gardens, markets, silver smiths and other artisans. Next stop was Nyaung Ohak, a site with hundreds of stupas. From there we walked to the Shwe Inn Dain Pagoda (Shwe Inn Thein). It is surrounded by over 1000 stupas.
Most of the houses around Inle Lake are on stilts. During high water they are "floating villages". During low water, only some of the waterways carry water.
The floating gardens are very interesting. Wherever there is land at low water levels, they grow all kinds of vegetables. But the most interesting part is that they grow tomatoes that float. The tomato plants actually float in the lake, they don't grow in soil at all. They are anchored only by bamboo sticks. There are huge areas on the lake that grow tomatoes like that. Inle Lake is the major producer of tomatoes in Myanmar.
On the way back from the boat excursion we visited the Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery (Jumping Cat Monastery), a wooden building also on stilts, like the floating village. I didn't see any cats jumping, they were just laying around, snoozing. It is not a monastery anymore, just a tourist attraction, but the building is nice to see.
The weather was a bit chilly in the morning, I regretted not having a jacket. It also was raining off and on. Fortunately, the boat had umbrellas available, so I could keep myself and my camera dry.
Buddhist temple in Nyaungshwe. (900k) Buddhist temple in Nyaungshwe. (877k) Buddhist temple in Nyaungshwe. (869k) Two old small pagodas in Nyaungshwe. The mound behind them is an overgrown ruin of another building. (1264k) Ruins of religious buildings. One still has a Buddha statue in it that is still being worshiped. (1176k) Buddha statue in one of the temples in Nyaungshwe. (1092k) Buddha statue with the Bhumisparsha Mudra in one of the temples in Nyaungshwe. (698k) Wall painting with a scene from Buddhas life. (961k) Wall painting with a scene from Buddhas life. (875k) Wall painting with a scene from Buddhas life. (927k) Wall painting with a scene from Buddhas life. (939k)
Shwe Yan Pya Monastery
Shwe Yan Pya Monastery. (879k) Teak wood building in the Shwe Yan Pya Monastery. (739k) Details of the teak wood carvings. (733k) Details of the teak wood carvings. (697k) Details of the teak wood carvings. (635k) Interior of the teak wood building in the Shwe Yan Pya Monastery. (787k) Interior of the teak wood building in the Shwe Yan Pya Monastery. (995k) Buddha statue in the Shwe Yan Pya Monastery. (937k) Buddha statue with the Bhumisparsha Mudra in the Shwe Yan Pya Monastery. (646k) Building in the Shwe Yan Pya Monastery. (766k) Building in the Shwe Yan Pya Monastery. This building has thousands of small Buddha statues in niches everywhere in the building. The statues are donated by visitors from all over the world. (707k) Interior of the building with the Buddha statues. (891k) Altar with Buddha statues. (928k) Wall with niches with Buddha statues. (1242k) Close-up of one of the small Buddha statues with the Bhumisparsha Mudra. (851k) The monastery provides meals for needy people. (923k)
Nyaung Ohak
On the shore of Inle Lake is Nyaung Ohak. There are over hundred of brick stupas in Nyaung Ohak, most of them old and deteriorating.
View of the stupas in Nyaung Ohak. (683k) One of the stupas in Nyaung Ohak. (836k) Small stupa with a tree growing on it. This reminded me a bit of Angkor Wat, where you can also see trees growing out of the top of buildings. (823k) Closer view of the carved stone ornaments on one of the stupas in Nyaung Ohak. (1137k) Closer view of the carved stone ornaments on one of the stupas in Nyaung Ohak. (946k) Closer view of the carved stone ornaments on one of the stupas in Nyaung Ohak. (1026k) View of one of the stupas in Nyaung Ohak with a Buddha statue. (974k) Buddha statue with the Bhumisparsha Mudra in one of the stupas in Nyaung Ohak. (947k) Buddha statue with the Bhumisparsha Mudra in one of the stupas in Nyaung Ohak. (653k) Buddhist monk among the stupas in Nyaung Ohak. (952k) View from Nyaung Ohak of the neighboring hills with many gold-covered pagodas. (1135k)
Shwe Inn Dain Pagoda
A small stupa was originally donated by King Siri Dhamma Sawka (273-232 BCE). It is encased in the current pagoda. There is a brick stairway on three sides, except on the western side. The eastern stairway is the longest (600 m (1,970 ft) x 3.8 m (12.5 ft)). According to a 1999 inventory, there are 1054 stupas around the pagoda, most of them build from the 14th to the 18th century.
View of the Shwe Inn Dain Pagoda behind a sea of stupas. (675k) Buddha statue with the Bhumisparsha Mudra in the Shwe Inn Dain Pagoda. (1029k) Ceremonial bell in the Shwe Inn Dain Pagoda. (714k) One of the stair cases to the Shwe Inn Dain Pagoda, lined with vendors of souvenirs and religious items. (909k) View of the Shwe Inn Dain stupas. (912k) Sea of stupas next to the Shwe Inn Dain Pagoda. (640k) Large white stupa in Shwe Inn Dain. (651k) Stone carving on a stupa in Shwe Inn Dain. (735k) Buddha statue with the Bhumisparsha Mudra in one of the stupas in Shwe Inn Dain. (508k) Large pink stupa in Shwe Inn Dain. (694k) Buddha statue with the Bhumisparsha Mudra in one of the stupas in Shwe Inn Dain. (625k) Large golden stupa in Shwe Inn Dain. (605k) Close-up of a golden stupa in Shwe Inn Dain. (867k) Buddha statue with the Bhumisparsha Mudra in one of the stupas in Shwe Inn Dain. (602k) There are lots of older brick stupas in the area as well. (879k) Large old brick stupa in Shwe Inn Dain. (701k) A tree growing out of one of the old brick stupas in Shwe Inn Dain. (821k) Stone carving detail on one of the old brick stupas in Shwe Inn Dain. (1221k)
Jumping Cat Monastery
Interior of the Jumping Cat Monastery. (925k) Buddha statue with the Bhumisparsha Mudra in the Jumping Cat Monastery. (902k) Buddha statue with the Bhumisparsha Mudra in the Jumping Cat Monastery. (999k) Buddha statue with the Bhumisparsha Mudra in the Jumping Cat Monastery. (1005k) Buddha statue with the Bhumisparsha Mudra in the Jumping Cat Monastery. (933k)
Floating Village and Floating Gardens
Floating village. (852k) House in the floating village. (858k) Simple house in the floating village. (1046k) Walkway in the floating village. (1086k) Simple bridge. (756k) Covered bridge. (843k) Satellite TV is here too. (1165k) Hotel complex in the floating village. (661k) Temple in the floating village. (868k) Small temple in the floating village. (758k) Floating gardens. (889k) Rows of tomato plants floating in the floating gardens. (928k) Working in the floating gardens. (941k) Bringing produce to market. (759k)
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