Shwe Ba Taung

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Some 650m beyond the restaurants and souvenir stands of Hpo Win 'village' lies Shwe Ba Taung, a smaller, contrastingly different set of 46 cave chambers compared to Hpo Win Daung, accessed from pathways cut around 25ft vertically down into the limestone. The buddha images are larger and far newer than those of the main site, but the intriguing overall effect is of a Buddhist Disneyland set in a miniature Petra.

Squint at Hpo Win Daung as you return and you might see why locals think the hill looks like a reclining buddha.

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Nearby Myanmar (Burma) attractions

1. Hpo Win Daung Complex

0.32 MILES

One of Monywa's biggest attractions, this rural complex of 492 buddha chambers was carved into a limestone hillside between the 14th and 18th centuries…

2. Su Taung Pye Zedi

10.15 MILES

If you have time to kill in Monywa, it's worth taking a stroll around this eye-catching pagoda, a 15-minute walk southwest of the clock tower.

3. Shwezigon Paya

10.29 MILES

Monywa's most impressive temple is a gilded work one block west of the clock tower in the centre of town.

4. Clock Tower

10.37 MILES

This handy traffic circle and landmark is a useful reference point for navigating the city.

6. British-era House

12.95 MILES

A minor attraction in A Myint is the British-era house of the former village chief. It's private and still owned by the original family, who might show…

7. Ancient Stupas

12.96 MILES

A Myint is a charmingly unspoiled riverside village dominated by a series of 336 higgledy-piggledy ancient stupas in varying stages of collapse. All are…

8. Thanboddhay Paya

14.55 MILES

This colourful, modern temple is famed for its staggering number of buddha images as well as its carnivalesque exterior, with a unique roof layered with…

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