Po Win Taung is a Buddhist cave complex, located on the western bank of the Chindwin River, approximately 25 kilometers west of Monywa. The name of the complex means Mountain of Isolated Solitary Meditation. The complex contains 947 small and large richly decorated caves.

Po Win Daung is a sprawling place, and the trails lead you to the numerous sandstone caves where the images inside were carved out from the living rock and the walls and ceilings were covered with bright mural paintings of geometrical patterns as well as those of ancient Buddhist stories (Jatakas).

Po Win Taung is carved into a sandstone outcrop and contains numerous carved Buddha statues and mural paintings of geometric patterns and Jataka stories. The statues and paintings have been dated to between the 14th and 18th centuries

Some of the carved archways around the entrances are elaborate, in the design of the Bagan-era arch pediments with soaring flames; these traditional motifs have been used since the Bagan period.

The art and architecture of this cave temple complex have been created, renovated and added to from the 14th century to the early 20th century.

Some openings are simply framed on the outside with carved stylized vines. There are tribes of small monkeys with golden brown fur living in the surrounding woods and the ancient artisans had included a few of their forms scampering among the stone vines

Natural tunnels have been widened to enable people to walk from one cave to the other. Crowds of pilgrims attend the annual festival that takes place in October or November but for the rest of the year, the two places are mostly devoid of visitors. The caves are silent, and a tranquillity descends that would please any ascetic seeking a higher state of mind

Most of Myanmar people (about 80 %) are Buddhist and the country is also the world centre of Theravada Buddhism. The country has thousands of pagoda spread all over the country and the daily routine life of local people is deeply influenced by Buddhism. It is common to see local people meditating to get inner peace and mind-awareness in pagodas, monuments and temples

The caves themselves contain Buddhist statues and murals dating to the 17th and 18th centuries. Most exhibit the Inwa style, though some may date as for back as the 14th to16th centuries. A covered stairway climbs a hill to the main cave shrine, but there are dozens of large and small caves in the area filled with old Buddha images. There are over 400,000 images in these and other nearby caves.

The name ‘Po Win’ is believed to have been evolved from a term meaning ‘the powerful state of an ascetic’s mind’, and that once those seeking supernatural powers had meditated there. ‘Taung’ means hill.

The interior walls of the Po Win Taung caves are thickly covered with wall paintings from the 17th century. The artwork is similar to those found elsewhere of the same period, showing Shan influences in the faces with arched eyebrows, wide eyes, plumb cheeks, pointed chins and curving lips

In Burma white elephants have been revered symbols of power and good fortune. The announcement by the ruling military regime of the finding of white elephants in 2001 and 2002 was seen by opponents as being aimed at bolstering support for their regime. As of 2010 a total of three white elephants are currently held in a pavilion on the outskirts of Yangon. White elephants are only nominally white. Of those currently kept by the Burmese rulers — General Than Shwe regards himself as the heir of the Burmese kings — one is grey and the other are pinkish, but all are officially white.

The footprint of the is an imprint of Gautama Buddha's one or both feet. There are two forms: natural, as found in stone or rock, and those made artificially. Many of the "natural" ones, of course, are acknowledged not to be actual footprints of the Buddha, but replicas or representations of them, which can be considered cetiya (Buddhist relics) and also an early aniconic and symbolic representation of the Buddha. They often bear distinguishing marks, such as a Dharmachakra at the centre of the sole, or the 32, 108 or 132 auspicious signs of the Buddha, engraved or painted on the sole.

Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu & InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanu www.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound Hlaing Win Maung - My Native Spiri