Peik Chin Myaung (ပိတ်ချင်းမြောင်လိုဏ်ဂူ) is a
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
stalactite
A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via
''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...
cave situated south of Wetwun village, 23 km from
Pyin Oo Lwin
Pyin Oo Lwin or Pyin U Lwin (, ; Shan: ), formerly and colloquially referred to as Maymyo (), is a scenic hill town in the Mandalay Region, Myanmar, some east of Mandalay, and at an elevation of . The town was estimated to have a population of ...
,
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
. The cave is a tourist site on the
Lashio
Lashio ( ; Shan: ) is the largest town in northern Shan State, Myanmar, about north-east of Mandalay. It is situated on a low mountain spur overlooking the valley of the Yaw River. Loi Leng, the highest mountain of the Shan Hills, is located ...
road.
History
The cave was firstly developed by local
Burmese Gurkhas and later co-opted by the Myanmar government as a tourist attraction in 1990. The cave covers an area of 45 acres, where local plants named Peik Chin, alike long pepper vine used to grow by the mouth of the cave. It is estimated to be 230 million to 310 million years old from the formation of limestone and hillocks. After the establishment of shrines with many Buddhist stupas inside the cave, it has also been called Maha Nadamu cave.
Local interest
The local people and many Myanmar pilgrims enjoyed swimming at the entrance of the cave. The water flows and cascades from the deep cave. Many locals from Pyin Oo Lwin have shops with local products such as wine and dried game meat (ဆတ်သားခြောက်) and souvenirs for visitors.
See also
*
Pindaya Caves
The Pindaya Caves ( my, ပင်းတယရွှေဥမင်, ; officially ), 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 Myela ...
*
Pyin Oo Lwin
Pyin Oo Lwin or Pyin U Lwin (, ; Shan: ), formerly and colloquially referred to as Maymyo (), is a scenic hill town in the Mandalay Region, Myanmar, some east of Mandalay, and at an elevation of . The town was estimated to have a population of ...
Gallery
File:Pyin Oo Lwin 67.JPG, Buddha and Yahanthar on alms walk
File:Pyin Oo Lwin 50.JPG, Standing Stupas image inside cave
File:Pyin Oo Lwin 44.JPG, Stalactites cave
File:Pyin Oo Lwin 38.JPG, Landmark of the cave
File:Pyin Oo Lwin 66.JPG, Local swimmers and waterfall at entrance
References
{{reflist
Buddhist caves in Myanmar
Limestone caves
Buddhist temples in Mandalay