Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Balanced on a bizarrely shaped limestone pinnacle with frangipani trees sprouting from
cracks in the rock,
Kyauk Kalat Pagoda
, 7km south of Hpa-An, is the area's most arresting
sight. On an island in the centre of an artificial lake, the site is part of a working monastery
andashoe-free,vegetarian zonethatclosesforanhoureachlunchtime toallowthemonksto
meditate in peace. Revered monk
U Winaya
was a novice here in the 1920s before he foun-
ded a monastery at Thamanya, 40km southeast of Hpa-An.
THE THAMANYA SAYADAW: U WINAYA
Years after his death,
UWinaya
,
sayadaw
of Thamanya Monastery, remains one of Myan-
mar's most respected religious figures - pictures of him decorate taxis across the country.
A spiritual adviser and supporter of Aung San Suu Kyi, U Winaya was renowned for his
humanitarian work. During decades of vicious fighting between the Karen National Lib-
eration Army and government forces, the area surrounding Thamanya Monastery was a
sanctuary of non-violence until the abbot passed away in 2003 at the age of 93.
Shockingly, in 2008 U Winaya's
tomb
was broken into and his body disappeared. Four
days later, the monastery received an anonymous phone call notifying them that the ab-
bot's body had been burned, and his remains left outside a small
zedi
near the edge of the
monastery grounds. Many believe that this violation was part of a
yadaya
inspired plot to
helpthegovernment winacrucial referendum onconstitutional reformthat washeldafew
weeks later.
Yadaya
is a uniquely Burmese practice where steps taken now on the advice
of an astrologer are believed to prevent future bad luck - a practice that senior generals in
Myanmar's military government have been known to indulge in for years.
Saddan Cave
Daily Nov-April only • Free; boat trip K1500/person • Motorbike taxi from Hpa-An K3500, tuk-tuk
K5000-7000
In a hard-to-find spot 28km south of Hpa-An, at the southern end of the jagged limestone
ridge, lies
Saddan Cave
, the most dramatic of the region's caverns. A complete golden
zedi
sits inside the cave entrance but the Buddhist statuary quickly gives way to natural rock
formations-stalactites dripfromtheceilinglikemoltenwaxandmushroom-likestalagmites
emerge from the earthen cave floor. Bats roost in the erratically lit main cavern (take a good
torch), which takes around fifteen minutes to walk through barefoot. On the far side, the path
emergesbesidealimpidforestpool,fromwhere(betweenNovemberandFebruaryonly)you
can take a short boat trip back towards the entrance. Note that the entire complex is offlimits
during the rainy season.
The cave's name comes from an elaborate Jataka story about one of Buddha's previous in-
carnations, in which he was the elephant king Saddan - keep an eye out for the elephant
statues flanking the entrance.
