There is an amazing place in Myanmar - the valley of hundreds of ancient pagodas, located not far from the ruins of a 13th century monastery. The picturesque temple complex, overgrown with lush vegetation, gives the complex a fantastic and at the same time romantic look. Here everyone is overcome by an irresistible desire to go in search of ancient artifacts.
Jungle village.
There are many places preserved in Myanmar, untouched by the influence of civilization. Finding yourself in such places is as if you are transported several centuries ago. One such place is Indein Village, which can be reached by boat along a winding narrow canal from the famous Inle Lake.
Bas-reliefs on the walls of village houses.
People used to live here.
After an hour's ride along the canal, in which every now and then you come across buffalo bathing or local women washing clothes, the boat is moored to a small pier in the village of Indein. There is a local market just a few steps from the pier, where locals come down from mountain villages every day to sell their own products, such as tofu, soybeans, fresh fish and vegetables.
Either a house or a temple.
Drawings and statues.
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Tourists rarely get to this place near Inle Lake, since few people know about the secret of the remote village - next to it, on the top of the hill, is the abandoned Shwe Indain Paya temple complex.
The road to the temple village.
House-temples.
The ivy-covered temple.
The bulk of the pagodas, which date from the eighth century, were rebuilt by Burmese for charity and literally shine with gold and white stucco as they did 12 centuries ago. However, there are still hundreds of ancient temples and pagodas hidden in the depths of the jungle and forgotten even by the locals.
What's in the dark.
Nature turned out to be stronger.
Some have grown trees for a long time, others have wild dogs. Most of these ancient places of worship are adorned with sculptures and bas-reliefs of celestial beings or mythological animals such as nagas, guard lions, and peacocks. On some you can find images of Buddha.
Very friendly statues.
It is not recommended to enter.
Mysterious landscape.
Most surprisingly, there is not a single record left in history about who built these pagodas. One theory is that the Shwe Indian Paya complex was built by the Indian emperor Ashoka, who dispatched monks throughout Asia in the 3rd century BC to spread Buddhism. However, there is no archaeological evidence to support this theory, and the mystery of many ancient pagodas remains unsolved.
One can only guess about the purpose.
Kindness will save the world.
None of these buildings are officially protected by law. Some of the pagodas still tower over the jungle, others have half collapsed, and only a few still have a decorative umbrella at the end of a sharp dome.
Ancient ruins.