Shwe Yan Pyay monastery and temple

Located near Inle Lake. It is said that 2 Shan princes held sway in neighboring towns, but they didn't get along. So the 2 towns didn't either. Finally, a monk got tired of hearing about the troubles between the two. So he called the princes in an said he wanted a single offering. When they agreed, he told them to jointly build a single monastery. This is the result. It went so well they added a temple. See the last 2 pictures. Notice all the niches. These hold small Buddhas. Originally, the local families provided them, but at one point the temple was robbed. The niches are now filled with Buddha images provided by people from around the world.
As this is an active monastery, the 2nd picture is of the master's seat where he sits as he teaches novices.Read more