Hpa-An: Cave Art, Pilgrimage Sites and Karen Cuisine

Around Hpa-An, you’ll find caves with Buddhist art, a pilgrimage destination with a natural spring, and the challenging climb up Mt. Zwegabin. In town, the Hpa-An Riverside Night Market adds local cuisine to the mix: it mainly sells traditional Karen dishes. This lets you explore cultural attractions, religious practice, landscapes and food as distinct aspects of your trip.

Buddhist Cave Art Around Hpa-An

Kawkathaung Cave brings together a large number of specific motifs: it contains 28 Buddha images, votive tablets and a stone pillar entwined with dragon sculptures. Other features include standing Buddha images, crocodile and turtle statues, the Ye Mingyi Buddha image, a shrine dedicated to the Sayadaw, and a relic chamber. There are also small caves where monks meditated in the past. The combination ranges from images and sculptures to religious spaces, making the cave a culturally diverse site.

Kawgunn Cave is located in Kawgunn Village. In 2008, the Ministry of Culture declared it an Ancient Monumental Zone and a Protected and Preserved Zone to safeguard its ancient cultural heritage. While Kawkathaung is noted for its many specifically identified Buddha images and statues, the focus at Kawgunn is on protecting its ancient cultural heritage.

In Ratheepyan Cave and on the rock face outside, votive tablets measuring three to four inches tall and Buddha images measuring five to six feet tall are set against the wall. The small tablets and Buddha images several feet tall create a striking contrast in scale. Saddan Cave is considered an important cave with rich Buddhist art and architecture, offering another cultural highlight.

The caves and pilgrimage sites are at varying distances from Hpa-An. Ratheepyan Cave is in Barr Kap Village, three miles from Hpa-An. Kawkathaung Cave is near Kawkathaung Village, around seven miles away; Kawgunn Cave in Kawgunn Village is about eight miles away. Bayintnyinaung Cave is around twelve miles from Hpa-An, and Saddan Cave is about 20 miles away. These distances provide a sense of the locations in relation to one another.

Pilgrimage Sites, Landscapes and a Climb

Pilgrims visit Bayintnyinaung Cave to pray and bathe in a natural spring. Prayer and bathing combine religious practice with time spent at a spring. Kyarinn Hill near Hpa-An is considered a place where natural beauty and traditional culture come together.

The challenging climb up a steep staircase to the summit of Mt. Zwegabin takes two hours. Unlike the caves, with their Buddhist art, architecture and religious practices, the focus here is on the physical challenge of the ascent. As you prioritize your travel interests, you can distinguish cultural and nature-related experiences from a clearly defined mountain hike.

Karen Cuisine in Hpa-An

The Hpa-An Riverside Night Market mainly sells traditional Karen dishes; the current selection may vary. The market adds a culinary touch directly connected to Hpa-An, complementing the cave and landscape experiences.

Discover more destinations: Hpa-An.

Go to the regional travel overview: Kayin State.