Inle Pancake Kingdom

Kyauk Gu U Min means “Rock Cave Tunnel” and is a lesser known temple in Bagan quite a bit off the beaten track. You may want to bring a guide, and you can rent bicycles in downtown Bagan and bike there through the countryside in about 40 minutes.

After turning off the main road onto a dirt path for a little while, you arrive at a small stupa surrounded by overgrown weeds. Past that, you can see the temple below in a ravine, and make your way down a long series of concrete stairs to the entrance at the bottom.

Kyauk Gu U Min is supposed to be the entrance to an ancient tunnel that goes all the way to the Pindaya caves in Shan State. Inside the very dimly lit temple are elaborate carvings about the life of Buddha, and after a haunting journey through several hallways, you come to the beginning of the ancient tunnel.

The temple suffered significant damage in a recent earthquake, but the decay only makes the place more appealing. The not-quite abandoned monastery next door is especially pleasant with crumbling statues and a wealth of jungle vegetation.