Tilawkaguru

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At the foot of the great temple-studded hills of Sagaing, you’ll find this little-visited cave monastery. Supposedly built around the 1670s, Tilawkaguru is filled with some of the most impressive preserved cave paintings in the country. Vivid frescoes depict the life (and past lives) of the Buddha, animals, warriors, battles, merchants, courtesans, kings, peasants and vivid menageries of mythological creatures. Finding the keyholder can be challenging.

While visiting is free, it's nice to give the keyholder a few thousand kyats as a tip.