Sites
Padah-Lin Caves
Wikipedia data hasn't been reviewed for accuracy by the Gignos Research Team
- Site type:
- Cave
- Site function:
- Decor cave
- Lat/Long:
- 21.1, 96.3
- Country:
- Myanmar
The Padah-Lin Caves (Burmese: ဗဒလင်းဂူ, pronounced [bədəlíɰ̃ ɡù]; also Padalin or Badalin) are limestone caves located in Taunggyi District, Shan State, Burma (Myanmar). It is located near a path from Nyaunggyat to Yebock, on a spur of the Nwalabo mountains within the Panlaung Reserved Forest. There are two caves; the smaller of the two is a rock shelter while the larger cave comprises nine chambers connected by narrow passages in a north-south axis, three large sinkholes that let natural light in, and several active speleothem formations.
Red ochre paintings of human hands, fish, bulls, bison, deer, and other objects are visible at the rock shelter. The art has not been directly dated. The walls of the cave have also been decorated with carved patterns. More than 300 cupules have been documented in the rockshelter.
Excavations at the rock shelter from 1969 to 1972 recovered seven pieces of charcoal and bone that were radiocarbon dated to between 1,750 and 13,000 years BP. The excavation also recovered over 1,600 stone artifacts as well as many pieces of bone and red ochre. The stone artifacts include unifacial choppers, bifacial chopping tools, perforated stone rings, adzes, and scrapers. Excavations in the larger cave conducted by Ben Marwick in 2016 revealed deposits dating to 65,000 years ago, and flaked stone artefacts dating to 25,000 years ago.
A small Buddhist stupa has been erected at the eastern end of the rockshelter, and several stupas of varying sizes have been built in the chambers of the cave.