Padah-Lin Caves

Padah-Lin Caves (Burmese: ဗဒလင်းဂူ, pronounced: [bədəlíɴ 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 rockshelter while the larger cave comprises nine chambers connected by narrow passages in a north-south axis, three large sink holes that let natural light in, and several active speleothem formations.

History

A superficial investigation of the caves in Shan State had been performed by the American South-East Expedition for Early Man in 1937–1938, and geologist U Khin Maung Kyaw discovered the paintings in 1960. In 1969–1972, the Burmese government organized a more in-depth investigation, and another expedition to the caves was mounted in 2004.

This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on 4 October 1996 in the Cultural category.