Tilawkaguru

Top choice in Sagaing

LoginSave

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.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • View over the moat of Mandalay Palace to Mandalay Hill with its many temples; Shutterstock ID 241383850; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI 241383850

    Mandalay Hill

    10.96 MILES

    To get a sense of Mandalay’s pancake-flat sprawl, climb the 760ft hill that breaks it. The walk up covered stairways on the hill's southern slope is a…

  • the Bagaya Kyaung monastery, entirely built in teak, characterized by wooden beams and panels inlaid and decorated with figures of gods and myths, Bagan, Myanmar; Shutterstock ID 1119025109; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI 1119025109

    Bagaya Kyaung

    3.85 MILES

    This lovely 1834 teak monastery is Inwa’s most memorable individual attraction. It's supported on 267 teak posts, the largest 60ft high and 9ft in…

  • The golden buddha of Mahamuni Paya.

    Mahamuni Paya

    6.69 MILES

    Every day, thousands of colourfully dressed faithful venerate Mahamuni's 13ft-tall seated buddha, a nationally celebrated image that’s popularly believed…

  • Mya Kyauk Kyaung at Yankin Hill, Mandalay.

    Yankin Hill

    13.12 MILES

    Staring distantly towards Mandalay Palace, temple-topped Yankin Hill is worth climbing for views of greater Mandalay's rice-field setting and of the Shan…

  • Footbridge Ubein Teakwood. Connects Amarapura To A Pagoda On The Other Side Of The Lake. Myanmar. (Photo by: EyeOn/UIG via Getty Images)

    U-Bein Bridge

    4.28 MILES

    The world’s longest teak footbridge gently curves 1300yd across shallow Taungthaman Lake, creating one of Myanmar’s most photographed sites. In dry season…

  • The Shwe In Bin Monastery, the old teakwood sculpture temple in Mandalay, Myanmar.

    Shwe In Bin Kyaung

    6.66 MILES

    A meditative departure from the usual Burmese 'douse-it-all-in-gold-and-pastels' aesthetic, this gorgeously carved teak monastery is beloved by tourists…

  • Soon U Pon Nya Shin Paya

    Soon U Pon Nya Shin Paya

    0.18 MILES

    This ‘early offering shrine’ is the most important of the temples on Sagaing Hill’s southern crown and the first you’ll come to on climbing the One Lion…

  • Jade stones and jewelry at the Jade Market, Mandalay, Myanmar.

    Jade Market

    6.74 MILES

    Rock dust and cheroot smoke fill the air in this heaving grid of cramped walkways, where you'll find a mass of jade traders haggling, hawking and…

View more attractions

Nearby Sagaing attractions

1. Soon U Pon Nya Shin Paya

0.18 MILES

This ‘early offering shrine’ is the most important of the temples on Sagaing Hill’s southern crown and the first you’ll come to on climbing the One Lion…

2. U Min Thonze Caves

0.28 MILES

Around a 10-minute walk south of Soon U Pon Nya Shin, U Min Thonze Caves (literally '30 Caves') is a temple complex famed for its crescent-shaped…

3. Sitagu Buddhist Academy

0.32 MILES

Set up in 1994 to educate the brightest young monks, this academy is a major intellectual centre for Theravada Buddhism. The centrepiece is a Sanchi-style…

4. Shin Pin Nan Kain

0.66 MILES

Shin Pin Nan Kain's brass-clad stupa sits on a hilltop that's lower than Sagaing Hill, but has even better panoramas.

6. Thakya Dita Nunnery

0.72 MILES

This modern nunnery has a 16.5ft gilded woven-cane buddha figure in an air-conditioned glass chamber. Respectful guests are warmly welcomed.

7. Shwezigon

0.91 MILES

This small pagoda offers nice views over the countryside.

8. Aung San Statue

1.19 MILES

This gilded statue of Aung San in army uniform surveys a busy road junction.