SECRET CAVE TEMPLE OF MYANMAR ( Datdawtaung Cave)

SECRET CAVE Temple of MYANMAR

Datdawtaung Cave) In Kyauk-se. 

Myanmar is always about the Temples and cultural places, Before starting this Expedition i studied a lot about the temples and especially cave temples in MYANMAR. I came to know about this cave temple ( Datdawtaung Cave) In Kyauk-se.

Initially it was hard to find the information about the temple on Internet because of its hardly known Location even by the Mandalay people in MYANMAR. Its one of the most secret and Hidden temple in Myanmar hardly visited by the tourist. Thanks to Stephanie elisabeth Blog (http://stephani-elizabeth.blogspot.com/) which helped me to find that temple and other informations about the place.



As i came to Mandaly from Bagan just to visit that temple, So i skipped my Mandalay palace knowing already that its very touristic place, I wanted to explore this hardly known temple in the middle of Nowhere and bring its beauty and Information through my Photos to the Future tourist who would love to visit it.


Finally, I took the Private Taxi from the Hotel to visit that temple which had costed me around 45$ for the whole day (hotel-Temple-U-painbridge Sunset-Hotel). There was no other option to go there apart from the taxi so i had to take it although bit pricy but i'd added u pain bridge Sunset visit also in that deal after negotiating with the hotel travel desk.

I started my Journey from Mandalay to Kyauk-se (44kms) almost 1h 15minutes drive. The drive was really smooth and beautiful through the country side of the villages, far from big city of Mandalay, Scenery was great  with authentic and Traditional people of Myanmar with their Myanmari Hats always on the head. After crossing Kyauk-se we were stuck into heavy traffic and it consumed my 30minutes to come out of it.

I got to know after Kyauk-se that Taxi driver never ever been to that temple so i'd started worry about reaching their one time. we did couple of Stops to ask the directions for the temple, driven through the villages and had been asking to the local people, every time it was like just two blocks away but my worries was rising up and up and loosing my temper also at the same time, Sometime bit Angry at hotel travel desk as they had tole me that taxi driver knew the place very well.

anyway, i just kept myself calm and let the driver to find the place as quickly, finally  after 2.5hrs of Juggling and roaming reached to the temple but one more surprise that had knocked me down completely was the 700-800 steps of staircase to the temple on the Top of the Hill (even i missed that thing in her Blog as well). I wasn't aware of that but coming so close and not doing it wasn't the good idea. So I took the monstrous bag-pack full of cameras and Lens weighted around 9-10kgs on my Shoulders and Started climbing up

After couple of steps i was already tired because of heavy weight on my shoulders and steep staircase. Every i'd asked to the driver how far ?? he replied "20 minutes more". My shoulders were in deep pain, legs were shaking like anything, it was't easy at all for me to climb with that Monstrous bag on my shoulders but the will-power of seeing that temple was more than that pain. I was so eager to reach to that temple and start clicking the photos. As we say" NO PAIN NO GAIN".

I took couple of stops during the climb and putting my bag-pack down to relax my shoulders, after 25 minutes of hard climm and pain, finally i reached to the Temple and I just had put my bag down and took my camera and ran away to see the first look of the temple. I'd felt so happy and at peace after reaching to the place i have imagined or dreamed. It was so beautiful and peaceful and same as in her BLOG. I'd started clicking photos without any second to waste, even didn't realize that floor of the temple was full of POOP of bats. It was too smelly but didn't care at all and i just indulge myself into the beauty of the temple with full enthusiasm.

the Best thing about the temple i liked,It was so quite and peaceful just i'd thought, there was no one at all, Just me and my camera and Taxi driver sitting on the inner stair Case of the temple, watching me with a regard as i had lost my mind and become crazy after seeing that place. The light was good for the Photos and no one around is the best thing as any photographer would like to capture the place through his camera.

After spending 1h15m with the beauty of the temple, we moved back to the car parking. I was really happy to experience the temple beauty and capture it and  Explored something which wasn't too touristic and Hidden in Myanmar. 95% of the tourist coming to Mandalay(Myanmar) hardly know about this place and dare to do it because of its Hidden location and others factors. Even hotels and Travel agents desk never talk about this place to the tourist which i'd found very sad. I felt that it worth a visit here instead of spending my time in that touristic Big palace of the Mandalay city.

Upper View of the Datdawtaung Cave

Sleeping Lord Buddha statue inside the Temple.

Stair case Lead Inside the Temple

Stupa Inside The Temple 

View from Inside

JOB CAN WAIT TRAVEL CAN'T

                                       JOB CAN WAIT TRAVEL CAN’T
                            (South-East Asia Solo Photography Expedition)

At Bagan Temples( MYANMAR)

Traveling - what it means to you???

I believe that once in a lifetime every single individual has to ask this question to himself/herself.

To find out the answer by our own. It took me 4 years to find out the answer what traveling means to me. Today I got my own definition of it.

For me Traveling means: to face my fears, to know my strength and healing myself and the courage to live alone and dare to experience the things that I have never thought of and moreover loosing the inclination of regular and secured life and adopting the rustic and rugged ways to experience it’s real beauty. It means knowing myself better than anyone.

I agree on the statement of the people when they say, “ we need jobs because we need money and we need money so that we can travel” but I don’t agree when people believe that primary source of traveling comes from money. The real core of traveling comes from our own adventurous and courageous spirit and mind. Money plays a secondary role in that; first we have to believe in our choices and take the initiative to say boldly big “YES” to travel and “NO” to the jobs. Its not so easy but it’s not so hard as well. I met people during my journey who did that if they could why not us. I know it’s wrong to compare yourself to someone but getting inspired by them and their life’s is not wrong.

I have traveling JOB, people say often to me that "I am lucky" might be I am but I believed in my choices and I took the courage to turn them into reality and that thing only few people know so far  " my journey as a traveller"

The biggest change in my life happened was back in 2010 when my DAD passed away. He left me with the fact that life is too short, anything could happen to you and to your dreams. I still remember the last talks with him. He said once " life is too short “live or die” is up to you but do it both without any regret".

I was angry at life moreover at myself. I couldn’t bear the pain of his loss so I started traveling to heal myself; 4 years I travelled and travelled to take out the frustration. I travelled places, discovered life’s, met people, took photography as my companion on my journey to heal that pain and what I had learned in those 4 years that my pain was nothing. The world had been carrying a bigger pain than mine; people had been living more complicated and difficult life than mine. My pain was nothing in front of this world; traveling healed me at last to overcome the pain and taught me that life is more about to live not to blame and regret, it’s about to move on and create more successful possibilities by Believing in your dreams and in yourself, by forgiving yourself for the mistakes that had been done in the life.

Special thanks to my friends and ex- girlfriend and all those free souls I met during my journey who really helped me a lot to overcome that pain and pushed me to live the life with a dream and passion.

I mixed up my traveling with my photography and in 2014 for the very first time I took them to the new level of success. In 2014 I had started “My World Expedition” discovering new counties, capturing the colours of different life’s and people lies in this big world. Motive was to share the happiness, sorrow and stories of different places and people with the rest of the world through my photos.

I had made my journey from Faridabad to France. I had never ever thought of it that I would find myself in front of Eiffel Tower one day. It was great but the journey was hard, I had never said that I regretted rather I said that I believed in my choices. The real magic of traveling happens when you connect yourself to the new world and It’s PEOPLE.

I know traveling means a lot to everyone, each individual has his own style and way to travel according to his available resources but I believe once in life we all have to try to make a radical change in our lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which we may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. 

So many people live hard and under difficult circumstances and yet will not take the chance to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality it’s just corrupting the own spirit of courageous and adventurous life and choosing over the secured future.

In brief I would love to say to everyone "when you believe in something just step out, reach out and grab it, believe in yourself and in choices you make although it’s hard and painful but at last you will experience the real beauty of it.

I have started my World Expedition in 2014, after visiting Thailand, France and Spain. 

I have been traveling for next 37 days solo in


SOUTH-EAST ASIAN countries covering  " MYANMAR, CAMBODIA and VIETNAM" all by backpacking and meeting travelers of the World and spread this message around the world and the Travelers that " JOB CAN WAIT TRAVEL CAN'T"



Clicking photos, sharing stories and exploring places, people and culture.



My main concern is to promote traveling and Photography culture in INDIA and among the travelers and share travel stories through my Photos,  In INDIA where we talk a lot about Traveling and Solo Expeditions but only few ones actually Do it. So this expedition is for myself and for those who dream about traveling, who love to get inspired by travel stories and want to travel also once in the great wilderness of the world, those who are ready to loose the regularity, security and comfortably of life.

In the words of great traveler "Christopher Mc candless"

You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience. We just have to have the courage to turn against our habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living.

I would love to encourage this youth generation who has vision of freedom.

At Rangoon(yangon) 

TAMASHA Starts from DELHI.

Me at U Pain Bridge ( Mandalay)

NAKUL SHARMA (nakul.sharma07@gmail.com)

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website- www.nakulphotography.com