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The Padah-Lin Caves (, ; also Padalin or Badalin) are limestone caves located in
Retrieved 2009-03-03. 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.
The Padah-Lin Caves (, ; also Padalin or Badalin) are limestone caves located in Taunggyi District
Taunggyi District () is a Districts of Myanmar, district in South Shan State in eastern Myanmar. The principal town and administrative center is Taunggyi. The district has 2 townships.
Administrative divisions
The District is made up of two townsh ...
, Shan State
Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...
, Burma
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...
(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
A rock shelter (also rockhouse, crepuscular cave, bluff shelter, or abri) is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff. In contrast to solutional caves (karst), which are often many miles long or wide, rock shelters are alm ...
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
A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation made by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depen ...
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 and 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. The site was added to theUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
Tentative List on 4 October 1996 in the Cultural category.
Contents
Red ochre
Ochre ( ; , ), iron ochre, or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the col ...
paintings of human hands, fish, bulls, bison, deer and other objects are visible at the rock shelter.Badah-lin and associated caves - UNESCO World Heritage CentreRetrieved 2009-03-03. 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.
See also
* Prehistory of Burma *References
{{Navbox prehistoric caves Culture of Myanmar Archaeological sites in Myanmar Caves of Myanmar Geography of Shan State