Inle Lake is 22km long and about 11km wide. The lake is at 1328 metres above sea level. Inle is one of the most popular tourist destination in the Shan State.
The lake is full of floating vegetations and houses. The lake dwellers are one-legged rowers. They are well-known for it. They are called as “Inthar” meaning people of the lake. There are about 18 villages around the lake. They are Buddhist and about a hundred Buddhist monasteries can be found. A lot small pagodas can be found too.
The floating water hyacinth are the major products of this region. Many hand made products such as bags, baskets are made from water hyacinth. Other vegetations are tomatoes, beans, cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant, garlic, onion, betel, melon, papaya and banana. Some villagers also grow rice.
The Inthars also make their living by fishing. The silk dresses and clothes of Inle are popular among local and foreign visitors. Inle also produces silverware.
Major Attractions
Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda – The main pagoda in the Inle lake is called as “Phaung Daw Oo” Pagoda. There are five small Buddha images all covered with gold and difficult to make out the figures. There is an annual festival around October/November. Inle Lake is one of the most significant and productive ecological system supporting an immense variety of plants and animals and yielding great wealth for Myanmar through its occurrence of floating islands and the living style of the natives.
Floating islands are collection of floating weed and water hyacinth, which later piled up and hardened, that even vegetation can be grown, and even houses can be built on top of them. These floating islands can be cut, dragged by boats, or even be sold like a piece of land!
This vast picturesque lake is one of the main tourist attractions in Myanmar. Besides, it is the home of some 80,000 Inthars (native lake-dwellers) in 17 villages. Many Inthars live in their huts and wooden bungalows on floating islands, while some live by the villages lakeshore. Inle Lake, natural and unpolluted, is famous for their amazing lifestyle and its incomparable scenic beauty. You have to find out why this unique leg-rowing custom is practiced by Inthars.
Living Legend: Why do they live a harder life on water, and not on land? There goes a folk tale that today’s lake-dwellers are descendants of some Myanmar troops centuries ago. They were once sent to exile by an angry Emperor. The order of exile was ‘to leave his land’. But these Myanmar troops were so royal and smart, that they left Myanmar land obeying the emperor, by living on water in Inle Lake, but never left the country they love so much!
Now the tourism industry in Myanmar has been developed towards and many international and local standard hotels, inns, motels are built on the lake. It is very convenient for local and foreign visitors to visit the beautiful Inle Lake.
It is a well known fact that King Ashoka purified and propagated the Buddhist religion throughout the Indian Empire and extending even future to Myanmar. All of us are familiar with Asoka’s stupendous and monumental works of charity, where donated most significantly 84, 000 wells, 84, 000 ponds, 84,000 pagodas among many others forms or deeds of merits. Thus many ancient pagodas found in Myanmar are in some way or another links to his name. So went the oral history handed down through the generations.