Innlay Lake, in southern Shan State, well known both to the people of Myanmar and to visitors form abroad is a large inland natural lake, 14 miles long and 7 miles wide. The wavelets that ripple on its surface are part of its natural charm; and the man-made floating isles of gardens give it added beauty. Then, along come the small fishing boats with their conical nets to bring the whole scene alive.In this idyllic spot can be found other treasures that are part of our ancient cultural heritage. Shwe Inn Thein Pagoda is one such repository of some of these cultural treasures.

To get there, one has to go due southwest and proceed for about 7 miles by outboard motor along the Inn Thein Creek, which flows into the main lake and then disembark to continue on foot for approximately half a mile. One will arrive then at the large covered passageway leading to the Shrine of the Inn Tein Buddha Image.Huge circular cement pillars support the long passage with tiled cement flooring. Zinc sheets cover both the ceiling and the roof.

There are altogether 804 supporting pillars, which give one an idea of how long the covered passage is. It is the most solid and longest ancient passageway in the Innlay region. There are also many small stupas on each side of the passage. It is truly a wondrous sight to see so many ancient stupas on the banks of the Innlay Lake. All the stupas in these precincts are collectively known as the Shwe Inn Thein Pagoda.There are still traces of ancient murals on the walls of the passage.

According to evidence provided by the Inn Tein Stone Inscription, the first religious monument in this locality was donated in the 200 year of the Buddhist Calendar by the great missionary emperor Thiridhamman Thawka (King Asoka). Later, it is said that King Anawrahta of Bagan and one of his descendants Narapati Sithu made donations towards renovations and the building of additional stupas.

The stone figures and statues and the floral designs that adorn the stupas show the high standard of the artists and artisans of those ancient days. The workmanship of these works of arts is contemporary to that of the Bagan and Konbaung eras.

The long and winding passage finally leads to the Shrine of the Inn Tein Buddha Image of which the donor is said to be the Emperor Asoka. The Innlay Lake region of southeastern Shan State is not only a place of natural scenic splendour, but also an ancient cultural site with its amazing collection of ancient stupas, caves temples, prayer halls and shrines.