Monywa is located 140km West of Mandalay, on impressively wide river Chindwin. This geographical situation brought a lot of trading activities. Today, it's rumored to be on the drug trading route between China and India.
Thanbodae is a temple built in 1930, housing some 582357 images of Buddha (so says the guide book, but honestly, we didn't count!). Some of these images are really tiny, about the size of a hand.
On the other side of the Chindwin -which has to crossed by ferry due to lack of bridge-, 24km away from Monywa, lies the hills of Powintaung. There, directly carved in the rock, are a group of truly beautiful Buddha statues.
The Khaunghmudaw pagoda stands close to Sagaing (but in the same province -the Sagaing Division- as Monywa). Built in 1636 following the plans of a famous Sri Lankan stupa, it's said to represent the breast of the first wife of King Thalun. It's famous for its festival which takes place in November (we missed it).