Tawang is a small town situated at an elevation of approximately 3,048 meters (10,000 feet) in the northwestern part of Arunachal Pradesh. The Tawang Monastery of the Gelugpa sect in Tawang town was built by the Mera Lama in 1681. This monastery is one of the largest in the country and is one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in the world. It is a major holy site for Tibetan Buddhists. China claims Tawang and briefly occupied it during the 1962 Sino-Indian War. Visitors to Tawang require special Inner line permits from the government which are available in Kolkata, Guwahati, Tezpur, and New Delhi. Most of the travel from the plains is on a steep hill road journey and one needs to cross Sela Pass (13,700 feet) to get there. In June 2008, a helicopter service from Guwahati was started by the Arunachal Pradesh government.
Road travel to Tawang from Tezpur, Assam, is by buses, private taxis and shared taxis. It is an arduous journey: most of the road is loose tarmac and gravel giving way to mud in many places. However, it is a scenic journey of nearly 12 hours, crossing Bomdila Pass (8,000 feet), peaking at Sela Pass (13,700 feet), Jaswant Garh and, finally, Tawang. Government buses often break down (usually on the way up) and passengers end up hitchhiking in private cars and taxis. En route, one can sample local food especially meat & vegetarian momos and cream buns.
Map of Tawang on Google Maps:
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Another map here (maplandia.com)
Trip to Tawang put photos and wrote about the beauty (link)
Tawang, perched at a height of over 10,000 ft, is world-renowned for its 400-year-old Buddhist Monastery, one of the biggest in India. The sixth Dalai Lama was born here. The Tawang Monastery has an interesting collection of Thangkas (Tibetan painting on cloth) and a large gilded statue of Sakyamuni (the historical Buddha) in the prayer hall. The Tawang Monastery, also known as the ‘Galden Namgyal Lhatse’, is beautifully situated on a spur about 2 km from the heart of the town.
Post on AdmirableIndia.com (link)
Founded by the Mera Lama Lodre Gyasto in accordance to the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama, Nagwang Lobsang Gyatso, The Tawang monastery of the Gelugpa sect is the largest Buddhist monastery in India. The name Tawang means Chosen Horse. It is also known in another Tibetan name known as Galden Namgey Lhatse, which means a true name within a celestial paradise in a clear night. Located at an elevation of 10,000 feet (3,300m) in the district capital, Tawang Town, it is home to more than 600 Lamas. It also houses the Parkhang library: a collection of the 400-year-old Kangyurs which consists of 110 volumes with 400-500 pages in each bundle in addition to invaluable manuscripts.
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