Tawang tourism

TAWANG - NORTH EAST INDIA HILL STATION

Tawang, the land of Monpasis a district of Arunachal Pradesh situated at a height of 10,000 ft from the sea level. It is believed that, the name Tawang was given by Mera Lama in the 17th century. Tawang is famous for its natural beauty, which attracts and fascinates the traveler. The place is a beautifully landscaped hill station in the Arunachal Pradesh State in the northeastern part of India. The Gelukpa sect is predominantly found in the region, which closely resembles other Tibetan sects.

Tawang is located at an altitude of 3500 m above the sea level in Arunachal Pradesh. It covers the area of 2085 sq km and is surrounded by Tibet in the north, Bhutan in the southwest, Kameng in the east and is separated from the west by Sela ranges.

The landscape of Tawang assumes an altogether new look during snowfall in the months of December and January. Tawang is also known for Buddhist influences and has one of the biggest monasteries of India

Tourist attractions in Tawang

Tawang has landscapes, history, religion and architecture to offer to its tourists. Tawang has countless monasteries and nunneries; up teem lakes, several waterfalls and hot water springs. The place is perfect for religious as well as adventure tourism amidst unexplored scenic beauty. Tawang Ganden Namgyal Lhaste, popularly known as the Tawang or Gompa Monastery, is a 400 years old Mahayana Sect Buddhist Monastery. It was built during the 17th century AD by Mera Lama, a contemporary of the 5th Lama. It is situated at a height of 3500 m near the Buddhist border. It is a place worth paying a visit because of the collection of huge scriptures, books, gold lettered Buddhist scriptures, images and tapestries. The Parkhang Hall of the monastery has the library with the rare hand-written and block-painted thankas or manuscripts of revered books like Tangun, Kangyur and Sungbhum. The 108 gold-embossed manuscripts of the 'Teaching of Lord Buddha' and 225 volumes of the explanations of Buddha's teachings covered with specially designed moth - proof silk adorned with paintings are the other rare works of Buddhist literature. The18 ft high gilded statue of the Buddha in the monastery complex is also worth watching. The festival of Torgya is held in the 11th Monpa month called the Dawa Chukchipah in the Tawang Monastery. A Craft Center here produces fine woolen carpets in various colorful designs.

Urqelling Monastery is the birthplace of the 6th Dalai Lama who is the only Indian to have risen to such a high position in Gelupka Sect of Buddhism so far. These monasteries along with several other monasteries and nunneries are visited by several tourist from all over the world all the year round. Tawang is popular haunt for several adventure sports. The rivers Tawang-Chu and Namjang-Chu are ideal for river-rafting activities. There is also an option for rock-climbing, paragliding, skating and other winter sport activities.

Tawang Monastery : Tawang Monastery is one of the biggest monasteries of India.It is also known as Galden Namgyal Lhatse. The monastery has an 18 feet high , gold painted statue of Gautam Buddha. The monastery was founded by Mera Lama in the mid-17th century.

Pankang Teng Tso Lake : There are beautiful lakes around Tawang, the most being Pankang Teng Tso Lake. It is 17 km away from maddening crowd of township.

Monpa Tribe : The picturesque Tawang girdled by lofty hills, is the home of the Monpas. There are various versions how this land came to be known as ' Tawang'. The Monpas are of Mongoloid descent. There are legends that the Monpas emigrated from Bhutan and Tibet at different times.

Tawang Library : The library is a repository of thousands of block-printed commentaries and treatises on the subject of Mahayana Buddhism. This is a valuable resource for Buddhist scholars in the region. Even the paper used is produced by the Monpas locally, from the bark of the Hong Seng tree.

Bomdila : Bomdila is 185 km from Tawang, which is also a major link between Tawnag and other parts of India.