My Experiences in Tawang Arunachal Pradesh – Its Time to Tawang

Tawang, a place for soul searching 

Visualise a spiritually enlightened Buddhist outpost at 10000 feet ! Now imagine a grand welcome with the  chants of the monks and beats of the traditional Buddhist instruments. Welcome to Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh !

Tawang has a great importance in Buddhism as 6th Dalai Lama was born here. The 13th Dalai Lama was hiding here in 1911 avoiding the Chinese invasion on Lhasa.  And the present (14th) Dalai Lama fled his way to India through Tawang in April 1959. The second largest Buddhist monastery in the world is situated here. Now, the history was a bonus here.

Tawang was historically part of Tibet inhabited by the Monpa people. The Tawang Monastery was founded by the Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1681 in accordance with the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso and has an interesting legend surrounding its name, which means “Chosen by Horse”. The local interpretation is that in the 17th century, Merak Lama found a strong and beautiful horse wandering in the valley. Attracted to this elegant animal, the Lama tried to capture it. But the horse disappeared and during the search and Merak Lama found a place, which was very serene and soothing. He built a magnificent Buddhist Monastery at the location. The town that developed around this Monastery was later called Tawang. The Monastery has an amazing collection of manuscripts, books and other artefacts.

Tawang for the nature lovers 

Besides, the philosophical and spiritual side, Tawang is a delight for Nature lovers. It is one of those fabulous destinations, which is fascinating for any traveller but rarely finds its way to their wish list. Surrounded by beautiful glacial lakes in and around the valley with crystal clear blue waters, nested amidst magnificent mountains, Tawang is indeed a treat.  Whether you are an adrenaline junkie, or a photographer, or an immersive traveller, you have to be here. For the adventure seekers, Bumla Pass (Indo-China Border), is the apt place to test your endurance and fitness. And, yes I was there too , felt victorious and fed myself with lots of Tibetan food. I had earned it all.  Bumla Pass was also the passage used by Dalai Lama to escape from Tibet and to enter India.

The other image that stays in mind is that off happy, rose-cheeked Buddhist monk babies. You will find  mothers walking around with their babies tied to their back for whom the minus degrees temperature is a way of life. I was almost looking like an astronaut with so many layers of clothing, while these monk kids were happily running around in their very light robes.

Colourful prayer flags flying across high snow-capped mountains, quaint shops and a peaceful atmosphere, where one can’t even miss a whisper, is something I will always miss in the city where the daily routine is the traffic noise and pollution.

How to reach Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh

Though Tezpur is the nearest airport, it has limited connectivity. Iwould suggest flying in to Guwahati, which is well connected . You can also take a train to Guwahati. From there you can drive to either Tezpur or Nameri National Park for a night stay and then proceed to Tawang 

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For more such nature based experiences in India, you could take a look at the article on India – In the lap of nature

Or if you are looking for spiritual experinces you could take a look at the article on Spiritual India 

In case you are keen on traveling to north east of India, you could take a look at the itinerary for Tawang by going on the Dalai Lama trail!

India is a many-faceted country other than being naturally very beautiful – culture, history, mystery, wildlife, spirituality… Here is some more information on these facets of India, to help you travel beyond the regular tours and packages to India