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Visit the
beautiful lakes, Pankang Teng Tso Lake,
Sangester Lake
and Banggachang
Lake, each of which
has its own impressive beauty and grandeur.
The
architecturally beautiful, Buddhist Cultural
Center is a must see.
It caters to the young monks cultural studies.
Visit
Zimithang and see the beautiful Tatsang
gompa and the Khinme monastery
and the Singshur nunnery. Other Activities
Visit the
craft center, local bazaars and the traditional Monpa village.
In
Zimithang, don't miss the massive Gorsam Stupa, the largest stupa in the north
east India.
With its height of 93 ft and wide base of 34000 ft, it is a sight to be seen.
TOURISM INFORMATION
The
Liaison Officer,
Government
of Arunachal Pradesh,
R.G.Baruah
Road,
Guwahati, Assam - 781021
Tel:
91-361-26544
Tawang,
the original land of the Monpa tribes, is enclosed in the Himalayas
at a height of 3500 meters above sea level, in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
It was a
under the governance of the Tibetan government till 1951 and was then called
Monyul. Tawang is best known for its 400 year old Tawang Monastery or gompa,
which is the largest Buddhist monastery of the Mahayana sect in India, housing
nearly 700 monks, known as the Galden Namgyel Lhatse.
The name 'Tawang'means 'chosen by a horse' as the legend goes that when the 5th.
Dalai Lama, Mera Lama while searching for a place to make a new monastery in
1681 prayed for guidance for a special location and found his horse standing on
a quiet spot on a hill. The monastery
was built there with a 30 ft golden hued wooden Buddha statue set between
Buddhist artifacts and valuable 'Tankhas'.
The
entrance or the 'Kakaling' to the Monastery is beautiful both esthetically and
architecturally, with paintings of Buddhist folk themes done on the ceiling and
walls. Close to the main gate is the famed 'Dung Gyur Mani' pond and the
monastery derives all it water from this lake.
The
Parkhang library is a part of the monastery, which has a collection of 400 year
old Kangyurs or sacred texts, consisting of 110 volumes. The library has close
to 800 bundles of both handwritten and printed manuscripts of various Buddhist
religious texts. It is also said that each piece of the monastery was brought
on horseback from Tibet
and assembled here.
Tawang is well
known for its natural beauty, with high mountains, deep valleys, waterfalls and
numerous fresh water lakes. Its picturesque landscape and evergreen forests are
home to a variety of birds and animals. Visiting Tawang requires a special
permit for both Indians and foreigners.
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