Tawang is a thinly populated mountainous tract lying roughly between the latitude 27 º 45 ’ N and the longitude 90º 15’ E on the Northwest extremity of Arunachal Pradesh. The district is surrounded by the Tibet in the North East, Bhutan in south West and West Kameng district in the south East.

Mooreed high up in the mountain ranges of the Himalayas, at 3500 meters above sea level is Tawang-the beautiful land of Monpas. With sobriquets like :The Hidden Paradise or Land of Dawn-lit mountains; this land evokes images of awesome mountain views, remote hamlets, quaint and sleepy villages, magical Gonpas, tranquil lakes and allot more. At Tawang, you have a heavenly tryst with nature at its best and the heady mixture of history, religion and legends.

The area of the district is approximately 2,085-sq-kms bordered by Tibet in the North, Bhutan in the Southwest and Sela ranges separate West Kameng district in the East. The name Tawang derives from some bearings on surroundings. But people's interpretation is that the name Tawang was given by Merak Lama in the 17th century.

The inhabitants of the districts are all of Monpa tribes. The Monpas belong to Mongoloid stock, are well built, and fair in complexion. Their houses are built with stones and timbers. Agriculture and Animal Husbandry are the fundamental means of the Monpas occupation.

Tawang derived its name from the majestic Tawang Monastery. Perched atop a ridge and surrounded by thick clouds and perennial mist, the Tawang Monastery seems to be suspended from heaven in an equally ethereal space. About 400 years old the monastery is one of the oldest and the largest in Asia and can house more than 700 monks. It controls 17 Gonpas and a few nunneries of this region. Founded by Merag lama Lodre Gyatso in 1681 in accordance to the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama, Nagwang Lobsang Gyatso, the monastery has an interesting legend surrounding its name, which means chosen by horse. (Ta-horse, Wang–Chosen) As the legend goes the site of the Monastery was chosen by the horse of Merag Lama.

Merag Lama, who had been unable to decide a site to establish the monastery, was one day praying in cave, seeking a divine guidance, when he came out after the prayers, he found his horse missing. On search, the horse was located standing quietly on a hilltop. Considering this as a sign of devine blessing he decided to construct the monastery at the very spot. The monastery was built with the help of volunteers from the neighboring villages. Even today, the villages are responsible for the upkeep of the monastery. The monastery is also grandiloquently called Galden Namgey Lhatse meaning celestial paradise and one look at the monastery on a clear night will make one realize how true its name, it stands glowing like a phantasmagoria in the blue of the night.

HISTORY

The origin of Tawang is obscure. It was a part of the kingdom of Tibet in medieval times. Local tribal rulers governed it from time to time. The British had declared this area as off-limits in 1873. The area around Tawang became a cause of disagreement between India and China, after India gained independence in 1947. The Chinese army invaded Tawang in 1962 but they later withdrew.

Tawang derived its name from the majestic Tawang Monastery. Perched atop a ridge and surrounded by thick clouds and perennial mist, the Tawang Monastery seems to be suspended from heaven in an equally ethereal space.

About 400 years old the monastery is one of the oldest and the largest in Asia and can house more than 700 monks. It controls 17 Gonpas and a few nunneries of this region. Founded by Merag lama Lodre Gyatso in 1681 in accordance to the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama, Nagwang Lobsang Gyatso, the monastery has an interesting legend surrounding its name, which means chosen by horse.

(Ta-horse, Wang–Chosen) As the legend goes the site of the Monastery was chosen by the horse of Merag Lama. Merag Lama, who had been unable to decide a site to establish the monastery, was one day praying in cave, seeking a divine guidance, when he came out after the prayers, he found his horse missing. On search, the horse was located standing quietly on a hilltop. Considering this as a sign of devine blessing he decided to construct the monastery at the very spot. The monastery was built with the help of volunteers from the neighboring villages. Even today, the villages are responsible for the upkeep of the monastery.

The monastery is also grandiloquently called Galden Namgey Lhatse meaning celestial paradise and one look at the monastery on a clear night will make one realize how true its name, it stands glowing like a phantasmagoria in the blue of the night. The monastery is also grandiloquently called Galden Namgey Lhatse meaning celestial paradise and one look at the monastery on a clear night will make one realize how true its name, it stands glowing like a phantasmagoria in the blue of the night.Prior to the construction of the Tawang monastery, Tawang was traditionally inhabited by the Monpa people, who reigned the Mon kingdom that streches from Tawang right up to Sikkim The Mon kingdom was later absorbed into the control of neighbouring Bhutan and Tibet.

The independence of India from Britain severed Tawang off from Tibet, and it was not until in 1962 when the Chinese troops conquered Tawang, destroying portions of the monastery. For six months it was controlled by the Chinese nationalist troops. After the retreat of the Chinese troops, Tawang was once again under the control of India. The Tawang district broke off from the West Kamengdistrict in 1984. Today, Tawang served as a center of Tourist attraction, thanks to the reserved beauty of the Tawang monastery.

PLACES OF INTEREST

TAWANG MONASTERY: The famous Galden Namgyal Lhatse, popularly known as Tawang Monastery was founded by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in the year 1680-81. The monastery stands on the spur of a hill, about 10,000 feet above sea level and has ravines in the south and west, narrow ridge on the north and a gradual slope on the east. It offers a commanding and picturesque view of the Tawang-chu valley. From a distance it appears like a fort as if guarding the votaries in the wide valley below. Tawang monastery is the largest of its kind in the country and is one of the largest monasteries in Asia. Though it has the capacity for housing about seven hundred monks, the actual number of resident lamas(monks) at present is a little more than 450. This monastery is the fountain-head of the spiritual life of the people of this region. The approach to the monastery is from the north along the ridge. Just near the entrance to the monastery there is a building housing the dung-gyur mani from where the water is fetched for use in the monastery. To the south of it is the kakaling, the entrance gate. The kakaling is a hut-like structure with its two lateral walls made of stone. It serves as a gate. The ceiling of the kakaling is painted with Kying-khors (Mandalas). The inner walls are painted with mural of divinities and saints. After passing through the kakaling there is a big gate further south which is without any door.

URGELLING MONASTERY: About 5 km to the south of Tawang township stands the Urgelling monastery. It was first of the three monasteries built by Urgen Sangpo, the youngest brother of Terton Pempalingpa, the famous Treasure-Revealer. It was built sometime before the year 1489. It was here in 1683 Tsangyang Gyatso, the Sixth Dalai Lama was born. He was the son of Lama Tashi Tenzin of Urgelling, a descendant of Terton Pempalingpa. His mother was Tsewang Lhamo, a monpa girl hailing from a royal family of Bekhar Village. Royal mother experienced a few miracles before the birth of Tsangyang Gyamtso. On day in the first month of her pregnancy she was husking paddy in the stone mortar and to her surprise water started accumulating in the mortar. On another occasion, when she drank water at a near by place, milk started gushing out in place of water. Since then this stream came to known as Oma-tsikang ( milk-water).

In the course of time, she gave birth to a boy who was named Sangey Tenzin by his grandfather and Nawang Norbu by his father. It is said he would not drink his mother's milk for these day after the birth. One day when his face began to swell with an infection and he could hardly open his eye, two local diviners were summoned. They prescribed purifactory rite and said his name should be changed to Ngawang Gyamtso. His recovery was credited by the regent to the intervention of the Dalai Lama's own guardian deity, Dorjee Dakpa. The grandfather dreamt that the child was constantly being protected by heavenly beings. The mother dreamt, as she took a rest from her weaving, that a great company had arrived to take him off. His parental grandmother dreamt of two suns shirring in the sky. It is also said that when the party from Tibet came to take him to Tibet, after establishing that he is the incarnation of the Dalai Lama, the boy was playing with his playmates at a place about a kilometer east of Urgelling Gompa. When he heard his mother shouting for his immediate return he with his finger wrote on a stone slab the words "Lama Kheno" (God Knows). These words got miraculously inscribed on the slab and are still standing on the slab.

After his enthronement, Desi Sangye Gyamtso, the regent entrusted Chong-gye Gonpo Rabten with the work of restoring and enlargement of the monastery in the year 1699. The new structure included a double storied main temple, and eight pillared assembly hall, a four pillared altar room, a two-pillared chapel of protective deities, a residential quarters for the sixth Dalai Lama, a Ka-gyur house, a chapel for the practice of new Tantra, a big courtyard with twenty pillars and twenty rooms for monks' quarters. Unfortunately Lajang Kham deposed the sixth Dalai Lama in 1706 ad in 1714 one of the Lajang Khan's forces sent against Bhutan invaded from the direction of Tawang. During this campaign, they destroyed the Dalai Lama's restored and enlarged monastery at Urgelling as an attempt to obliterate his memory. Another version has it that the destruction of all Nyingnapa Gompas including Urgelling was carried out by Sokpa Jomkhar, a Mongolian warrior who was averse to non-Gelugpa sect. Whatever the reason may be for its destruction, all valued possession of Urgelling monastery like scriptures, statues and other objects were made to Tawang Monastery. It was during this time that the Ka-gyur written out in gold and silver was received by Tawang monastery. Today there is only a modest temple at the site.

GORSAM CHORTEN : The largest Chorten (Stupa) of the area is the one at Gorsam near Zemithang, which is about 100kms away in the north of Tawang. Lama Pradhar, a Monpa monk, constructed it most probably in the early part of eighteenth century. The hemispherical dome rests upon a three-terraced plinth. Four miniature stupas are set on the four corners of the lower most terrace of the plinth. The base is square with each side about 170ft. in length, with a niche running all along its whole length and 120 manis are set in frames of wood in the niche of each of the base. A paved path goes all around for the pilgrims for circumambulation.

TAKTSANG MONASTERY (Tiger's Den ): Tak-Tsang Gonpa, serenely situated about 50kms away from the Township, is believed to be hallowed by the visit of Guru Padmasambhava in the 8th century A.D. Beautiful hills snow-capped peaks surround the place. This is one of the oldest monastery of the district.

OLDBAZAR GOMPA: It is situated at the heart of the Tawang Township. It is beleived that in the olden days the place where the present Gompa stands was popular known as "Massamg Key-ling Boothmey" which means a place where a strongman of a society used to play a melodious sounds with the flutes. With the passage of time a Gompa was built in that particular place.

RIGYALLING GOMPA: It is situated at a distance of 1 Km from Tawang township. The Gompa is constructed by the former Rigya Rimpoche. After his death, chang-sey, the secretay took charge of the Gompa. The re-incarnated Rigya Rimpoche, Rev.Tenzin Tsedhar is presently in South-India, completing his education. This Gompa is surrounded by a thick plantation of tress planted by 'Changsey' under the guidance and supervision of forest department, Tawang. The 'Changsey' is probably the first architect of green landscaping in Tawang District. His efforts transformed the place into growing greenery. Driven by the love for nature, creation of new, he started his plantation from the year 1979. The species which dots his backyard are both the local as well as the exotic ones. Now every house hold looks for the crown species called Crytomeria Joponica, popularly known as Rigilling 'Sheng', introduced by the "Changsey". Other notable species planted by him are Blue Pine, fir, popular Salix, Oak, Thoza etc.

These include legendary Ganga Lake (Gyakar Sinyi). It is a beautiful picnic spot, 6 kms away from Itanagar, a green forest lake surrounded by primeval vegetation, orchids masses on tall trees, tree ferns provides a small taste of the magnificent forests of the state.