Tawang Monastery

Tawang Monastery is located in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. It is at a distance of roughly 180 kilometers from Bomdilla. The monastery is found at the top of a hill, at an altitude of roughly 10.000 ft. One of largest the Buddhist monasteries in India, Tawang Gompa also holds the distinction as the birthplace of the 6th Dalai Lama. Also known by the name Galden Namgyal Lhatse also, the existence of the monastery goes back to the year 1860-61.

Founded by Merak Lama Lodre Gyamtso, it is an epitome of Buddhist architecture and belongs to the Gelukpa sect. One of the principal attractions of the monastery of Tawang is the enormous gilded statue of Buddha. It also has a rich collection of manuscripts, books of priceless value and thankas (depicting Lord Buddha as well as other deity in various poses). At the entry of the monastery is a pond, known as Dung Gyur Mani. The monastery gets its water from this pond only.The entrance, kakaling, as with the ceiling, is decorated with a range with exotic paintings. The assembly hall, Dukhang, is decorated with the silver plated caskets and thankas, featuring mainly of the goddess Sri Devi.The whole complex of the monastery is distributed over an area covering 135 square meter. The complex comprises of 65 residential buildings and 10 other structures. There is also a library, storing old scriptures (mainly Kanjur and Tanjur number 850 packages).Location: Tawang city, Arunachal Pradesh Belongs To: Gelukpa sect Founded In: 1860-61 Founded By: Merak Lama Lodre Gyamtso Attractions: Huge Buddha statue, manuscripts, books and thankas The nearest airport is in Tezpur, well connected to almost all the major destinations of India. The nearest railway station is that of Rangapara (Assam). Tawang is well linked with Bomdila, by road.