By road
~450-520 km from Guwahati, crossing the 4,170m Sela Pass, usually split over two days
Northeast India · Arunachal Pradesh
Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh
India's largest monastery at 10,000ft · ~450-520 km from Guwahati, crossing the 4,170m Sela Pass, usually split over two days
Getting there
By rail
Rangapara North, Tezpur, ~330-390 km; Guwahati (~480-497 km) has far more connections
By air
Tezpur (Salonibari) Airport, ~317-390 km, geographically closer but with limited flights; Guwahati (~450-520 km) is the reliable gateway
Best time to visit
March to October; Sela Pass can snow-close anytime
Don't miss
Tawang Monastery
Sela Pass
Madhuri Lake
Tawang War Memorial
Urgelling Gompa
Things to do
Monastery mornings
Sela Pass lakes
Bumla border excursion
War memorial visits
Where to eat
Sources: wikimedia, Photo: Kthatapalli · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Serious layers, Inner Line Permit sorted, altitude pacing
A quieter corner
Sunrise from the monastery roof as 400 monks begin prayers
Before you go
Tibetan Buddhist monastery town at ~3,000 m; Torgya festival (Jan) and Losar. Inner Line Permit required for Indian visitors (Protected Area Permit for foreigners).
About Tawang
- Mountains
Where it is
Tawang is a town in the north-west of Arunachal Pradesh, at about 3,000 m in the eastern Himalaya near the border with Bhutan, reached from the Assam plains over the high Sela Pass.
History
Tawang Monastery was founded in 1680–1681 by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso, in keeping with the wishes of the fifth Dalai Lama, and the sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, was born nearby at Urgelling. The monastery belongs to the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, and with its library of old scriptures it remains the heart of the town and of Monpa religious life.
People
The Monpa people of Tawang speak Monpa languages and follow Tibetan Buddhism. They are known for woven carpets, carved wooden masks and bowls, and for Mon shugu, a paper handmade from the bark of the shugu sheng tree and long used for Buddhist scriptures.
Known for
- Tawang Monastery, the largest in India
- Sela Pass and its high lakes
- Urgelling, birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama
- The Torgya and Losar festivals
- Sangestar Tso (Madhuri Lake)
Did you know?
Tawang means chosen by horse: legend says Merak Lama settled on the monastery's site after finding his horse grazing on the hilltop there.
Shrines and sites
- Tawang Monastery
- Urgelling Monastery
- Tawang War Memorial
- Sela Pass and lake
Traditions
- Buddhist
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.