Tawang

Tawang

Tawang (Tibetan: རྟ་དབང་, Wylie: Rta-dbang) is a town and administrative headquarter of Tawang district in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. It lies on NH-13 section of Trans-Arunachal Highway. The town was once the headquarter of the Tawang Tract, which is now divided into the Tawang district and the West Kameng district. Tawang continues as the headquarters of the former.

Tawang is the main tourist destination of Arunachal Pradesh. China claims Tawang as its own land.

It is situated 448 km by road north-west of state capital Itanagar at an elevation of approximately 3,000 metres (10,000 ft). It lies to the north of the Tawang Chu river valley, roughly 10 miles (16 km) south of the Line of Actual Control with China. Tawang is also the site of a famous Gelugpa Buddhist Monastery.

Etymology

Tawang comes from a Tibetan word. In Tibetan, "Ta" means "horse" and "wang" means "chosen." So, the name "Tawang" means "chosen by horse."

History

Tawang is home to the Monpa people. The Tawang Monastery was built in 1681 by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso, as the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, wished. The name "Tawang" means "chosen by horse." This comes from a story where a horse picked the place for the monastery. The sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, was born in Tawang.

Long ago, Tawang was part of Tibet. In 1914, Tibet and British India made an agreement about their border in the Assam Himalaya region. This was called the McMahon Line, and it said Tawang would go to British India. But China did not agree to this. For many years, Tawang was still ruled by Tibet. In 1951, India took control of Tawang after Tibet became part of China.

In 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama came to Tawang when he left China. During the Sino-Indian war in 1962, China took control of Tawang for a short time. After the war ended, Tawang went back to India. Today, China still says it owns Tawang and much of Arunachal Pradesh.

Geography

Tawang town is about 555 kilometres (345 miles) from Guwahati and 320 kilometres (200 miles) from Tezpur. It sits at an average height of 2,669 metres (8,757 feet) above sea level. Tawang is north of the Sela Pass and Tunnel, and lies in the area drained by the Tawang Chu river.

Climate

The climate in Tawang is cold. Winters have less rain than summers. This climate is called a warm-summer humid continental climate. The average temperature in Tawang is 5.5 °C, and the area gets about 3,080 millimetres of rain each year.

Demographics

As of the 2011 census, Tawang had a population of 11,202 people.

Tawang Monastery

Tawang Monastery was started by Mera Lama Lodre Gyatso. It is part of the Gelugpa group and is the biggest Buddhist monastery in India. The name Tawang (Tibetan: རྟ་དབང་, Wylie: Rta-dbang) means "horse chosen". Many believe it is the largest Buddhist monastery in the world outside of Lhasa, Tibet.

In 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama came to India to stay safe. He stayed for a few days at Tawang Monastery before moving to Tezpur in Assam.

Transportation

Airport

Tawang Air Force Station has a working heliport. The Indian Air Force has offered an upgraded landing ground in Tawang for tourism and the UDAN scheme.

The closest airports with regular flights are Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati and Salonibari Airport in Tezpur. They are 450 and 325 kilometers away.

Railway

The nearest railway station is at Naharlagun, connected to major cities. A railway line connecting Missamari in Assam with Tawang has been proposed. A survey for the line was done in 2011.

The planned Bhalukpong–Tawang railway link from Bhalukpong railway station to Tawang will improve tourism. It will pass through high elevations, with many tracks in tunnels. This railway will shorten the road distance. A two-lane road will also be built. Future plans include extending the line to Yongphulla Airport in Bhutan.

Road

Tawang is located at the northern end of NH 13 of the Trans-Arunachal Highway network, 447.5 kilometres from the state capital Itanagar. It is connected by buses.

The Border Roads Organisation was tasked to build a road from Lumla to Trashigang through Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary. This will shorten the distance from Guwahati to Tawang. Construction of this road involves upgrading existing roads and building new sections.

The Sela Tunnel through Sela Pass is a road tunnel under construction. The tunnel will cut the distance between Dirang and Tawang. Construction began in early 2019 and was completed in March 2024. The tunnel provides year-round access to Tawang. The Border Roads Organisation is also improving the road from Sangetsar Tso to Bum La Pass on the India–China Line of Actual Control.

Tourism

Tawang is a popular place to visit in Arunachal Pradesh. It has snowy winters in December and January and a fun ski lift in town.

Visitors need a special permit called an Inner Line Permit (ILP) to travel there. This can be obtained in cities like Kolkata, Guwahati, Tezpur, and New Delhi. The journey often includes a scenic drive up a steep hill road, passing Sela Pass at 4,176 metres (13,701 ft). Travelers can reach Tawang by road from Tezpur and Assam, and there are flights from Kolkata to Tezpur. In October 2014, the government started a helicopter service from Guwahati.

Some beautiful spots to see near Tawang include Sela Pass, Bum La Pass, Lumla, Sangetsar Tso (Madhuri Lake), Pangang Teng Tso (PTSO Lake), and Zemithang.