Unveiling Tawang: A Journey through History and Myth in the Eastern Himalayas.
Nestled in the mountains of the Eastern Himalayas, Tawang gets its name from the founding story of the Tawang monastery. This goes back to the 17th century, when the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, instructed Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso to establish a new monastery in the region. It is said that, to help fix the perimeter of this massive monastery, the Dalai Lama even gave Merak Lama a ball of yarn, the length of which was to form the perimeter of the monastery.
A directive was issued for the local populace to help with this grand task. However, Merak Lama was struggling to settle on a location for the same, and this led him to go into meditation in a cave, asking for divine guidance in his task.
When he came out of the cave, he found that his horse had run away. On setting out to find his horse, he found it atop Tana Mandekhang Mountain.
This very location was chosen for what is today the biggest monastery in India. The name Tawang translates to "chosen by the horse", referring to Merak Lamas horse.
Tawang was once a part of Tibet, till the McMahon line was marked out not too long ago. Join us to discover more stories from the Eastern Himalayas as we take you on an offbeat journey to West Kameng and Tawang in our handpicked set departure
"Of Lore, Lakes and Landscapes" A Monpa and Sherdukpen Chapter WESTERN ARUNACHAL PRADESH
28th September to 5th October
19th October to 26th October
13th November to 20th November
25th November to 2nd December
9th December to 16th December
23rd December to 30th December