We entered Arunachal Pradesh and were in the West Kameng District. Crammed up in a Tata Sumo, there were 12 of us excluding the driver. We were climbing the Himalayan roads towards Tawang.
We stopped briefly at a few spots just after the border. At a place called Tenga Valley, enchanting views of the Eastern Himalayas surrounded us. The passengers were mostly army workmen who were headed to their army posts around Tawang. I was the lone soldier going to Tawang that day.
The warm air of the plains gave way to the chilled breeze which blew from the North. A few Himalayan peaks were visible and the rain continued through the journey sometimes mixed with hail and sometimes with snow.
In the middle row of the taxi was me and three other army men. I introduced myself to them and they reciprocated. They were all from Kerala and were surprised to meet a person from their state travelling alone. As the journey progressed, we discussed a lot about the army and the work they have been doing there for years. These men had served in Ladakh, Kashmir and even in Bhutan.
The camaraderie they had developed for each other was also striking. After a while they started calling me “Sir” which they generally call their colleagues in the army. These men were not high-ranking soldiers just Havildars and workers and I built immense respect for them thereafter. Most of the work done at these remotest of regions are done by these great men.
The driver picked up speed and soon we passed by Bomdila, where I was supposed to reach the day before but failed to make it. We passed Dirang which was another spot of interest en route. And after this there weren’t going to be any breaks. We had a good meal for lunch at one of the shacks somewhere after Dirang. The journey was definitely back-breaking and you feel you are being tortured for no reason. The route to Tawang is considered to be one of the deadliest routes in India and my tryst with the Himalayas continued.
The Sela Lake marks the entrance to the district of Tawang which is a border region of India with Bhutan on one side and China/Tibet on another. The entire area was under Tibet at one point of time.

The grandeur of The Sela Lake
The lake was so beautiful, I forgot the pain and hardship we went through to get there in that crammed up jeep. The army men shared some of the stories and folklores of various landmarks and events of the War of 1962.
The snow was unbearable after Sela and it started to get dark. While in situations like this, taxi drivers usually carry a set of chains to wrap around the car’s tires to increase traction in the snow. But that day our friendly young driver forgot to bring his. We managed to get through the snow lying areas pretty quick before it got worse.

Jaswant Singh Memorial all covered in snow
Once we were though Sela Pass a little distance after the lake the weather became all right but the heavy downpour continued. Slowly the army men were dropped off at their army camps at Jang but there was still a 2 hour ride to Tawang. We were running late as it became dark. I later came to know that this was the driver’s first ride to Tawang. Shocked to hear that, I prayed to make it to Tawang in one piece.
Clearly this was not a route to be treaded by the amateurs. But as it turned out he forgot the route too. There were three of us; myself, the driver and his assistant. The visibility in the rain got worse. Somehow at around 8pm, 14 hours after we had left Tezpur we reached Tawang.
The city had already shut by then and no restaurants, hotels or lodges were open. We walked into a few lodges but they were already full for the night. Since it was raining I couldn’t walk around to find the government lodge I had planned to stay at. I decided to bunk in the car.
The driver went out in the rain and managed to find me a good place to stay for the night.

Carved and painted walls of Tawang
The morning after, the rains continued and mostly weather swept the town. When the clouds cleared up I had the view of the famous Tawang Monastery right before my eyes from my room.
The Monpa people of the town are Buddhists and has Tibetan origins while the place gives you a different flavour of India. Tawang is also the place the Dalai Lama had fled to during the Tibetan Uprising.

A Roundabout in Tawang
The next day morning, I set out on a tour of the small town with an umbrella. The main aim for the day was to visit the Tawang Monastery which is the largest Buddhist monastery in India and resembles the Potala Palace in Lhasa.

Tawang Monastery – The Largest Buddhist Monastery in India
After what seemed to be around 2-3 hours of hiking in the rain from the main market area, I made it to the monastery up the hill. There weren’t a lot of visitors that day owing to the constant rainfall. But thankfully, this was my time to explore the museum and the monastery alone. The monks had finished the morning prayers which one could hear in surrounding areas. I spent a few hours looking and studying the artefacts at the monastery museum. The monastery houses one of the biggest statues of Buddha inside. There was a lot to see, read and learn at the monastery.

Prayer wheels at the monastery
I made a slow walk back into town through all the possible streets around the place. Some people stopped by to ask where I was from as they weren’t familiar with a new face there. I had to either be from the army or a worker. The army had a strong presence here. And Unlike Ladakh and Kashmir, Tawang is not crowded with tourists and so it’s not commercialised yet, which is good. Most men, were amazed I came all the way from the southern-most state of India to visit their little town.
While there is no electricity, 3G or good phone network for most of the day in the town, one can sit around in the lodges and enjoy the breathtaking views or take a walk around.

Statue of Buddha in Tawang
On a Sunday morning, I saw the entire town gathering to clean the streets after the rains. Everyone joined the initiative. People burnt juniper on the streets and the aromatic scent of the plants were spread everywhere. The same day I paid a visit to the War Memorial of the 1962 war. There on the walls at the memorial were the names of the soldiers who lost their lives in the war. Most of this history is now forgotten.
There are other places around Tawang, like the Jung Falls, Madhuri Lake and Bumla Pass, the border with China. Due to the heavy snow and rain most roads to these tourist spots were blocked the entire time. I spotted a few backpackers like me in the market area and acquainted with them. They were there after a 3 month-long trip of the entire North-East. We shared our stories and experiences and they inspired me to take my travels further.
After about 5 days, mostly spending the time meditating in solitude, I boarded a low-cost state bus back to Guwahati. The bus journey was 24 hours and I sat there the whole time reflecting back on the time spent at this tiny Himalayan hamlet. It was probably the best break to the relentless travel I did over the few days prior to it.

A beautiful sunset in Tawang
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Travel Blogger from Kochi, India. An inspired traveler, a travel writer, a photographer, an aspiring mountaineer, a positive thinker and a minimalist.
want to visit once more after read your article
Very creative post with some great pics 🙂
Arunachal Pradesh is easily the most under visited states of India. I have always wanted to visit the Tawang Monastery. Loved the pictures you shared here. Especially that of Sela lake. Inspires me to pack my bags and go.
Lovely pictures, great information. I stay in Assam, and planning to visit Tawang this september. Loved reading the article. I love hills, they attract me so much.
Thank you Ishani. Hope you get to visit Tawang in September. Mountains have the power to attract and then change people. Proud to say I’m one of the them. You have a great trip and I would love to read about your experience.
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Nice blog
Thank you Yashdeep.
Spellbound by the narration. Felt as if I was on the road with you. How cool I read this before embarking on a journey to the North East in a few weeks time.
The photos are amazing too 🙂 Cheers
Shubham
Thank you Shubham. Wishing you an amazing time in the North East.
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Excellent post, sounds like a fantastic road trip. Would be great hear what the army guys had to say. The Monastery looks incredibly colourful, and wow…the budda! Amazing, fantastic remote place to visit at some time, although the 24 hour bus ride is slightly off putting 🙂
Thank you. I wonder what they would say. This is normal to them. The roads are getting better these days so the drive time will reduce.
The rains make the pictures all the more intriguing matching the story it takes to get to those spots. Just beautiful. That monastery definitely seems worth the trip… even in the rain. ^^
You could visit all of Tawang but you wont be complete if you dont visit the monastery which is the heart and soul of this place. 🙂 Rain and snow.
Tawang looks like a very quiet and serene place. I believe that a trip here is a great reason for a meditation weekend, it was so worth the unconfortable ride and the not so great weather.
It was such a peaceful few days spent and I cherish the time here. 🙂
Tawang is indeed a revelation. This place looks charming and has a strange serenity that seems to pervade it. Would love to explore this place and other parts of Arunachal Pradesh, soon.
Surprising you hadn’t heard about this place Vyjay. The place is beautful beyond many counts. You should explore these parts sometime if you haven’t yet. Do let me know if you need any help.
oh wow, the colors, artistry and Monastery that you woke up tto in Twang looks absolutely beautiful and well worth the long cramped ride. I hope you were able to stay warm enough, the photos look like it may have been a bit chilly out. My son once slept in his car on a cold Minnesota night, I freaked but he was ok. Great story about meeting the other men from the military!
Hi Jimmy and Tina, You bet it was well worth it. I was warm enough, I tend to enjoy the cold more than the heat, so the cold didn’t matter unless it was really poking through the skin. 🙂
I had a great time with the military guys. We even popped open a bottle and whiskey and drank it on the way, celebrating the journey.
Whiskey, mmm speaking to my heart Johann!
I really like those prayer wheels! They’re so colourful and eye-catching. Have you used one before?
The prayer wheels are foe everyone who walks beside it. You can slowly turn one by one. They are said to dispel bad vibes and send blessing to you when you turn it.
Trips like this are great for deep thought & reflection. I find myself setting goals, processing my experiences, and questioning my patterns when I’m on trips like this. I think it’s good for the soul. Thanks for sharing your adventures.
Absolutely Meg! The whole trip helped me reconsider a lot of things and make changes, also giving me a better outlook on life as whole. And thats how I started writing and blogging.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your pictures! I’m a Floridian so all the dark snow is super intriguing to me. I wish I could go to that monastery museum, it seems really fascinating!
Thank you so much Jamie. Same here, I come from a coastal city, so I love the cold snowy day in the mountains. You should make a trip to the monastery. The North East of India is fascinating.