One of the most picturesque monastery in India is located in Dirang, a rather small town in West Kemang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
Established quite recently in 2016, the monastery was consecrated by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama a year later. So everything appears pristine and the artworks have a sense of freshness.
Religious & Cultural Significance
Dirang Monastery is not only an important tourist attraction, but also a site of immense cultural and spiritual significance. It is a site not only for tourism, but also holds immense significance as a center for Buddhist teaching and spiritual devotion. It is commonly associated with “Mahayana Buddhism“, the ancient branch of religion reflects back on the path of Bodhisattva as he strived towards enlightenment.
The monastery is richly decorated with colorful paintings and delicate statues on different aspects of life of Buddha and aspects of Buddhist religion.
The full name of Dirang Monastery is “Thupsung Dhargye Ling Monastery”. The Tibetan text translates to “place of flourishing of Buddha’s teaching” which aptly implies it’s significance as a place of spiritual learning.
Getting around the monastery..
The monastery accords a breathtaking view of Dirang valley on one side and rolling hilltops on the other. Decorated pagodas, with delicate golden embellishment, located outside the main complex provide a great ploy for testing out your camera settings as well as taking a few selfies before stepping into the main hall of the complex.
Once in the hall, you are greeted with richly decorated main shrine with seating areas for monks on either sides. For the artist in myself, the interplay of 3 primary colors – red, blue, and yellow made for a mesmerizing feel. I had limited time at hand, but my desire was to take as many photos as possible. Since I reached there in the evening, there were hardly any tourists and inside of the monastery was almost empty. So, I took the permission to set up my tripod and take shots from different angles.
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Visiting Dirang
The best time to visit Arunachal Pradesh, a largely mountainous State, is during summer months before Monsoons set in. It is likely that your itinerary will also include other spots on the route leading to Tawang including Bomdilla and Se-La pass. All these places have significant elevation and get quite cold in after-hours, even in warmest months of the year. However, during daytime in summer months, the temperature in Dirang fluctuates between 15-30 Celsius and the Sun can be quite strong if the skies are clear. Occasional downpours are also frequent. Therefore, it is suggested to pack accordingly.
Most tourists will probably have Guwahati as their starting point since it is well connected with both air and train. The distance from Guwahati to Dirang is about 350 kms and it will be better to hire a cab for the journey.
However, majority of travelers include Dirang as part of their Arunachal itinerary with Tawang as the final destination. Once you hit the mountains in Arunachal Pradesh (from Bhalukpung onwards) there can be multiple stopovers as you will find the landscape & culture truly unique compared to other parts of the country.
But keep in consideration that before entering Arunachal Pradesh, one needs to have a valid permit. For Indian citizens, “inner line permit” is required while for international travelers, “protected area permit” is needed. You can go to Official Website of Arunachal Tourism and click on Arrival Formalities to initiate the process of obtaining a permit.
Staying in Dirang
From experience, I can say that Dirang Market and online posts are best resources to find an accommodation. Market is located close to the monastery and has many eateries along with souvenir shops selling local handicrafts.
Many tourists prefer homestay as it accords a richer experience and can be fairly economical as well. You may ask locals in the market area for the best deals. While there, make sure to check out on local delicacies including mithun (gayal) meat, pork with bamboo shoots, and those made of unique local vegetables.
Other attractions
If you’re driving or walking between places and don’t have a data connection, use Google Maps’ offline mode. It’ll still give you directions and useful information like the distance to your destination, what streets to take, and how long it’ll take to get there.
You can also download a map of your places of interest ahead of time, and then you get to use it anywhere – even on things like subways!
Parting Words..
The short stay in Dirang really left a lasting experience.
When opportunity arises, I plan to make a detour again from Guwahati all the way to Tawang covering Dirang on the way. But I will make sure to budget more time and stay at least two days with a local family.
I will update this post and include more practical tips, but don’t delay your own travel till then.
au revoir..
