Once you have savored the sights of Tawang Monastery, the second largest in the world, you are ready for other amazing places around Tawang. Ideally you should keep a full day, to visiting Urgelling Monestary in the forenoon, return back to Tawang to explore the local shops & giant Buddha statue, and then proceed for War Memorial at end of the day.
The War Memorial is best explored in the evening. Also, this way, you can end your day enjoying light & sound show that is played out daily at 6 PM near the memorial.
Urgelling Monastery
This is a truly historical place because of it’s association with the 6th Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso [Wikipedia link]. He is the only Dalai Lama till now who has not been born in Tibet. A Monpa by ethnicity, he was an unconventional office bearer in many ways as you can decipher from the Wikipedia article.
The Monastery or Gompa is located about 3 ½ kilometers from main town. You can hire a cab or take a walk, if you enjoy doing so. We reached there in late afternoon, and had a serene experience. Please note that the place is often not visited by tourists. In our instance, we along with our driver were the only ones there. And it was worth it..
The golden hour was giving a brilliant glow to white structures. Some of the best photos I took were in Urgelling Monestary, helped by paucity of any tourist rush and the magical light.
On the entrance of monastery there are several tall trees. One in particular had many prayer flags tied around it. Our driver told us that the tree has a special significance in the life of 6th Dalai Lama, but he wasn’t sure of the exact details.
Once you enter the complex, you are greeted with an open space with structures along the rim. The main building is a two-storied building where Tsangyang Gyatso was born. This is decidedly older building with an open staircase.
Most of the rooms in main building were locked, but we found one open in the ground floor. We were greeted with an unexpected site with 7 pagodas arranged in a line, plus one on the side. We couldn’t understand their significance, although there must be a hidden meaning. The last rays of Sun were bathing chalky white structures with a reddish-golden glow. It was an eerie, but really beautiful arrangement.
Our stay in Urgelling Monestary lasted for about forty-five minutes. In addition to roaming around the structures & spinning the prayer wheels, we spent our time appreciating the solitude.
In my humble opinion, the place is a must visit for tourists, if not for grandiosity, but certainly for it’s serenity & historical significance.
Tawang War Memorial
The War Memorial is a magnificent monument in the style of a Buddhist Stupa. It is located about 1-2 kms from main town (depending on where you are staying), although it is closer to some of the major hotels including Vivanta Arunachal. Built in the honor of army personal who sacrificed their lives in 1962 Indo-China war, this is a truly unique structure in many ways. Under an gun & helmet, it is written that the structure is in memory of the “The Immortals”, which were “Over 2420 officers, JCOs and soldiers who laid down their lives in Kameng Sector during the 1962 War”. You can read article on Tawang War Memorial at IncredibleIndia page here.
