Travelling in the North-East in the summer of 2006
Guwahati >> Eaglenest >> Tawang >> Nameri >> Kaziranga >> Shillong >> Cherrapunjee
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When we headed towards the region above Tawang towards the country’s border, we were not sure what we are up to seeing. The road went up steep and within no time we had gone really high from Tawang. We had to pass several military barricades on the way, and we noticed that army had cut down a large number of alpine trees all over the slope. After 30 minutes of drive we started seeing snow which was melting fast, and plenty of water flowing down from each snow pile.
A little later, the road was getting flat again and the slopes had mellowed down. Thats when we saw our first surprise. I shouted when I looked at the beautiful lake amidst the snow – ‘look there..!’. We got down for a few photographs of the pretty lake and walked all around it. What I did not know was that there are many more to come. As we moved forward, we kept seeing lake after lake, each one surrounded by thick snow, and each one prettier than the previous. It all looked heavenly. I never imagined seeing so many beautiful water bodies in such a short distance.
There was no one around to tell, but from whatever I gathered from the signs, I think the region is called PTSO, whatever it stands for. We kept driving and stopping at short distances. We would hop into the jeep for a few minutes and then someone would shout a ‘look, one more..!’ and we would stop again and walk around another lake. It was evening when we headed back. On the slopes, the waterways created on the snow melting through the day had made some beautiful scaly patterns.
It was an incredible and short lived experience high in the mountains. The beautiful region was access controlled by the army and we have little freedom of movement. It depressed me to think of the neighbors that we have, who have forced our warriors to live in the harsh environs like this to protect our lands, be it in Siachin, Arunachal or Sikkim. It depressed me to think that such beautiful regions have to be restricted from us who worship the beauty that these mountains are. And C’est la vie is all I could say about it.
Travelling in the North-East in the summer of 2006
Guwahati >> Eaglenest >> Tawang >> Nameri >> Kaziranga >> Shillong >> Cherrapunjee
+Previous: From Eaglenest to Tawang – II
+Next: At Tawang – Snow and Lakes
+Go to the beginning of the series
The first thing that comes into the mind when talking about Tawang is the the monastery. And that is where we headed next morning.
The monastery, blue skies and the snow caps
Tawang Monastery is said to be the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in India and second largest in the entire world. It did not look very big in size though. When we went there, the morning prayers were finished and it was quiet inside. We were the only people inside, though we found a few people and monks wandering around the monastery.
Buddha statue at the monastery
We walked in and spent a few moments in its beautiful interiors. Every inch of the monastery is decorated in bright colors. Several lines of mats are laid out in parallel as seating for prayers, between a tall statue of Buddha and the main entrance. We lit incense sticks and sat inside quietly for a while. I love the prayerful feeling emanated from the interiors of a place of worship, and the quietness of the monastery made it all the more charming.
The Monk’s Assets
We struck conversation with a monk student when we came out. He told us a few things about the monastery, and when we requested if we can walk around with him and see his room, he was very obliging. He was happy to help us around, treated us like worthy guests and served us coffee and snacks when we were in his room. The approach to his room was through a narrow wooden staircase that led to his small but warm wooden dwelling, shared by two monks. It was a neatly arranged place with many books, tools of prayer and pictures of worship. A tape-recorder and a some Hindi movie tapes were a few things that seemed out of place!
Smiles..
More Smiles..
and more smiles..
even more smiles..
One thing that often strikes me with the Tibetans is how friendly and open they are. I see them smiling and happy all the time. They open up very easily and without any qualms, and seem to be comfortable with anyone at any time. It is the same story I have seen with the Tibetan Buddhists in all places. I don’t know if it is something in their blood or if it is their practices that keep them so alive. Even children are friendly, open and smiling all the time. The monk we met was also extremely humble and seemed to follow the phrase ‘athithi devobhava’ in every instance, even with us strangers. We saw so many smiling faces all around Tawang in the day, it would take many months to see so much smiles anywhere else!
Travelling in the North-East in the summer of 2006
Guwahati >> Eaglenest >> Tawang >> Nameri >> Kaziranga >> Shillong >> Cherrapunjee
+Previous: About Eaglenest National Park
+Next: From Eaglenest to Tawang – II
+Go to the beginning of the series
We left Eaglenest after a week in it’s beautiful wilderness. We hired a Tata Sumo which picked us up around 6am.
I knew the distance to Tawang, but in the Himalayas, knowing the distance doesn’t mean you can tell how long it takes to get there. We drove and drove and drove and Tawang still remained far off. But unlike many other journeys I have made, and unlike my usual resentment to journeys, I loved this one.
We stopped at Bomdila first to shop for some clothes for the higher region. Our next stop was a leisure stroll at the beautiful town of Dirang. We continued to move upwards from here and stopped somewhere on the way for lunch. An hour of drive after lunch, I realized that I had left my jacket at the restaurant during lunch. And it turned out, the lady of the restaurant had kept it aside for me and gave it to me when we were on our way back!
The Sela Pass at 13,700 feet
The ascent continued from here and kept climbing higher and higher for a long distance. There was little habitation after Dirang except for a few patches of military establishments. Later in the afternoon, we were at Sela pass at a good height of 13,700 feet. Sela pass has beautiful views all around it. Vast and steep Himalayan valleys on both sides of the pass are great to look at. The pass was also the point where we first encountered snow.
The lake at Sela Pass
We had a surprise waiting for us at the other side of the pass – a small lake with some snow around it. A few Ruddy Shelducks(a kind of duck) were floating in the lake. I was told later by someone in Tawang that they saw a huge pile of them on the lake the previous day. I wished to stop by and walk down to the lake, but it was getting late and we had to keep moving.