Tawang - the town of peace

 

Tawang makes us turn inwards. The beautiful Giant Buddha statue adorning the town belittles our existence. We are so small in front of the vastness of the universe. 

The peaceful face of Lord Buddha gives an inner calmness. 

The lovely snow-capped mountains beside the statue provide an enchanting view. And we definitely fall in love with Tawang. 

We can also see Buddha's pictorial life story near the statue. `I Love Tawang` just beside that gives the feel of visiting a tourist spot. 

Buddhist culture is predominantly seen all over the town. Tawang is an important pilgrimage for Buddhists. It is the birthplace of the 6th Dalai Lama. We also visited the house where he was born. 

Inside a hall, there are eight stupas. In another hall, we see pictures of 14 Dalai lamas. The feet of the 6th Dalai Lama is engraved on the stone. His skull is also engraved. There is some significance of the human skull in Buddhist philosophy.

We also see 7 bowls filled with water in front of the Buddha statues. You may check this post to understand the significance of water offering.

In Tawang, there is a big monastery at 10000 ft on one of the mountains. We saw the monastery first time. It was a humbling experience. The smiling face of H. H. Dalai Lama makes you feel at ease. The large statue of Lord Buddha calms the nerves. 

Biscuits and chocolates are offered in the bowl of Buddha. That was pretty unusual as we normally see prasadam (offerings)  like Pedha, sugar in the temples. We can also see small statues of Buddha with various finger mudras on the upper floor.  Budhdha's teachings are inscribed on the wall.

There is a small museum on the premises showcasing various items used in the monastery since ancient times. Quite an interesting collection of the artifacts it has. It also has a corner with the history of the monastery. Old photos of Rajeev Gandhi and other dignitaries visiting the monastery are also hanged.

Monks spend time in the monastery following the Buddhist rituals. There is a large library with a collection of scriptures, manuscripts. But it was closed when we visited the monastery. 

Apart from the main monastery, there is a nun's monastery as well called Ani Gumpa. A nun living there kindly offered us tea as little snowfall started. 

My daughter was overjoyed to see snow outside and happily, made a snow woman!

We also visited the Tawang war memorial. More on it in a different post! Madhuri Lake, Bumla Pass are other attractions near Tawang. But due to heavy snow, we couldn't visit :-(

Buddha's town Tawang is happy and peaceful despite the frequent power cuts, limited internet connectivity, bad roads. We were shivering with cold as heaters in the hotel were mostly not powerful.

In the end, Tawang- the town of peace definitely gives the tonic to lead a peaceful life despite all odds!