Dirang - Charm of Arunachal

 
Dirang is a small lovely town in Arunachal Pradesh. It gets visitors mainly because people take a break here on the way to Tawang. But it has a charm of its own.

Situated in a green valley, it offers lovely mountain views. 'I love Dirang' carved on the mountain captures the eyes. Clear night sky gives an opportunity to look at the bright stars.

Absolutely beautiful Dirang monastery is adorable. H.H. Dalai lama stays here when he visits Arunachal. It is a new monastery... The sculptures and colors are fresh. Lovely plants around add to the beauty of the place. Dirang valley looks amazing from the top. 

If you haven't seen kiwi plant, you may visit Kiwi garden. It is not a commercialized place. Agro tourism is unheard of.  You can walk in just like that. It was off season for kiwi plants. The plants were pruned. And we could just spot a lonely kiwi fruit. 

There is a sheep breeding farm as well. But sheep had gone for grazing. 

Sangti valley near Dirang is also a good place to relax. Sangti river flows quietly among the mountains. The village also also has few Homestays.

There is just one narrow road going from the market with no parking space. People park the vehicles anywhere they wish. Because of this there is always a traffic jam. We were stuck here on the way to Tawang for 1 hour.

Young boys in the town love to fly around on their mountain bikes.  One offered free advice to our driver on how to drive across the narrow roads.

Arunachal is filled with green, natural beauty.  Women here are absolutely hard working. One can see them in action most of the time. Carrying a baby on the back, they go on with their lives. Difficulties bring people to action.

Arunachal is not developed like other parts of the world. That's why it is serene, calm, and peaceful. Natural beauty is in abundance at places such as Tawang, Dirang. 

Arunachal has a unique charm. Simplicity of the place and people definitely gives you something to learn and cherish.

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!