Nameri - An Adrenaline Adventure

Nameri - a place of pure wilderness, a place to experience an adrenaline adventure is a lovely sanctuary placed on the border of Assam and Arunachal.

The Nameri landscape just mesmerizes us as if it has directly come out of some wallpaper.  

Here, we can go on a nature trail inside the jungle and get an adrenaline rush with the thought of coming across wildlife face to face. Encounter wild elephants, hear the scary sound of barking deer, walk with the forest guard armed with a gun. The silence of the forest speaks differently. The chirping of the birds fills the space.

Nameri is the home of endangered white-winged wood duck. But they are very few in numbers and difficult to spot.

We stayed in Balighora nature camp. It is made of sustainable bamboo huts. Experienced a night sky with bright stars, caught hold of a lonely firefly as well. Spotted lovely yellow Mynas and different kinds of colorful butterflies as well. 

River rafting in the Jia Bhoroli river is also a little adventurous thing to do. The water was not particularly flowing vigorously. So it was good to get a first-time experience of river rafting.  Non-swimmers and children can also ride on the boat. It was good to spot beautiful landscapes of the jungle,  different birds like divers, ruddy shelducks, kingfisher, etc.

On the way back from river rafting we closely got a glimpse of a wild elephant trying to enter the village zone.

The villagers often bear the nuances of elephants destroying the crops. But anyway, most of them are living on the land of forest belonging to the Government. Elephants have the right to stay there just like them.

Nameri - a beautiful sanctuary that gives an altogether different life experience.  We are fortunate to experience pure adrenaline adventure here. May the forest here stay lovely and fresh forever!

 

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!