Tawang Town
 Set
amidst beautiful wooded mountains, at an altitude of 3,048m, The
highland town of Tawang has the largest Buddhist monastery in India.
It is the birthplace of the 6th Dalai Lama. The monastery
houses a 5.5m high statue of Buddha, numerous sculptures and rare
manuscripts. The area came under the influence of Mahayana Buddhism
when Padmasambhava, the famous missionary monk of Nalanda, came here
in the 8th century a.d. However, with the establishment of
the Tawang Monastery, it was Tantric Buddhism that prevailed here in
the 17th century.
¤ Tawang Handicrafts Centre
Tawang has a lot more to offer besides the important house of faith.
The town has a worthwhile Handicrafts Centre, which was started to
promote the small-scale industries and local handicrafts. The centre
has a fine range of woollen carpets and shawls amongst other things.
The town in itself is quite charming and you could go pretty
over-the-top purchasing rather inexpensive but good clothes and shoes
that ‘somehow’ find a way across the border into India! The
town also has a number of decent Chinese Restaurants, some of which
serve delicious momo’s and thokpa. Like in the rest of
Arunanchal, the people of Tawang are a simple and friendly lot. If you
happen to be an avid lover of music, then making friends should be
downright easy, as the locals seem to have music in their blood and
even workers who lay roads sport a guitar.
¤ Famous Archeological Sites - Malinithan and Bismaknagar
185km from Itanagar are the important archeological sites of
Malinithan and Bismaknagar. Malinithan has many granite images of
Hindu gods and goddesses. Bismaknagar is situated at the foot of
Mishmi Hills in Lohit district. It has a ruined fort that dates back
to the period of the Mahabharata (one of the two Hindu epics). One can
also see the ruins of a palace that must surely have been an
architectural marvel when it was built in the 12th century
a.d. Besides these, there is an ancient Shiva Temple. Recently, the
remains of a lotus pond believed to have been associated with the
famous characters of the Mahabharata such as Bhism, Rukmani and
Shishupal, have been unearthed at this place.
¤ Parsuram Kund -- A Well
Parsuram Kund (well) at Teju, the district headquarters of the Lohit
district, is a holy lake that attracts thousands of pilgrims
throughout the year. They come here to take a holy bath in the kund to
absolve themselves of their sins. The kund has been mentioned in the
Puranas as well.
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