Perched at a height of 10,000 ft., Tawang monastery is one of the oldest & the second biggest monasteries in Asia. It’s also one of the main attractions of Tawang. That, and the war memorial!

On a 10 day trip to Arunachal Pradesh in March this year, we spent three days in Tawang from Day 4 to Day 6. But you can easily spend a week there and fill your soul with all the love and peace that you can imagine. ♥️♥️

At a temperature of almost zero degrees celsius, I was freezing to my bones in Tawang. The high altitude that I had to weather Sela Pass & Bumla Pass didn’t help either. And yet, I spent my time fondly in Tawang – through the snow-capped peaks, in the freezing waterfalls, by the Cherry Blossom trees, in the premises of monasteries, climbing up & down the Bumla Pass, atop a boulder in the middle of nowhere, inside a cozy café overlooking the hills & watching the rising Sun in the early mornings.

Tawang has thus made to the list of my favourite places in the world. Here’s why:

1. Experience the deep quiet at Tawang Monastery:

One of my ex-bosses used to tell us that our silence over the progress of projects was disturbingly thundering. 😀😀 You know, thundering silence! How can silence make noise?

Well, may be it does. Or may be it doesn’t.

Deep silence can be really overwhelming. The kind that prevails over you when you are at absolute ease with yourself. When nothing disturbs you. Nothing makes you unhappy. Nothing can elicit a reaction from you. In that state, a deep silence prevails. I have experienced that state a few times in my life.

Incidentally, the inside of a monastery is highly likely to move you to that state. Just find a corner, sit in Sukhasana (sitting pose), close your eyes & breathe. And the world will come to a pause. Atleast the one inside you! 🙂

2. Experience the high of 15,000 ft. at Bumla Pass

The ride to the Bumla Pass was an unforgettable experience especially at a subzero temperature. If you are not that comfortable with cold, you can plan your visit between April to June. In fact that will be more touristy because the snow will melt by then, and the trees will be Green once again. You can even visit all the famous lakes in all their glory like Madhuri Lake.

I wanted the pure cold experience: the one in which I feel I can switch off any time only to come back alive and be thankful for this life. ♥️♥️

Other than the weather and the stunning natural beauty, the kind of work that Indian army does at such places all year round, battling the adverse weather conditions and the enemy makes you extremely proud.

Bumla Pass is a must-recommended experience for everyone who visits Tawang.

3. Watch the light and sound show in Tawang War Memorial

In the evenings, the Indian army organizes a Light and Sound show at Tawang War Memorial, taking you through the cultural and political history of the place. They tell you about the war heroes who don’t get any medals or accolades but they willingly sacrifice themselves for the country. They tell you about the everyday sacrifices that Indian army undergoes in living away from their families. It makes your heart melt. ♥️

4. Take a bath in a waterfall 😀😀

Okay, maybe not take a bath. But do visit the waterfalls nearby Tawang especially the Jang Falls. It’s a scenic place with a river, a waterfall and several brooks all bunched together. You might not find silence here, but you sure will find music.

You will also find a cool tapri-style cafe nearby that will sell Maggi and hot tea. Enough to forget the worries of the world and find happiness. Real, unadulterated happiness!

5. Eat good food and read books in Tawang Monastery Coffee Shop

You have to visit here. Yes, you read that right. You have to. It’s the only place in whole of Arunachal Pradesh that serves good food (good food as in the food that tastes good to a North Indian person).

I am sorry, but that’s correct. I didn’t find good food anywhere in Arunachal Pradesh (at least the places that I visited).

This cafe was a breath of fresh air both in terms of the food that they served and their proximity to nature. In their wooden bookshelves, you will find several books on Buddhism, Dalai Lama and Mindfulness.

I picked up a few books and devoured those over plates of pasta, Korean pies (veg of course), pizzas & all kinds of baked goods accompanied with honey-ginger-lemon tea. That was bliss! Real bliss.

Even though it was raining and it was super cold, I wanted to stay in the cafe as long as I could without craving the comfort of my cozy blanket back in the hotel.

That’s what a good place and a good company can do to you. It can make you lose track of time. It makes your heart crave for more. It can makes you stay where you are & forget everything else. This is why you must always choose the places you visit & the company you keep. ☺️☺️

6. Speak with a monk:

This one is not as difficult as it sounds. In fact it might be much easier than talking to your colleague who’s always passing off your ideas as their own. 😀 😉

There are plenty of monasteries in Arunachal Pradesh. Keep visiting. You might just find a few monks in one who will be willing to speak with you, share their life experiences and exchange notes.

We got lucky in Bomdila monastery (at a distance of a few hours from Tawang). When we reached there, several monks were engaged in a debate session, I think. The younger ones who must be 6 or 7 years old were having fun, and the elder ones were approaching it very seriously. I found a young monk (6 years old), dressed in robes, bunking the debate session I think, singing the song, “Isme tera ghata, mera kuch nahi jata”. I wanted to hug him in that moment, but I am not that free in my actions.

My brother who’s more open than I am found the head monk & spoke with him for about an hour discussing life.

That’s a separate thing that even after these intense discussions, he still fights over the window seat and the last piece of chocolate with me. 😄😄

7. Discover ZEN: the art of simple living:

The most beautiful thing about Arunachal Pradesh is its closeness to nature. Life there is incorruptible. People there (most of them) rise with the Sun, find a balance between physical labour & cognitive activities, live on natural & organic produce and live out their time with their health intact.

But you know this can be my bias. Anything that’s not a metropolitan and everything that even resembles a mountain attracts me way too much. We humans are really greedy. We want to acquire things we don’t have. And while we do that, we won’t let go of what we currently have either.

If you give me an option today to live out my life in the mountains and a means to earn my living, I won’t say Yes immediately. I will borrow time to calculate. I will run some quick Maths to see what makes sense for me. And I will perhaps arrive at a number below which it won’t make sense for me to move to the mountains even though that would give me happiness. But then, let’s not be harsh to self. In this complicated world, nothing is too simple. Perhaps that’s what life is about – discovering the art of simplicity while navigating through the chaos and the complexities.

I can guarantee one thing though: mountains straighten out your circadian rhythm. You tend to wake up early and spend your day sightseeing, meeting people and doing things in the real world instead of sticking to your gadgets.

Do that when you visit Arunachal. Observe the world around you (and not the one found on your devices). Observe the people around you. Talk to them. Ask them about themselves. Ask their stories. And then listen. Just listen for the joy of listening.

You would notice that your heart is beating slower, your breathing is deep, and your mind is at peace. That’s mindfulness. That’s Zen, of sorts!

This is the fourth blogpost of our Theme 5, “Introducing the Land of the Rising Sun in India – Arunachal Pradesh”

In March this year, we introduced a new travel campaign, ‘Rediscover India, Incredible India’, as part of which, we bring unique & magnificent places of India to you one blogpost at a time. Each month, we choose a new theme and share curated experiences relevant to the theme week after week.

Stay tuned for the last blogpost of this theme! I am now taking suggestions for the next theme. Leave your ideas in comments or let me know one-on-one.

Be safe. Keep travelling!

See you all next week!