Tawang Monastery
Encyclopedia
Tawang Monastery in Arunachal Pradesh is the largest monastery in India, founded near the small town of the same name in the northwestern part of Arunachal Pradesh
state of India
by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1680-1681 in accordance with the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama. The monastery belongs to the Gelugpa school and has a religious association with Drepung Monastery
in Lhasa
, which continued during the period of British rule. It is very close to the Tibetan border, located in the valley of the Tawang-chu which flows down from Tibet.. The monastery is 3 stories high and occupies an area of 140 m². It is enclosed by a 610 m long compound wall. Within the complex there are 65 residential buildings and 10 other structures.
Tawang Monastery is one of the largest monasteries of Mahayana sect in Asia. It was founded by the Mera Lama Lodre Gyasto in 17 century AD in accordance to the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama, Nagwang Lobsang Gyatso. The monastery is also known in Tibetan as Galden Namgey Lhatse, which translates to 'celestial paradise in a clear night.' The library of the monastery has valuable old scriptures, mainly Kanjur and Tanjur, numbering 850 bundles.
. It has a capacity of about 700 monks and presently is home to more than 450 lama
s. It is said to be one of the biggest Buddhist monasteries in the world outside of Lhasa
, Tibet.
It also houses the three-storied Parkhang library: a collection of 400-year-old Kangyur
scriptures in addition to many other invaluable manuscripts. Other large collections include the Sutra
s, Tangym, Sungbhum, old books and other manuscripts, both handwritten and printed, many of them in gold. Dances and ceremonial celebrations are held in the courtyard, the most important of which is held on the night of Buddha Poornima.
It also houses a small printing press. The most fascinating part is the Dukhang or Assembly Hall - a three-storied building housing the temple and the 8.3 m (27 ft) high Golden Buddha
. To the left of the altar on the northern wall is a silver casket wrapped in silk containing the Thankas of Goddess Dri Devi (Palden Lhamo
) the principal deity of the monastery. It was given to Merak Lama by the 5th Dalai Lama and has come to be known as the Ja-Droi-Ma, which means it has the warmth of a bird, symbolizing that the Thanka is of a living type.
There is also a Center for Buddhist Cultural Studies where young monks are taught arithmetic, English and Hindi as well as their traditional monastic education.
The Tawang Monastery is three stories high and houses 65 residential buildings in addition to the library. It controls 17 gompa
s and a few nunneries in the region. It was renovated in 1997 by the 14th Dalai Lama
- with renovation meaning that the traditionally built structure was torn down and then rebuilt with concrete.
The present Gyalsey Rinpochey, a famous incarnation of the Loseling College of Drepung Monastery
, and incarnate head of Tawang, lives and teaches at Tawang. It is also a designated 'Manuscript Conservation Centre' (MCC) under the National Mission for Manuscripts
established in 2003.
. The name Tawang means Horse Chosen.
Its name, ta = horse, and wang = chosen, is the subject of an interesting legend. As the legend goes, the site of the monastery was chosen by the horse of Merag Lama who had been unable to decide on a site to establish the monastery. One day he was praying in cave, seeking divine guidance. When he came out after the prayers, he found his horse missing. On searching, the horse was located standing quietly on a hilltop. Considering this as a sign of divine blessing, he decided to construct the monastery at the very spot. The monastery was built with the help of volunteers from the neighboring villages. It is also known by another Tibetan name, Galden Namgey Lhatse, which means 'celestial paradise in a clear night'.
Most of the people are Monpa, Takpa
and Tibetans, and are Tibetan Buddhist by religion. Pre-Buddhist Bön and Shamanist
influence is also evident. Festivals that include Losar
, Choskar, and Torgya are held annually. The Dungyur is also celebrated in every three years of the Torgya. Both the Dungyur and Torgya festivals are celebrated at Tawang Monastery with traditional gaiety and enthusiasm.
The 6th Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso
, was born at the nearby Urgelling Monastery, 5 km from the town of Tawang.
In 1706, Lhazang Khan with the support of the Chinese Kang Xi Emperor to depose the 6th Dalai Lama, who died soon after, perhaps killed by Lhazang Khan. During Lhazang Khan's rule in Tibet, he sent an army in 1714 to invade Bhutan
from Tawang. In the campaign, they destroyed the Dalai Lama's restored and enlarged monastery at Urgelling in an attempt to obliterate his memorials.
When the border known as the McMahon Line
was drawn in 1914, Tibet gave up several hundred square miles of its territory, including the whole of the Tawang region and the monastery, to the British (see Simla Accord (1914)). Tawang officials used to travel almost to the plains of Assam to collect monastic contributions. The independence of India from Britain in 1947 separated Tawang from Tibet.
When the 14th Dalai Lama fled from Tibet, following the failure of a rebellion against the Chinese central government, he crossed into India on 30 March 1959 and spent some days resting at Tawang Monastery before reaching Tezpur
in Assam
on 18 April 1959. Since then he has visited Tawang many times.
Chinese troops briefly occupied it during the 1962 Sino-Indian War
, destroying portions of the monastery. For six months it was controlled by Chinese troops. After the retreat of the Chinese troops, Tawang came under Indian control once again. Elections have taken place regularly and democratic state legislature elected peacefully.
In recent years, China has occasionally voiced its claims on Tawang and Chinese troop incursions continue to occur frequently. India has rebutted these claims by Chinese government and the Indian prime minister has stated categorically that Tawang is an integral part of India. He repeated this to the Chinese prime minister when the two prime ministers met in Thailand in October 2009.
China staked its claim over Tawang as it had a sizable Tibetan population and was previously a part of Tibet. India has rebutted these claims by the Chinese.
China objected to the visit of the Dalai Lama to Tawang town and Tawang monastery in November 2009 though the Dalai Lama had previously visited Tawang several times since he left Tibet in 1959. India rejected Chinese objection and said that the Dalai Lama was an honoured guest in India and could visit any place in India. The Dalai Lama visited Tawang on 8 November 2009. He was received and welcomed by the democratically elected Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh and the people of Arunachal Pradesh. The residents of Tawang were elated to have the Dalai Lama among them. They painted their houses afresh and spruced up the town. The whole town wore a festive look.
About 30,000 people, including those from neighbouring countries, Nepal and Bhutan, attended his religious discourse.
risk, with The Times of India
reporting "massive landslides around it". Professor Dave Petley of Durham University
in the UK, an acknowledged landslide expert, wrote in his blog: "the northern flank of the site appears to consist of a landslide scarp ... The reasons for this are clear – the river, which flows towards the south, is eroding the toe of the slope due to the site being on the outside of the bend. In the long term erosion at the toe will need to be prevented if the site is to be preserved."
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...
state of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1680-1681 in accordance with the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama. The monastery belongs to the Gelugpa school and has a religious association with Drepung Monastery
Drepung Monastery
Drepung Monastery ,, located at the foot of Mount Gephel, is one of the "great three" Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet...
in Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
, which continued during the period of British rule. It is very close to the Tibetan border, located in the valley of the Tawang-chu which flows down from Tibet.. The monastery is 3 stories high and occupies an area of 140 m². It is enclosed by a 610 m long compound wall. Within the complex there are 65 residential buildings and 10 other structures.
Tawang Monastery is one of the largest monasteries of Mahayana sect in Asia. It was founded by the Mera Lama Lodre Gyasto in 17 century AD in accordance to the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama, Nagwang Lobsang Gyatso. The monastery is also known in Tibetan as Galden Namgey Lhatse, which translates to 'celestial paradise in a clear night.' The library of the monastery has valuable old scriptures, mainly Kanjur and Tanjur, numbering 850 bundles.
Description
Located at an elevation of about 3,300 metres (10,000 ft) in the district capital, Tawang TownTawang Town
Tawang is a small town situated at an elevation of approximately 3,048 meters in the northwestern part of Arunachal Pradesh state of India. The area is historically Tibetan territory and is claimed by both People's Republic of China and Republic of China as a part of South Tibet...
. It has a capacity of about 700 monks and presently is home to more than 450 lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
s. It is said to be one of the biggest Buddhist monasteries in the world outside of Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
, Tibet.
It also houses the three-storied Parkhang library: a collection of 400-year-old Kangyur
Kangyur
The Tibetan Buddhist canon is a loosely defined list of sacred texts recognized by various schools of Tibetan Buddhism, made up of the Kangyur or Kanjur and the Tengyur or Tanjur .-The Tibetan Buddhist Canon:In addition to earlier foundational Buddhist texts from early Buddhist schools, mostly...
scriptures in addition to many other invaluable manuscripts. Other large collections include the Sutra
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
s, Tangym, Sungbhum, old books and other manuscripts, both handwritten and printed, many of them in gold. Dances and ceremonial celebrations are held in the courtyard, the most important of which is held on the night of Buddha Poornima.
It also houses a small printing press. The most fascinating part is the Dukhang or Assembly Hall - a three-storied building housing the temple and the 8.3 m (27 ft) high Golden Buddha
Buddharupa
Buddharūpa is the Sanskrit and Pali term used in Buddhism for statues or models of the Buddha.-Commonalities:...
. To the left of the altar on the northern wall is a silver casket wrapped in silk containing the Thankas of Goddess Dri Devi (Palden Lhamo
Palden Lhamo
Palden Lhamo , Palden Lamo , Shri Devi , or Ukin Tengri is a protecting Dharmapala of the teachings of Gautama Buddha in the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. She is also called Remati...
) the principal deity of the monastery. It was given to Merak Lama by the 5th Dalai Lama and has come to be known as the Ja-Droi-Ma, which means it has the warmth of a bird, symbolizing that the Thanka is of a living type.
There is also a Center for Buddhist Cultural Studies where young monks are taught arithmetic, English and Hindi as well as their traditional monastic education.
The Tawang Monastery is three stories high and houses 65 residential buildings in addition to the library. It controls 17 gompa
Gompa
Gompa and ling are Buddhist ecclesiastical fortifications of learning, lineage and sadhana , located in Tibet, India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
s and a few nunneries in the region. It was renovated in 1997 by the 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama is the 14th and current Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are the most influential figures in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, although the 14th has consolidated control over the other lineages in recent years...
- with renovation meaning that the traditionally built structure was torn down and then rebuilt with concrete.
The present Gyalsey Rinpochey, a famous incarnation of the Loseling College of Drepung Monastery
Drepung Monastery
Drepung Monastery ,, located at the foot of Mount Gephel, is one of the "great three" Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet...
, and incarnate head of Tawang, lives and teaches at Tawang. It is also a designated 'Manuscript Conservation Centre' (MCC) under the National Mission for Manuscripts
National Mission for Manuscripts
The National Mission for Manuscripts is an autonomous organisation under Ministry of Culture, Government of India, established to survey, locate and conserve Indian manuscripts, with an aim to create national resource base for manuscripts, for enhancing their access, awareness and use for...
established in 2003.
History
Tawang Monastery was founded by the Mera Lama Lodre Gyasto in accordance to the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama, Nagwang Lobsang Gyatso. It belongs to the Gelugpa sect and is the largest Buddhist monastery in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The name Tawang means Horse Chosen.
Its name, ta = horse, and wang = chosen, is the subject of an interesting legend. As the legend goes, the site of the monastery was chosen by the horse of Merag Lama who had been unable to decide on a site to establish the monastery. One day he was praying in cave, seeking divine guidance. When he came out after the prayers, he found his horse missing. On searching, the horse was located standing quietly on a hilltop. Considering this as a sign of divine blessing, he decided to construct the monastery at the very spot. The monastery was built with the help of volunteers from the neighboring villages. It is also known by another Tibetan name, Galden Namgey Lhatse, which means 'celestial paradise in a clear night'.
Most of the people are Monpa, Takpa
Takpa
The Takpa is a linguistic northern sub-group of the Monpa people, while the southern sub-group is identified as the Tshangla. Monpas of the Takpa group are found in Tawang and Dirang of Arunachal Pradesh, Cuona of Tibet as well as Trashigang in Bhutan....
and Tibetans, and are Tibetan Buddhist by religion. Pre-Buddhist Bön and Shamanist
Shamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
influence is also evident. Festivals that include Losar
Losar
Losar is the Tibetan word for "new year." lo holds the semantic field "year, age"; sar holds the semantic field "new, fresh". Losar is the most important holiday in Tibet....
, Choskar, and Torgya are held annually. The Dungyur is also celebrated in every three years of the Torgya. Both the Dungyur and Torgya festivals are celebrated at Tawang Monastery with traditional gaiety and enthusiasm.
The 6th Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso
Tsangyang Gyatso, 6th Dalai Lama
Tsangyang Gyatso was the sixth Dalai Lama. He was a Monpa by ethnicity and was born at Urgelling Monastery, 5 km from Tawang, Tibet and not far from the large Tawang Monastery in the northwestern part of present-day Arunachal Pradesh in India .He led a playboy lifestyle and disappeared, near...
, was born at the nearby Urgelling Monastery, 5 km from the town of Tawang.
In 1706, Lhazang Khan with the support of the Chinese Kang Xi Emperor to depose the 6th Dalai Lama, who died soon after, perhaps killed by Lhazang Khan. During Lhazang Khan's rule in Tibet, he sent an army in 1714 to invade Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
from Tawang. In the campaign, they destroyed the Dalai Lama's restored and enlarged monastery at Urgelling in an attempt to obliterate his memorials.
When the border known as the McMahon Line
McMahon Line
The McMahon Line is a line agreed to by Great Britain and Tibet as part of Simla Accord, a treaty signed in 1914. Although its legal status is disputed by China, it is the effective boundary between China and India....
was drawn in 1914, Tibet gave up several hundred square miles of its territory, including the whole of the Tawang region and the monastery, to the British (see Simla Accord (1914)). Tawang officials used to travel almost to the plains of Assam to collect monastic contributions. The independence of India from Britain in 1947 separated Tawang from Tibet.
When the 14th Dalai Lama fled from Tibet, following the failure of a rebellion against the Chinese central government, he crossed into India on 30 March 1959 and spent some days resting at Tawang Monastery before reaching Tezpur
Tezpur
Tezpur is a city and the administrative headquarters and municipal board of Sonitpur district in the state of Assam in northeastern India. Tezpur is an ancient city on the banks of the river Brahmaputra and is the largest of the north bank towns with a population exceeding 100,000...
in Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
on 18 April 1959. Since then he has visited Tawang many times.
Chinese troops briefly occupied it during the 1962 Sino-Indian War
Sino-Indian War
The Sino-Indian War , also known as the Sino-Indian Border Conflict , was a war between China and India that occurred in 1962. A disputed Himalayan border was the main pretext for war, but other issues played a role. There had been a series of violent border incidents after the 1959 Tibetan...
, destroying portions of the monastery. For six months it was controlled by Chinese troops. After the retreat of the Chinese troops, Tawang came under Indian control once again. Elections have taken place regularly and democratic state legislature elected peacefully.
In recent years, China has occasionally voiced its claims on Tawang and Chinese troop incursions continue to occur frequently. India has rebutted these claims by Chinese government and the Indian prime minister has stated categorically that Tawang is an integral part of India. He repeated this to the Chinese prime minister when the two prime ministers met in Thailand in October 2009.
China staked its claim over Tawang as it had a sizable Tibetan population and was previously a part of Tibet. India has rebutted these claims by the Chinese.
China objected to the visit of the Dalai Lama to Tawang town and Tawang monastery in November 2009 though the Dalai Lama had previously visited Tawang several times since he left Tibet in 1959. India rejected Chinese objection and said that the Dalai Lama was an honoured guest in India and could visit any place in India. The Dalai Lama visited Tawang on 8 November 2009. He was received and welcomed by the democratically elected Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh and the people of Arunachal Pradesh. The residents of Tawang were elated to have the Dalai Lama among them. They painted their houses afresh and spruced up the town. The whole town wore a festive look.
About 30,000 people, including those from neighbouring countries, Nepal and Bhutan, attended his religious discourse.
Landslide risk
In November 2010 it was reported that the Monastery is threatened by possible landslideLandslide
A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...
risk, with The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
reporting "massive landslides around it". Professor Dave Petley of Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
in the UK, an acknowledged landslide expert, wrote in his blog: "the northern flank of the site appears to consist of a landslide scarp ... The reasons for this are clear – the river, which flows towards the south, is eroding the toe of the slope due to the site being on the outside of the bend. In the long term erosion at the toe will need to be prevented if the site is to be preserved."
External links
- Official Website of Tawang Monastery. http://tawangmonastery.org/
- "Trekkers’ paradise" The Tribune. Sunday, September 5, 2004 http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040905/spectrum/main4.htm
- "The Lines nations draw." P. Stobdan. Indian Express. Tuesday, October 18, 2005. http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=10958&t=1&c=1
- "Young Buddhist monks lead insular lives in India." Thomas Kent. Spero News (UCA News), May 15, 2006. http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=1,2720,0,0,1,0
- Tourist information on Tawang Monastery. http://www.north-east-india.com/arunachal-pradesh/tawang-monastery.html
External links
- "A Walk Around Tawang Monastery." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_if3p9GLcM