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Tawang Monastery
Founded in the 1680s, the largest monastery in India and the second largest in the world — several hundred Gelug monks, an eight-metre gilded Buddha and a library of manuscripts, on a spur above the valley.
Galden Namgey Lhatse
Tawang Monastery — properly Galden Namgey Lhatse, "the celestial paradise on a clear night" — was founded in the 1680s and is the largest monastery in India and the second largest in the world after Lhasa. It sits on a spur above the Tawang valley at about three thousand metres, a walled complex of white buildings around a central assembly hall, and it is home to several hundred monks of the Gelug school. The assembly hall holds a gilded Buddha of about eight metres, seated, with the whole room built around it, and the walls are covered in thangkas and murals. The library holds a substantial collection of manuscripts including hand-lettered Kangyur volumes. It is a working institution rather than a monument, with monks at study and at prayer through the day, and it is the reason most itineraries make the long drive up here at all.
Explore Tawang Monastery on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What to see
An assembly hall, a library, a museum and a monastic town. Two hours.
The assembly hall
- The gilded Buddha of about eight metres, seated, which the hall is built around.
- The murals and thangkas covering the walls, some of them very old.
- The morning prayers, when the hall fills with monks and the chanting begins — worth timing a visit around.
The library and museum
- The library’s manuscript collection, including hand-lettered Kangyur volumes.
- The museum, holding objects, images and material relating to the monastery’s history and to the region.
- The relationship with Lhasa, which the collection makes plain and which explains a great deal about Tawang.
The complex
- The walled compound of monks’ quarters around the central hall, which functions as a small town.
- The view down the Tawang valley from the spur, which is the reason the site was chosen.
- The prayer wheels and the entrance gate, which are the first things you pass.
Getting there
Above the town, and the town is a very long way from anywhere.
From Tawang town
- A short drive up to the monastery spur, or a walk of about twenty minutes uphill from the town centre.
- It is the standard first morning in Tawang and every itinerary that comes here includes it.
- At three thousand metres the uphill walk is harder than the distance suggests.
Reaching Tawang
- A long road journey from Guwahati or Tezpur through Bomdila and Dirang, crossing the Sela Pass at about 4,170 m.
- It is two full days of driving in each direction and there is no shorter way in by road.
- The pass closes without warning for snow and every itinerary here is built knowing that.
Permits
- Indian citizens require an Inner Line Permit for Arunachal Pradesh.
- Foreign nationals require a Protected Area Permit and may not travel alone.
- Both are arranged as part of the booking and neither is a formality. Final decisions rest with the authorities.
When to visit
Morning prayers, in the months when the pass is reliably open.
Time of day
- Early morning for the prayers in the assembly hall, which is the monastery at its most alive.
- Later in the morning the hall is quiet and can be looked at properly.
- Afternoons are fine and the light on the valley is better.
Time of year
- April to October is the practical window; the Sela Pass is most reliably open through it.
- Losar, the Tibetan new year, usually falls in February or March and transforms the monastery.
- Winter brings heavy snow and the road can close for extended periods.
How long
- Two hours covers the hall, the library, the museum and a walk round the compound.
- An hour if it is the hall alone.
- Longer if you attend prayers, which is the best use of the time.
Visitor intelligence
A living monastic community of several hundred people that permits visitors.
Conduct
- Footwear off in the assembly hall, and walk clockwise round shrines and prayer wheels.
- Do not point your feet at images, and do not sit with your back to the Buddha.
- Ask before photographing monks. Photography inside the hall is often permitted and is not universal.
Altitude
- Tawang sits at about three thousand metres and most visitors arrive having crossed a pass at over four thousand.
- Take the first day slowly, drink water and do not treat the uphill walk to the monastery as nothing.
- Altitude sickness is a genuine possibility on this itinerary and is taken seriously by good operators.
Practicalities
- It is cold at any time of year, and bitterly so in the mornings. Layers rather than one thick coat.
- Cash. ATMs in Tawang exist and are unreliable.
- Mobile coverage is patchy and data is slow across the whole district.
Access
- A vehicle reaches the monastery gate, which removes the climb from town.
- Inside there are steps, high thresholds and steep stairs between levels.
- The assembly hall is on one level once entered and is the main part of the visit.
Nearby
Everything in and around Tawang is within an hour, except the lakes.
Frequently asked
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