Tawang Town
| རྟ་དབང༌། Tawang तवांग | |
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| Coordinates | 27°35′18″N 91°51′55″E / 27.58833°N 91.86528°ECoordinates: 27°35′18″N 91°51′55″E / 27.58833°N 91.86528°E |
| Country | India |
| State | Arunachal Pradesh |
| District(s) | Tawang |
| Population | 4,456 (2001[update]) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Area |
• 2,669 metres (8,757 ft) |
Tawang (Tibetan: རྟ་དབང་, Wylie: Rta-dbang, ZYPY: Dawang, Hindi: तवांग) is a small town situated at an elevation of approximately 3,048 meters (10,000 feet) in the northwestern part of Arunachal Pradesh state of India. The area is historically Tibetan territory . The town once served as the district headquarters of West Kameng district, and became the district headquarters of Tawang district when it was formed from West Kameng.
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[edit] Geography
Tawang town(india) is located approximately 555 km (345 mi) from Guwahati. Tawang has an average elevation of 2,669 meters (8,756 feet).
[edit] Demographics
As of the 2001 India census,[1] Tawang had a population of 38,924. Males constitute 54% of the population and females constitute 46%. Tawang has an average literacy rate of 63%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 70%, and female literacy is at 55%. In Tawang, 17% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[edit] Tourism
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 India. The name Tawang (Tibetan: རྟ་དབང་, Wylie: Rta-dbang) means Horse Chosen.[2][2] It is said to be the biggest Buddhist monastery in the world outside of Lhasa, Tibet.[3] It is a major holy site for Tibetan Buddhists as it was the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama.[4]
Tipi Orchid sanctuary in Tawang houses thousands of varieties of orchids.
Visitors to Tawang require special Inner line permits from the government which are available in Kolkata, Guwahati, Tezpur, and New Delhi. Most of the travel from the plains is on a steep hill road journey, crossing Sela Pass 4,176 metres (13,700 feet).
Tourists can travel there from Tezpur, Assam, which is 12 hours by road. Tezpur has direct flights from Kolkata. Guwahati, Assam, is 16 hours by road. In June 2008, a daily helicopter service from Guwahati was started by the Arunachal Pradesh government.
Road travel to Tawang from Tezpur, Assam, is by buses, private taxis and shared taxis. It is an arduous journey: most of the road is loose tarmac and gravel giving way to mud in many places. However, it is a scenic journey of nearly 12 hours, crossing Bomdila Pass 2,438 metres (8,000 feet), peaking at Sela Pass 4,176 metres (13,700 feet), Jaswant Garh and, finally, Tawang. Government buses often break down (usually on the way up) and passengers end up hitchhiking in private cars and taxis[citation needed]. En route, local food is available, especially meat and vegetarian momos and cream buns.
When the 14th Dalai Lama fled from Tibet, he crossed into India on 30 March 1959 and spent some days resting at Tawang Monastery before reaching Tezpur in Assam on 18 April.[5] Tawang Monastery is said to be the biggest Buddhist monastery in the world outside of Lhasa, Tibet.[6]
[edit] Political importance
In 1914, the McMahon line was drawn by the British and Tawang was included into India from Tibet(see Simla Accord (1914)). It came under effective Indian administration on February 12, 1951, when Major R Khating led Indian Army troops to relocate Chinese squatters. The takeover was informed to Tibetan authorities but not to PRC. India assumed sovereignty of the territory and established democratic rule therein to end the oppression of the Monpa[citation needed]. Elections have taken place regularly and the democratic state legislature elected peacefully.
During the Sino-Indian war of 1962, the Chinese army invaded Tawang. The last stand of Mahavir Chakra awardee Jaswant Singh Rawat took place in Tawang. After the voluntary withdrawal of Chinese troops, Tawang once again came under Indian administration. 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 objected to the visit of the Dalai Lama to Tawang in November 2009 though the Dalai Lama had previously visited Tawang several times since he left Tibet in 1959. India rejected the 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. About 30,000 persons including those from neighbouring countries, Nepal and Bhutan, attended his religious discourse.[7]
He was received and welcomed by the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh and the people of Arunachal Pradesh. The residents of Tawang painted their houses and decorated the town.[8]
[edit] Military importance
Tawang is the base for Parvat Ghatak Commando School, one of Indian Army's elite high altitude warfare training schools. Several domestic and international units have been trained in high altitude special operations at this school.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
- ^ a b Tawang District: The Land of Monpas
- ^ Young Buddhist monks lead insular lives in India
- ^ http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-06-04/india/27742278_1_tawang-dalai-lama-tibetan-spiritual-leader The Times of India Tawang is part of India: Dalai Lama
- ^ Richardson (1984), p. 210.
- ^ Buddhist monks lead insular lives in India
- ^ Thousands flock to see Dalai Lama in Indian state.
- ^ "Dalai Lama stresses on peace as 30,000 attend Tawang discourse". Sify. http://sify.com/news/Dalai-Lama-stresses-on-peace-as-30-000-attend-Tawang-discourse-news-Features-jljl4bihbdd.html. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
[edit] References
- Gyume Dorje. (1999). Footprint Tibet Handbook with Bhutan. Footprint Handbooks, Bath, England. ISBN 0 8442-2190-2.
- Hugh E. Richardson (1984). Tibet & Its History. 1st edition 1962. 2nd edition, Revised and Updated. Shambhala Publications, Boston. ISBN 0-87773-376-7 (pbk).
- Tsering Shakya. (1999). The Dragon in the Land of Snows: A History of Modern Tibet since 1947. Columbia University Press. New York. ISBN0-231-11814-7.
[edit] External links
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