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The white and yellow buildings of Tawang Monastery spread along a ridge above the town under a blue sky with clouds
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Photo: Kingshuk Mondal · CC BY 2.0
temple1 min from Tawang

Tawang Monastery — Galden Namgey Lhatse, India's largest Buddhist monastery

Tawang Monastery, Galden Namgey Lhatse: the Gelug monastery founded in 1680–81 at the wish of the fifth Dalai Lama, India's largest, at about 3,000 m.

What it is

Tawang Monastery, Galden Namgey Lhatse, crowns the ridge above Tawang at about 3,000 m, looking down the valley of the Tawang Chu to snow peaks and forest. It belongs to the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism and, by Wikipedia's account, is the largest Buddhist monastery in India. Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso founded it in 1680–81, in keeping with the wish of the fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso.

Photos: Yatrika (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Yatrika (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

Inside the walls

A wall about 282 m long rings the monastery like a small town. Inside are the three-storey Dukhang, the assembly hall, ten other buildings and 65 houses where students, lamas and monks live, with room for about 700; about 450 lived here in 2010. In the Dukhang sits a great gilded image of the Buddha in the lotus position, and the monastery keeps a library of old texts.

Visiting

The monastery is about 1.4 km and 3 minutes by road from the town centre on our routing. Go in the morning, when the prayers fill the hall. Dress modestly, walk clockwise around the shrines and stupas, keep your voice low, and ask before photographing monks or ceremonies. We have no verified opening hours or fees; ask at the gate.

Combine it with

The one day in Tawang adds Urgelling and the war memorial. Read things to do in Tawang and the Arunachal ILP guide.

Plans that include this

All 2 plans that stop here →
The painted three-storey front of the assembly hall of Tawang Monastery above a wide stone courtyard, with snow peaks behind
One day in Tawang — the monastery, Urgelling and the war memorial
Day plan · First visit · monasteries and history
A gentle one-day plan for Tawang: morning prayers at Tawang Monastery, Urgelling where the sixth Dalai Lama was born, and the Tawang War Memorial in town.
Best Mar–May · Oct–Nov
See the plan →
Nuranang Falls pouring down a high green cliff in a wide white plume, with cloud and blue sky above
Two days in Tawang — the monastery town, then Sela Pass, Jaswant Garh and Nuranang Falls
1 night · 2 days · First visit · monasteries and mountains
Two days in Tawang: the monastery, Urgelling and the war memorial, then the Sela road to Nuranang Falls, the Jaswant Garh memorial and the 4,170 m Sela Pass.
Best Mar–May · Oct–Nov
See the plan →

Nearby places

All of Tawang →
Nuranang Falls near Jang — the 100 m waterfall on the road to Tawang
Nuranang Falls near Jang — the 100 m waterfall on the road to Tawang
waterfall · 12 km away
Jaswant Garh War Memorial — Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat's post below Sela Pass
Jaswant Garh War Memorial — Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat's post below Sela Pass
monument · 14 km away
Sela Pass — the 4,170 m pass and its sacred lake on the road to Tawang
Sela Pass — the 4,170 m pass and its sacred lake on the road to Tawang
pass · 26 km away

Nearby destinations

All destinations →
A wide view over the houses of Shillong spread across forested hills under a sky of towering white clouds
Shillong
224 km away · 4 itineraries · 6 places
A deep, steep-sided green valley filled with low grey cloud seen from the Mawkdok Dympep viewpoint near Cherrapunji
Cherrapunji
257 km away · 4 itineraries · 3 places
Wooden houses with red tin roofs on a green slope in Kohima Village, with the city and blue hills behind under white clouds
Kohima
309 km away · 3 itineraries · 3 places
Pastel-coloured buildings of Gangtok climbing a steep, forested hillside, seen from a viewpoint across the valley
Gangtok
321 km away · 5 itineraries · 11 places
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Questions people ask

Who founded Tawang Monastery?

Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso founded it in 1680–81, in keeping with the wish of the fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, whom he served. It belongs to the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Its Tibetan name is Gaden Namgyal Lhatse; Lhatse means divine and Namgyal complete victory.

How big is Tawang Monastery?

It is the largest Buddhist monastery in India, by Wikipedia's account. A wall about 282 m long encloses a three-storey assembly hall, ten other buildings and 65 residential quarters. There is room for about 700 monks; about 450 were living here in 2010.

How do I get to Tawang Monastery?

It stands on a ridge just above the town, about 1.4 km and 3 minutes by road from the centre on our routing, at about 3,000 m. Climb slowly if you have just arrived from the plains. Dress modestly, walk clockwise round the shrines, and ask before you photograph monks or ceremonies.