Fairs and festivals are an integral part of the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh including the Monpas. Festivals of Monpas are also mostly associated with agriculture and religion.
Losar: Monpa New Year celebrated usually in February-March. The festival lasts for about eight-15 days. Yak and Lion dance performances from door to door as mark of happiness.
Torgya: A monastic festival usually celebrated in January every year. It is believed that celebrating the festival chases out evil spirits which usher in diseases and misfortunes. Monastic masked dances are performed in Cham-lang, courtyard of the Tawang Monastery.
Choekor: Religious procession organized by the whole village to pray for protection to crops and for bumper harvest. Choekor is organized in the seventh month of lunar calendar.
Gaden Ngamchoe: As per lunar calendar, the festival falls in the 25th day of tenth month. It is to mark the death anniversary of Je Tsong Khapa, founder of Gelukpa sect.
Dukpa Tse-She: Celebrated to commemorate Lord Buddha imparting religious sermon to his five disciples at Sarnath. This festival generally falls on the fourth day of sixth month of lunar calendar.
Saka Dawa: The festival is celebrated in the 4th month of the lunar calendar to mark the achievement of Nirvana by Gautam Buddha.
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By Air: Tezpur Airport, located 143 km away, is the nearest airport. It is connected by flights to Kolkata and Guwahati. Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, 170 km away at Guwahati is the nearest international airport. Taxis are available from the airport.
By Helicopter: Pawan Hans operates helicopter services daily from Guwahati airport except Sunday. It costs around Rs 4000 for adults and Rs 2500 for children one way.
By Rail: Tezpur is the major rail head closest to Tawang. Buses and private taxis are available to reach Tawang.
By Bus: Buses and Taxi ply regularly between Tezpur (Assam) and Bomdila, and Tawang. It takes about 12 hours to reach Tawang from Tezpur. In addition to private taxis, shared taxis are also available. The journey to Tawang by road is an arduous one. A major part of the road is loose tarmac and gravel giving way to mud in many places. However, it is a scenic journey and makes up for the strain one has to endure.
Tawang Monastery (Gonpa): It is one of the largest lamaseries of Mahayana sects and the second oldest monastery in the world after Lhasa. The monastery houses over 500 monks. It is also a centre of Buddhist Cultural Studies. The monastery was founded by monk Mera Lama Lodre Gyatso a contemporary of the fifth Dalai Lama in 17th century AD. The monastery complex comprises of more than 65 residential buildings meant for monks.
Regyaling Gonpa: It was constructed by the former Rigya Rinpoche and is located about 1 km from Tawang.
Urgelling Gonpa: Believed to have been in existence since 14th century, it is about 3 km from Tawang. Tsangyang Tashi, the 6th Dalai Lama, was born here in 1683.
Gyangong Ani Gonpa (Buddhist Nunnery): About 5 km from Tawang, the nunnery houses more than 50 inmates. It offers beautiful visuals of Tawang and takes about half-an-hour trek tor reach.
P T Tso (Pangang Teng Tso) Lake: About 18 km from Tawang, it is an ideal picnic spot. During winter, the lake provides an ideal spot for skiing.
Shonga-tser Lake: Popularly known by Madhuri Lake as the Hindi film Koyla was shot here. About 42 km from Tawang, it was formed in the aftermath of the 1950 earthquake.
Banga Jang Lake: Besides scenic beauty, it also has religious importance.
The best time to visit Assam would be November to May when cool winds from the Himalayan foothills temper the heat and humidity. March to May is when the orchids are in bloom; the people are joyous and festive and the Bihu (harvest festival) drums resonate in the valley. Assam is best avoided during the rains (June to September) when heavy downpours cause the Brahmaputra River to flood its banks all across the state.
Fairs and festivals are an integral part of the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh including the Monpas. Festivals of Monpas are also mostly associated with agriculture and religion.
Losar: Monpa New Year celebrated usually in February-March. The festival lasts for about eight-15 days. Yak and Lion dance performances from door to door as mark of happiness.
Torgya: A monastic festival usually celebrated in January every year. It is believed that celebrating the festival chases out evil spirits which usher in diseases and misfortunes. Monastic masked dances are performed in Cham-lang, courtyard of the Tawang Monastery.
Choekor: Religious procession organized by the whole village to pray for protection to crops and for bumper harvest. Choekor is organized in the seventh month of lunar calendar.
Gaden Ngamchoe: As per lunar calendar, the festival falls in the 25th day of tenth month. It is to mark the death anniversary of Je Tsong Khapa, founder of Gelukpa sect.
Dukpa Tse-She: Celebrated to commemorate Lord Buddha imparting religious sermon to his five disciples at Sarnath. This festival generally falls on the fourth day of sixth month of lunar calendar.
Saka Dawa: The festival is celebrated in the 4th month of the lunar calendar to mark the achievement of Nirvana by Gautam Buddha.