Tawang - The Beautiful and the Fragile and the Ephemeral

Tawang has a claim to history not only for the present but also for the future.

(Here is some appropriate Buddhist chanting of the favoured mantra Om Mani Padme Hum done by Craig Pruess at grooveshark.com --

grooveshark.com/#/s/Om+Mani+Padme+Hum+Meditation+Two+the+...

It was a small habitation in the west of Arunachal Pradesh in India with one favored trade route passing from the plains of Assam to Lhasa via Bum La. That trade route now lies closed and has been so for decades after China invaded Tibet and took control of the whole Tibetan plateau in the mid 1950s. Then in 1962, two countries went to war over some ostensible hostilities but the genesis of it was again that historical event of the Dalai Lama, the theological and emotional head and Godhead of Tibetan Buddhism fleeing from the clutches of the Chinese occupation forces in Lhasa and crossing over to India. From that event onwards the two largest ethnic groups in the world have had a season of simmering discontent which now seems to be turning into a climate of discomfort.

The Communist powers governing China have always looked on at India as an abetting partner in thumbing their noses at the power of the Communist China. Mind you this was 1950s and 1960s and the Chinese were and are loath to forget anything of such upstart behaviour.

Arunachal Pradesh like all the sub and Himalayan mountain kingdoms running between India and Tibet are ardent followers of the Buddhist religion and Tawang is the seat of the Gelukpa sect ( Yellow Hat ) and it has the 2nd largest Buddhist monastery in the world after the one in Lhasa.

You reach this historical place which has now become a town by a sinuous long road from Tezpur in Assam touching an altitude of almost 13500 feet enroute at Sela Pass. A tough journey of many hours on the infrequent buses and if you choose to travel by your own car, a veritable smooth journey barring sporadic instances of some sections covered in snow and mud. I almost lost my shoes while guiding a vehcile out of 2 feet of slushy mud in which the over confident driver had managed to get his vehicle stuck in.

So with shoes dipped hurriedly in a cold gushing stream to remove the mud, one was safe to at least travel and walk about ever so wobbly in the high mountain valleys as the body adjusted slowly to the high altitude.

Everything in this town revolves around the yellow roofed monastery which sits on a ridge and can be seen from miles around. It is a totem symbol of visible Buddhism and it is a pleasant sight.

I hope this take is able to portray the beauty and the setting of the monastery.

Just in case you wonder, and reach this part of the long description, let me say it is an exercise to do a travel piece. Thank you friends for having the patience and tact to read upto here. I am assured that the official Chinese readers would of course read the whole thing. (They are paid to do that).

So here is to Tawang the town of yellow roofs and to beauty and peace which are both fragile and ephemeral.

Dates
Taken on April 26, 2005 at 12.01pm IST
Posted to Flickr April 27, 2011 at 9.39PM IST
Exif data
Camera Nikon D70
Exposure 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture f/10.0
Focal Length 70 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire

Dsc_0666 jpeg ACr tfm sel br co sh 100 pxl ver2 dark FG

Taken in: India / Arunachal Pradesh / Tawang Town (show map)

Taken on: April 26, 2005

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Camera: Nikon D70, f/10.0, 1/200 sec, 70mm (=105mm), ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D70
Lens:	18.0-70.0 mm f/3.5-4.5
Aperture:	f/10.0
Exposure Time:	0.005 sec (1/200)
Focal Length:	70mm (35mm equivalent: 105mm)
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Not Defined
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Scene Capture Type:	Landscape
Contrast:	High
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS5 Windows
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