A couple of years ago while exploring India with my good old trusted Marine buddy Russell Klika we came across this hidden gem of a place, witnessing a beautiful culture and its people. In the past I have posted one or two shots, but never the story. These are the kind of stories I am truly passionate about telling! Immersing myself into a situation, life, culture or humanitarian experience I really know nothing about, growing my own life experiences to share with the world. This is the kind of work I am searching to do more of!
Open to the public, we spent about two and a half days wandering, listening, interacting, photographing and learning about the monks that live at the Tawang Monastery. One of my fondest memories of our time there was when we wondered into a classroom that didn't have a teacher, watching Russell walk up to the chalk board writing his name on it, saying out loud, "R-U-S-S-E-L-L" in his best Marine English accent. The kids all laughed! Russell broke the ice and we spent a good portion of the afternoon interacting and laughing with the young monks in the class.
I love that no matter where you are in the world, kids will be kids and at the monastery, the young monks were no different, Sneaking sweets, rough housing, and playing.
Hope you enjoy the story and maybe someday find yourself on your own adventure to Tawang!
The famous Tawang Monastery of Arunachal Pradesh is the largest of its kind in India and the second largest in the world. The monks and students who live at Tawang preserve its authenticity as a place to learn about oneself and one’s place in the spiritual world. Tawang exists as an entire world, unto itself, surviving one harsh winter after another and balancing on the edge of its very own mountain. The monks’ social circle is each other. Their neighbors are descendants of friends and relatives that stretch back nearly four hundred years. Their routine is to wake up, learn, pray, eat, stay warm, and sleep.
Tawang remains, for the men and boys who, every day, fulfill what they believe to be their duty, their devotion and their greatest calling as Buddhist monks. Simply put: Tawang is home, a community for those all seeking enlightenment.
Workers working on a mountainous road in the Sela Pass huddle next to a fire for warmth as the first snow falls in the region near the town of Tawang. Tawang with an elevation of 10000 feet is home to the Tawang Monastery in the northwestern part of Arunachal Pradesh, near the Tibetan and Bhutanese border.
A monk walks out of the Dukhang (assembly hall) after offering prayers at the Tawang Monastery. The Monastery is situated in the valley of the Tawang Chu, near the Chinese and Bhutanese border. It is known in Tibetan as Gaden Namgyal Lhatse, which translates to "the divine paradise of complete victory".
A group of young monks leave their school for lunch at the Tawang Monastery. The Tawang Monastery is the largest monastery in India and second largest in the world. It is a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery of the Gelugpa sect - constructed in 1681. It was the birthplace of the celebrated 6th Dalai Lama and is home to more than 500 lamas.
In the residential quarters a young monk walks on a small metal pipe heading to the Dukhang (The Assembly Hall). The entire eastern half of the monastery is covered with around 60 residential quarters. Each of these dormitories has been constructed by a group of villagers on a voluntary basis and carry out the repairs and maintenance.
Prayer flags hang all over and around the city of Tawang located in Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India. Traditionally, prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion into all-pervading space.
A monk gestures to a group of younger monks in the residential area of the Tawang Monastery. Within the precincts of the monastery there are residential buildings to accommodate about 700 monks.
Young monks emerge with their lunch from the kitchen area of the Tawang Monastery where they line up to receive their meals. The staple food of Tawang is Zan, a flat bread served with meat or vegetables.
Young monks drink tea in the Dukhang (assembly hall) at the Tawang Monastery. The Dukhang is the most significant building in the compound and is where monks sit and offer prayers to Lord Buddha.
Monks walk through the courtyard to the Dukhang (assembly hall) at the Tawang Monastery. The monastery is the centre of the Gelug school (Yellow Hat) of Mahayana Buddhism.
A young monk asks his buddies to retrieve some sweets from his backpack on their way to the classroom at the Tawang Monastery in Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India. When young boys join the monastery to train, it is on the condition that it is a lifetime commitment.
Monks take their classes outside the front of the schoolhouse in the courtyard capitalizing on the beautiful day at the Tawang Monastery. The monastery’s massive library is a treasure trove of Buddhist scriptures, rare manuscripts, and ancient texts. It holds invaluable knowledge and is a center for Buddhist studies and research.
A monk reads his book in a classroom at the Tawang Monastery. At the Center for Buddhist Cultural Studies (their school) the young monks are taught Arithmetic, English, Hindi, and traditional monastic education.
The Tawang Monastery is situated near the top of a mountain at an elevation of 10,000 feet overlooking the valley of the Tawang Chu which is near the Chinese and Bhutanese border. It was founded by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1680–1681 in accordance with the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso.
The monastery is three stories high. It is enclosed by a 925 feet long compound wall.
A couple of young monks play with each other in the residential area of the Tawang Monastery. Most of the monks are boys who belong to the Monpa community. According to a past custom, in a family of three sons, the middle son was conscripted to the monastery and in a family of two sons the youngest son was inducted into the monastery.
Young Monks clear ice and snow from rooftops of the residential quarters of the Tawang Monastery.
A monks leaves the kitchen area of the Tawang Monastery after lunch has been served and clean-up is done.
Locals from the town of Tawang come to the Monastery to light candles and incense while praying in the prayer room at the Tawang Monastery.
A group of children play out in front of a store on the main street of Tawang. Monpa is a major ethnic group of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India. The Monpa are believed to have migrated to Tawang through the Western Himalayas. Of the 60,000 Monpas who live in Arunachal Pradesh, about 20,000 of them live in Tawang district, where they constitute about 97% of the district's population.
Prayer flags hang everywhere in the Tawang city center located in Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India. A sizable population of 20,000 live in Tawang town. The dominant ethnic group are the Monpa, who inhabit all the 163 villages. Most of the tribes depend on agriculture for a living. Farmers breed yak and sheep, although in lower altitudes crops are also planted.
Coming from business in town, a monk rides a motorcycle back to the Tawang Monastery.