FORTY ONE years ago when the Chinese overran the Kameng sector in the eastern Himalayas, Tawang passed into their hands. Later the Chinese announced a unilateral truce. Today Tawang perched at about 3,500 metres above sea level in Arunachal Pradesh is one of the hottest tourist destinations in eastern India. Last month was special for Tawang. It was hosting the third annual Buddha Mahotsava. And the Tawang monastery—the second highest located monastery in the world was the centre of attraction. Tawang’s first brush with glamour came seven years ago when Rakesh Roshan shot portions of Koyla, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit here. As a reminder of that shoot, a lake in the area is known as Madhuri ki jheel and has become a must for every visitor. The number of tourists to Arunachal Pradesh has shot up from 30,000 in1999 to 50,000 last year, with most of them heading to Tawang. Last week’s Buddha Mahotsava saw the arrival of over 2,000 visitors within a span of five days. "The number of tourists to Arunachal has almost doubled in the past five years. Most visitors head to Tawang, the town that gets its name from a 400 year old monastery"Tawang gets its name from its majestic monastery. About 400 years old, it is the second oldest and the largest monastery in Asia and can accommodate about 700 monks. It also controls 17 other gompas and a few nunneries in the region. Founded by Mera Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1681, there is an interesting story behind the monastery’s name which means ‘chosen by the horse.’ As the legend goes, the site was the chosen by the horse of Mera Lama. Another attraction in Tawang is the War Memorial commemorating 2,420 soldiers of the Indian Army who laid down their lives fighting the Chinese in 1962. Seeing the increase in visitor numbers, the state government has roped in a Delhi-based consultant to develop tourist amenities along the Tezpur-Tawang route. It has brought in another consultant to develop facilities for aero-sports and adventure tourism in the Tawang valley. Meanwhile, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Gegong Apang has written to the Centre to relax the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) facilities to a period of one month instead of the present 10 day permit for foreigners visiting the state.
