Ladakh's Lamas visit Tawang Monastery

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Religion is beyond any limit as has been proved with the holy town of Tawang in Arunchal Pradesh recently hosting 15 lamas from Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.

This visit was sponsored by the Indian Army under it Operation Sadbhavna scheme.

During their stay, the lamas visited the Tawang Monastery, the Urgeling Gompa (the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama), Khinmay Gompa and Gorsam Chorten.

They also interacted with locals in the town and visited the 1962 war memorial.

Tawang is inhabited by the Monpa people. From 500 B.C. to 600 A.D., a kingdom known as Lhomon or Monyul ruled the area. The Monyul Kingdom was later absorbed into the control of neighbouring Bhutan and Tibet.

Lamas from across the world visit the Gelugpa Sect-run Tawang Monastery.

Its relevance to Buddhists cannot be underscored.

The monastery was founded by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1681 in accordance with the wishes of the fifth Dalai Lama, Nagwang Lobsang Gyatso, and has an interesting legend surrounding its name, which means "Chosen by Horse".

The sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, was born in Tawang.

Tawang was historically a part of Tibet. The 1914 Simla Accord defined the McMahon Line as the new boundary between British India and Tibet. By this treaty, Tibet relinquished several hundred square miles of its territory, including Tawang, to the British, but it was not recognised by China. This paved the way to the Sino-India War of 1962 and the boundary dispute between China and India that persists even today.

The views expressed in the above article are that of Mr. Pradeep Kumar, Editor-in-Chief of the Arunachal Front.