pride of the universe
My vivid memory of Tawang is the golden fields of paddy spotted with pink and red cosmic flowers. This charming little hill town amidst the Himalayas on the western edge of Arunachal Pradesh is home to the Monpa tribe, whose paper-making tradition dates back over 1,000 years. som sugu (Monpa paper) was used in Buddhist monasteries not only around Tawang, but in Tibet, Bhutan, China, and Japan. The naturally coarse fiber is used in scriptures, manuscripts, prayer flags and flag poles that line mountain ridges. Here Tawang is known as Mon – an archaic Tibetan term for a lowland area with wide expanses and dense forests. Within these dense coniferous forests lie monasteries and temples, sacred sites and Buddhist relics, mysticism and common sense.
Change, micro and coarse
Tawang is being heavily built today. Power lobbies keep score, hydropower projects are waiting every corner and anti-dam activists continue to face state outrage. Will they destroy centuries-old holy places and beliefs? What about tribal ceremonies after the death tied to these sites? Will the sun shining on the mountains, meadows and sky of Tawang continue like a masterful tapestry of fine details? What about the deliberate process art of the Monpa tribe and their daily lives? The way they gaze upon their sacred groves, whisper mystery in the ancient trees, decorate their porches and shop-fronts with seasonal flowers, their hospitality to strangers and the clear sawmill alcoholic drink made from high-altitude barley.
It is hard to imagine the destruction of tribal culture by aggressive development projects. Construction activities have ravaged the busy town centre. Hotels are fast coming up and snooker bars have sprung up on street corners. Locals say that the mountains may disappear from plain view in a few years. Shops, multi-storey buildings, plazas and amphitheaters can turn Tawang into a frozen Shimla. We exit the main town and ride through a rocky mountain road to paddy fields under a glorious sun. Around the Buddhist monument, we relax, watch the clouds drift across the clear blue sky, eat a delicious meal of yak cheese and capsicum with Tibetan bread.
gilded splendor
Tawang Monastery, which belongs to the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, is located on top of a mountain. Monpa, the scarlet monks from the villages around Tawang, live in its rear quarters. Before dawn, they put on their clothes and climb the stone-paved streets to their sacred prayer hall which is still shrouded in darkness. Gongs, bells and Tibetan chants herald the dawn. The cave inside the monastery is the second largest in the world after Lhasa. There is intricately carved artwork in three stories and hand-woven Tibetan carpets, murals, sculptures, mandalas and paintings of saints and deities. A massive eight-metre-high gilded statue of the Buddha dominates the inner sanctum, and evokes details of monastic life from the late 17th century.
We took the winding alleys to the quarter and talked to the 82-year-old lama. On that windy afternoon the Lama talked about the changes in monastic life, pressure from big businesses and political groups.
nunnery and a cafe
Lama Jha took us to a nunnery in the mountains to meet an elderly nun. She encourages young nuns to make indigenous people aware of their Monpa heritage. In the monastery, they read Buddhist texts and meditate. Mountain nuns have a different kind of flexibility. This shows not only in their daily struggles but also in their way of responding to the changing sands of time. He said that this is what his Monpa ancestors taught him. Later, on our way back to town, we found ourselves at Buddha Coffee House, a quaint little cafe on the side of a hill. As it rained in sheets, we sat in cozy cafes, sipping cups of coffee while looking at the lush landscape around the giant Buddha statue. Buddha Cafe is popular among military personnel patrolling the Arunachal-China border.
The lama takes us back to the city around dusk, promising that he will take us to more remote places on our next trip. I want to take a three-hour walk to a monastery located in deep coniferous forests, known only to the monastic community. Monks regroup here in turn and refresh themselves before traveling to Tawang Monastery.
Priyadarshini Sen is a freelance journalist based in Delhi
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