Tawang Monastery
Tawang Monastery | |
---|---|
Religion | |
Affiliation | Tibetan Buddhism |
Sect | Gelug |
Location | |
Location | Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh |
Country | India |
Geographic coordinates | 27°35′11″N 91°51′27″E / 27.58639°N 91.85750°E |
Architecture | |
Style | 65 residential buildings |
Founder | Mera Lama Lodre Gyasto |
Tawang Monastery is a Buddhist monastery located in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, India. It is the largest monastery in the country. It is situated in the valley of the Tawang Chu, in close proximity to the Chinese and Bhutanese border.
Tawang Monastery is known in Tibetan as Gaden Namgyal Lhatse, which translates to "the divine paradise of complete victory". It was founded by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1680–1681 in accordance with the wishes of the
The monastery is three stories high. It is enclosed by a 925 feet (282 m) long compound wall. Within the complex there are 65 residential buildings. The library of the monastery has valuable old scriptures, mainly Kangyur and Tengyur.
Etymology
The full name of the monastery is Tawang Galdan Namgye Lhatse. Ta means "horse" and wang means "chosen", which together forms the word Tawang, meaning "the location selected by horse". Furthermore, Gadan means "paradise", Namgyal means "complete victory" and Lhatse means "divine". Thus, the full meaning of Tawang Galdan Namgye Lhatse is "the site chosen by the horse is the divine paradise of complete victory".[1]
Location
The monastery is situated near the top of a mountain, at an elevation of about 10,000 feet (3,000 m), with a commanding view of the
Legends
Three legends are narrated to the establishment of the monastery. In the first legend it is said that location of the present Monastery was selected by a horse which belonged to Merag Lama Lodre Gyatso who was on a mission assigned to him by the 5th Dalai Lama to establish a Monastery. After an intense search, when he failed to locate a suitable place, he retired into a cave to offer prayers seeking divine intervention to choose the site. When he came out of the cave, he found his horse missing. He then went in search of the horse and finally found it grazing at the top of a mountain called Tana Mandekhang, which in the past was the palace of King Kala Wangpo. He took this as a divine and auspicious guidance and decided to establish the monastery at that location. Seeking the help of the local people, Mera Lama established the monastery at that location in the latter part of 1681.[7][8]
The second legend of the derivation of the name Tawang is linked to Terton Pemalingpa, diviner of treasures. At this location, he is stated to have given "initiations" of Tamdin and Kagyad, which resulted in the name "Tawang". ‘Ta’ is an abbreviated form for "Tamdin" and ‘Wang’ means "initiation".[7]
According to the third legend, a white horse of the Prince of Lhasa had wandered into Monpa region. People, who went in search of the horse, found the horse grazing at the present location of the monastery. The people of the area then worshipped the horse and the location where it was found and venerated it every year. Eventually, to honour the sacred site, the Tawang Monastery was built at the site.[citation needed]
One more legend narrated is about the goddess painted on a thangka in the monastery which is of Palden Lhamo.[9]
History
The monastery was founded by Merek Lama Lodre Gyamsto in 1680–81 at the behest of the 5th Dalai Lama, who was his contemporary.[2][8][10] When Merek Lama was experiencing difficulties in building the monastery at the chosen location of Tsosum, the ancient name for Tawang, the 5th Dalai Lama issued directives to the people of the area to provide him all help. To fix the perimeter of the Dzong, the Dalai Lama had also given a ball of yarn, the length of which was to form the limit of the monastery.[11]
Prior to the dominance of the Gelug sect of Buddhism in Tawang, the
In 1844, Tawang Monastery had entered into two agreements with the East India Company. One agreement, signed on 24 February, pertained to surrender by the Monpas of their right to the Karlapara Duar in return for an annual fee (posa) of Rs 5,000, and another, dated 28 May, related to the Shardukpens to abide by any order of the British administration in India in return for an annual fee of Rs 2,526 and seven annas.[12] Tawang officials used to travel almost to the plains of Assam to collect monastic contributions.[13] According to Pandit Nain Singh of the Trignometrical Survey of India, who visited the monastery in 1874–75, the monastery had a parliamentary form of administration, known as the Kato, with the Chief Lamas of the monastery as its members. It was not dependent on the Dzonpan (head of Tsona Monastery) and Government of Lhasa, and this aspect was supported by G.A. Nevill who had visited the monastery in 1924.[14]
Until 1914, this region of India was under the control of Tibet. However, under the
As of 2006 the monastery had 400 monks,[19] and the number was reported to be 450 in 2010.[4] Tawang Manuscript Conservation Centre was established in the monastery in August 2006, which has curated 200 manuscripts, and 31 manuscripts have been treated for preservation.[20] In November 2010, it was reported that the monastery was threatened by a risk of landslide, with The Times of India reporting "massive landslides around it".[21] Professor Dave Petley of Durham University in the United Kingdom (UK), an acknowledged landslide expert, wrote: "the northern flank of the site appears to consist of a landslide scarp ... The reasons for this are clear – the river, which flows towards the south, is eroding the toe of the slope due to the site being on the outside of the bend. In the long term, erosion at the toe will need to be prevented if the site is to be preserved."[22]
The monastery currently has control over 17
The Dalai Lama also visited Tawang Monastery in 2017.[25]
Features
Entrance and outer walls
At the entrance to the monastery there is colourful gate structure, known as the Kakaling, which is built in the shape of a "hut-like structure", with side walls built of stone masonry. The roof of the Kakaling features
The main entrance to the monastery, to the south of the open gate, has massive doors fitted on the northern wall. This outer wall is 925 feet (282 m) in length, with heights varying from about 10–20 feet (3.0–6.1 m). Apart from the main gate, the southern side of the monastery has another entry gate, which also has a massive door. Nearer to the gate, there are two small openings in the wall which provide the complete view of the exterior part of the eastern wall that connects to the Kakaling. According to a legend, the 5th Dalai Lama had given a roll of thread to be bound around the walls of the monastery to denote the extent to which the monastery should be built.[27]
Main buildings
The monastery, built like a large mansion, is triple storied with a large assembly hall, ten other functional structures and with 65 residential quarters for students, Lamas and monks.[4][1][9][27] The monastery has a school and its own water supply facility,[9] and a centre for Buddhist cultural studies.[2]
The ground floor of the monastery is where ritual dances are performed. The walls of the monastery also have a profusion of thangkas of Buddhist deities and saints. Curtains are suspended over the balcony and these are painted with Buddhist symbols. Within the precincts of the monastery there are residential buildings to accommodate about 700 monks, which now houses 450 monks.[2][11][26] The abbot of the monastery resides in a house located near the gate at the southeastern corner of the monastery.[11]
A notable feature on the wall of the front porch on the ground floor is a footprint on a stone slab. It is said that this footprint belonged to a resident of the monastery, who was a water carrier, known as Chitenpa. He served in the monastery for a long time and on one fine day he announced that he had completed his service to the monastery and then stamped his left foot on the stone slab which created a dented formation of his step. This step is venerated as a miracle in view of a belief among the people of the region that such an imprint on a stone slab could only be created by a divine person who was a true devotee of the monastery.[26]
Main temple (Dukhang)
The main temple in the monastery, to the west of the entry gate, is known as the Dukhang ('Du' means "assembly" and 'Khang' means "building"[11]). It was built in 1860–61. A large image of
Library and texts
The monastery has a printing press for printing religious books using paper made locally. Wooden blocks are used for printing. The books are used usually by the literate Monpa Lamas who refer to it for conducting religious rituals.[28] The entire second floor houses the library. It contains the scriptures of Gyetengpa, Doduipa, Mamtha, Kangyur, Tengyur and Zungdui, which have been affected due to insect attacks. The collection in the library consists of two printed books of Tengyur (in 25 volumes), which are commentaries on Buddhist teachings; three sets of Kangyur, the translated version of the canons of Buddhist teachings; and Chanjia Sangbhums in five volumes. Of the three sets of Kangyur, two are handwritten and one is printed. The printed sets are in 101 volumes. One handwritten set has 131 volumes and the other 125 volumes; the letters of these 125 books are washed in gold. The religious text, Gyentongpa, has letters washed in gold in all its pages.[26][23] At some stage, some of the sacred scriptures were lost and the reason was attributed to the monks of the Tsona monastery who used to visit Tawang during winter time. In the past, these monks had demanded that the gilded image of the Buddha be gifted to them. This was not accepted by the Lamas of the Tawang Monastery and as result the Tsona Lamas refused to part with some of the sacred texts and records of the Tawang Monastery which were with them. They again took away more books in 1951.[11]
Customs and festivals
Monpas, who belong to the Gelug sect, are the dominant sect of the Kameng region. Many Monpa boys join the monastery and become monks.[28] When young boys join the monastery to train, it is on the condition that it is a lifetime commitment. If a monk wishes to leave the monastery, a heavy penalty is levied. 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.[19]
The main Monpa festivals held in the monastery are the
References
- ^ a b c Bareh 2001, p. 325.
- ^ a b c d Dalal 2010, p. 363.
- ^ a b Mibang & Chaudhuri 2004, p. 211.
- ^ a b c "Landslides hit Tawang monaster". The Times of India. 28 November 2010. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ Das 2009, p. 178.
- ^ a b Majumdar, Sanjoy (10 November 2009). "Frontier town venerates Dalai Lama". BBC News. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ^ a b "History". National Informatics Centre, Government of India. Archived from the original on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Kohli 2002, p. 328.
- ^ a b c Pal 2014, p. 100.
- ^ "Tawang District: The Land of Monpas". National Informatics Centre, Government of India. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Kler 1995, p. 31.
- ^ Arpi 1962, p. 440.
- ^ Richardson 1984, p. 149-150.
- ^ a b c Bose 1997, p. 140.
- ^ a b c Mullin, p. 159-60.
- ^ Shakya 2012, p. 530.
- ^ Kapadia & Kapadia 2005, p. 60.
- ^ Richardson 1984, p. 210.
- ^ a b Kent, Thomas (15 May 2006). "Young Buddhist monks lead insular lives in India". Spero News. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
- ^ "National Conservation Centres". National Mission for Manuscripts. Archived from the original on 6 May 2012.
- ^ "Landslides hit Tawang monastery". The Times of India. 28 November 2010. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012.
- ^ "Acute landslide threats to the Tawang Monastery, northern India". American Geophysical Union. 28 November 2010. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ a b Bareh2001, p. 31.
- ^ Kler 1995, p. 32.
- ^ Barry, Ellen (6 April 2017). "Dalai Lama's Journey Provokes China, and Hints at His Heir". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d Mibang & Chaudhuri 2004, p. 212.
- ^ a b c d e "Tawang Monastery (Gonpa)". Tawang Monastery organization. Archived from the original on 24 November 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
- ^ a b Bisht 2008, p. 100.
- ^ Bisht 2008, p. 101.
- ^ Pathak & Gogoi 2008, p. 27-30.
Bibliography
- Arpi, Claude i (1962). 1962 and the McMahon Line Saga. Lancer Publishers LLC. ISBN 978-1-935501-57-2.
- Bareh, Hamlet (2001). Encyclopaedia of North-East India. Mittal Publications. ISBN 978-81-7099-788-7.
- Bisht, Ramesh Chandra (1 January 2008). International Encyclopaedia Of Himalayas (5 Vols. Set). Mittal Publications. ISBN 978-81-8324-265-3.
- Bose, Manilal (1997). History of Arunachal Pradesh. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-7022-666-6.
- Dalal, Roshen (2010). The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths. Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-14-341517-6.
- Das, Gautam (2009). China-Tibet-India: The 1962 War and the Strategic Military Future. Har-Anand Publications. ISBN 978-81-241-1466-7.
- Kapadia, Harish; Kapadia, Geeta (2005). Into the Untravelled Himalaya: Travels, Treks, and Climbs. Indus Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7387-181-8.
- Kler, Gurdip Singh (1995). Unsung Battles of 1962. Lancer Publishers. ISBN 978-1-897829-09-7.
- Kohli, M.S. (2002). Mountains of India: Tourism, Adventure and Pilgrimage. Indus Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7387-135-1.
- Mibang, Tamo; Chaudhuri, Sarit Kumar (2004). Understanding Tribal Religion. Mittal Publications. ISBN 978-81-7099-945-4.
- Mullin, Glenn H. The Practice of the Six Yogas of Naropa. Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 978-1-55939-905-0.
- Pal, Susant (5 February 2014). Imbibed In Faith. Author Solutions, Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-4828-1259-6.
- Pathak, Guptajit; Gogoi, Raju (2008). Cultural fiesta in the "Island of peace" Arunachal Pradesh. Mittal Publications. ISBN 978-81-8324-231-8.
- Richardson, Hugh (1984). Tibet and Its History. Shambhala. ISBN 978-0-87773-376-8.
- Shakya, Tsering (29 February 2012). Dragon In The Land Of Snows: The History of Modern Tibet since 1947. Random House. ISBN 978-1-4481-1429-0.
External links
- Tawang Monastery multilingual site
- Tawang at Arunachaltourism.com
- A walk around Tawang Monastery