Arunachal Pradesh, I realized, is a place to experience the heavenly! The mountains, the people, the monasteries, all lead to a peaceful state of mind!
One just has to be on the road to experience it all.
The waterfalls, the mountain passes and the mountain lakes are spectacular! So
without any further ado let me post pictures to show what I saw, experienced,
though what one sees and experiences in these mountains can never be truly
captured on camera, I did my best to do so. It can be overwhelming at times
though the throngs of tourists brought me back to earth every few minutes with
their loud chatter.
The drive to Dirang from Shillong was amazing – from being with the clouds to rising above them.
When we entered Arunachal we saw a notice board which was heartening! It announced that we were
entering a malaria free zone! So reassuring.
And then we saw/stopped/clicked/awed an oohed at some beautiful sights and clicked a few to preserve as memories.
On the way we stopped for lunch at a roadside dhaba which served yummy thalis and the staff was so efficient too!
Back on the road again we stopped at a café cum nursery which had a wonderful collection of colourful flowers and served excellent tea and cookies (made in Dirang). Loved the location of this café.
In the mountains the sun rises and sets early so by
four in the evening it was getting dark and we reached Dirang which seemed to
be almost deserted for a hotel. But as we entered a couple of lads bounded in
to get our luggage and assisted us to our room. At the reception we were warned
that we have to place our dinner order by seven as they close the kitchen by
eight thirty! We did have an early dinner and retired to bed soon after with
reruns of the journey in our dreams!
After an early breakfast next morning we set out for
the Dirang monastery on our way to Tawang.
Love these monasteries. They exude a ‘You get the respect you give!’ vibe. You take off your shoes outside and enter, pray, meditate or take photographs. Nobody will stop you or interfere in what you are doing. You don’t have to contribute monetarily for the privilege. Just maintain silence and imbibe the vibe.
There is beautiful art in the Dirang monastery and the
stupas around are magnificent. The monks are busy with whatever they are doing
and the general ambiance is of peace to all.
In that state of mind, we moved on to Sela pass and Sela lake, which, if not for the loud tourists, would have been much more magical!
Yet, we managed to keep the noise out and peace within, it was so beautiful.
Just a bit ahead we stopped by part of the lake that no one seemed interested (maybe because there was no board identifying) and it was magical!
Our next stop was at the Jaswantgarh War Memorial – a
memorial to the Braveheart who held back the Chinese intruders in 1962 during
the Battle of Nuranang.
Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, MVC (19 August 1941– 17 November 1962) was an Indian soldier and a posthumous recipient of the prestigious Maha Vir Chakra of which he was awarded for his actions of valor during the Battle of Nuranang in the Sino-Indian War. The battle resulted in 300 Chinese casualties, whereas the 4th Garhwal Rifles lost two men and had eight wounded. Rawat's company eventually decided to fall back, but Rawat remained and kept up the fight with the help of two local Monpa girls named Sela and Nura (Noora). Later, Sela was killed and Noora captured. Rushing from position to position, Rawat held off the enemy for 72 hours until the Chinese captured a local supplier, who told them that they were facing only one fighter. The Chinese then stormed Rawat's position, but the exact details of his death are unclear. Some accounts claim that Rawat shot himself with his last round of ammunition; others state that he was taken prisoner and executed by the Chinese. The Chinese commander returned Rawat's severed head and a brass bust of him to India after the war was over. Sela Pass, Sela Tunnel and Sela Lake were named after Sela in commemoration of her actions.
Then we stopped by the beautiful, bountiful Nuranang Waterfalls (named after Nura, a local Monpa girl who provided shelter and assistance to Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat during the 1962 Sino India war). It blessed us with a beautiful rainbow that stayed with us as long as we were there.
The evening saw us relax in a hotel room with wonderful views in Tawang. Since we love to try out the
THUPKA
MOKTHUK
local food we ordered Thupka and Mokthuk. After just a spoonful of Thupka I had smoke coming out of my ears…. phew, I learnt later that the North Eastern Thupka is always fiery unlike the other thupkas which are mildly spiced. The Mokthuk was momos in a soup which didn’t burn my throat while swallowing. Henceforth we ensured while ordering the local food, to mention, ‘less spicy please’!
Next morning, we set out for Bumla pass and on the way we stopped at Pangateng Tso lake (PT Tso
Lake) followed by Sangetsar Tso popularly known as Madhuri lake, a high altitude alpine lake.
We passed a couple more beautiful glacial lakes along the way that had us enraptured with their beauty.
Then there were colourful mountains alongside the winding roads with a yak or two looking at us
pass by, all the way till Bumla pass. It was an exhilarating journey. The remnants of the overnight snowfall was present on the roadside making the journey surreal.
On reaching Bumla pass, which is at a height of 15200ft, we had to go and register with the Indian army to be taken along, a walkable 200m distance, to the India China border. Lot of hype but appreciate the tough conditions under which our armed forces have to live in to guard our national borders to keep us safe. If any tourist feels faint due to lack of oxygen the Indian army will immediately take care of them by providing oxygen and a place to relax for a while.
The views from the parking lot are much better than from the Sino Indian border.
On the way back to Tawang we made a stopover at Buddha park where there is a giant statue of Buddha
and quite a few prayer wheels dedicated to our martyrs.
Next morning before heading to Bomdila we visited the famous Tawang monastery and we weren’t disappointed.
The drive to Bomdila, our last stop in Arunachal
Pradesh, was uneventful.
We woke up in Bomdila with the realisation that we had not picked up any souvenirs from Arunachal Pradesh so we headed to the market and picked up a few tiny Buddha figurines and a Buddhist bell as gifts and sat silently reminiscing about the wonderful people, their lifestyle in their beautiful land, all the way to Guwahati from where we would fly back home with treasured memories to cherish for a long, long time.
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