Tawang is 10,000 ft above sea level, in Arunachal Pradesh. The name ‘Tawang’ derives from two words ‘Ta’ & ‘Wang’. ‘Ta’ means horse and ‘Wang’ means green pastures in local Monpa dialect.

According to the local people interpretation in 17th century, a Tibetan monk called Mera Lama saw a strong & beautiful horse wandering in the valley. He got attracted & tried to capture it. But the horse disappeared & while searching for it, Lama found a place, which was very beautiful & soothing. He built a magnificent Buddhist Monastery at the location, now which very famous pilgrim Buddhism center. The town that developed around this Monastery was later called Tawang.

The British had declared this area as off-limits in 1873. The area around Tawang became a cause of disagreement between India and China, after India gained independence in 1947.

The Chinese army invaded Tawang in 1962 but they later withdrew