Morning prayers at Tawang Monastery

Tawang Monastery sits on a spur at about 3,000 m, a steep 2 km above the town. It was founded in 1680–81 at the wish of the 5th Dalai Lama, and its Tibetan name, Gaden Namgyal Lhatse, speaks of complete victory. Inside the walls is a small town of its own: some 65 residential buildings, a school for young monks, kitchens, and the three-storey Dukhang assembly hall facing a stone courtyard.

Morning prayers usually begin soon after dawn. Visitors may stand or sit quietly at the back of the hall while the monks chant, sometimes with drums and long horns. Novices carry kettles of butter tea down the rows. Do not photograph the assembly without permission, keep your shoes where the monks leave theirs if asked, and walk clockwise around the hall and the chortens.

After prayers, step into the assembly hall to see the tall gilded Buddha and the murals, then visit the museum. It holds old thangkas, ritual objects, masks used in the Torgya dances, and parts of a library that includes handwritten Kangyur volumes with gold lettering. Allow time to sit in the courtyard as the sun reaches the valley; the view down to Tawang and across to the far ridges is best before clouds form.