Another Shangri La

November 14, 2013 by Daniela Leave a comment

Tawang is one of the least populous districts in India in the state of Arunachal Pradesh bordering China, situated at an altitude of 3500 M in the northern Himalayas famous for the Tawang Monastry, the largest outside Lhasa. A quiet mystical town with and interesting legend surrounding its name, which means “Chosen by Horse”.

The dominant ethnic group are the Monpa, who inhabit all of the 163 villages. Tibetan are also found in small scattered numbers throughout Tawang.

Tawang Monastery is an important seat of Mahayana Buddhism. The Monastery was founded during the 17th century by Mera Lama Lodre Gyaltso who is considered as a contemporary of the 5th Dalai Lama. The fortified complex covers an area of 135 sq. meters enclosed by a compound wall of 610 meter long. Within the complex are a library and a museum that houses scriptures and relics many centuries old. The famous Buddhist gold inscribed scriptures…

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Author: Daniela

I will forever be grateful I was introduced to the utility and beauty of hand crafted products early in life - from the symbols and motifs sewn onto the coarse linen fabric of Croatian traditional wear to the colorful Kilim carpets that decorated the parquet floors in my grandmother's living room. I treasure the memories of my grandfather teaching me how to protect myself against the "evil eye," the smell of the flower stalls in the open air market where my grandmother bought produce early every morning for the day’s meals and the summers spent at my great grandmother's where the village wags would come to gossip over thick, black Turkish coffee in her cool stone-floored kitchen. Someone noted that "For all of us that want to move forward, there are a very few that want to keep the old methods of production, traditions and crafts alive." I am a fellow traveler with those who value the old traditions and folk wisdom. I believe the knowledge they possess can contribute significantly to our efforts to build a more sustainable world - one that values the individual over the corporation, conservation over growth and happiness over wealth.