TAWANG  MONASTERY : The Crown of Buddhism in Arunachal Pradesh and founded by the Mera Lama Lodre Gyatso in accordance to the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama, Nawang Lobsang Gyatso in the year 1680-81 AD, Tawang Monastery is a treasure trove of Buddhist Culture.  Tawang Monastery is also known as the “ Ganden Namgyal Lhatse”, meaning “ A true name withing a celestial paradise in a clear night”. Towering 2 km away on the high point of Tawang town on 10,000 ft above the sea level amidst the picturesque Himalayan ranges sloping towards the east offers an imposing and magnificent view of the Tawang Chu valley. Tawang Monastery appears like a fort from a distance, as if guarding the  admirers in the wide valley below. Tawang Monastery, forms the core of the Lamaistic faith of the Mahayana School of Buddhism in the region and make itself the largest Monastery in India and the second largest in Asia. The Monastery is the largest Lamaseries of the Mahayana sect in Asia. Lamaseries comprises of several sections ranging near about 400 yrs devoted to Love, Learning and Purity of Life. The fortified complex covers an area of 135 Sq. meter enclosed by a compound wall of 610 meter long houses around 700 lamas. Within the complex there are 65 residential building and 10 other structures. It has dormitories, a meeting hall, school, community kitchen, monuments and the main building housing the temple - Dukkang. With its narrow cobbled streets, numerous buildings and the enormous area it occupies, the gompa is like a mini city. The Parkhang Hall within the Monastery has a library. The library has a rare  collection of the 400-year-old Kangyurs which consists of 110 volumes with 400-500 pages in each bundle in addition to invaluable manuscripts. Other large collections include the Sutras, Tangym, Sungbhum, old books and other manuscripts, both handwritten and printed, many of them in gold. The collection has a total of 850 bundles. The 108 gold-embossed manuscripts of the 'Teaching of Lord Buddha' and 225 volumes of the explanations of Buddha's teachings covered with specially designed moth - proof silk adorned with paintings are the other rare works of Buddhist literature. It also houses a small printing press. There is a towering 18 ft high gilded statue of the Lord Buddha in the Monastery complex. The two major religious festivals of the Monpas, are Loser and Torgya. Both festivals are celebrated once annually. The Losar celebrated to the commencement of the New Year. The festival of Torgya is held in the 11th Monpa month called the Dawa Chukchipah. Every third year of Torgya, the festival of Dungyur is celebrated. Both Dungyur and Torgya festivals are celebrated in the premises of the Tawang Monastery with traditional gaiety and enthusiasm.