Part of the eastern Himalaya, the state of Arunachal Pradesh is situated in the extreme north-eastern India. It is the largest state areawise in the north-eastern region, stretching from snowcapped mountains in the north to the breathtaking beautiful valleys in the south. It is a land of lush green forest and rivers, valleys and mountain ranges divided into nineteen districts with its capital town of Itanagar in Papum Pare district. The state is the homeland to some 25 major vibrant tribes of Indo-Mongoloid stock with more than 100 sub-tribes, each having distinct culture and customs. As per the 2011 census, it has a total population of 13, 82,611, sparsely scattered over 26 towns and 3863 villages.
In the state, there are a good number of Buddhist tribes. Monpas, Shertukpens, Membas, Khambas, Meyors, Naah Tagins, and a section of Miji (Sajolong), Sartang, Khowa (Bugun) follow the Tibetan Buddhism based on Nalanda tradition, while the Khamptis, Singphos, Tikhaks, Zakhrings, etc., follow Hinayana Buddhism. Among all the Buddhist tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, the Monpas are the largest in terms of population. Tawang Monastery is the fountain-head of the spiritual life of the Monpas, Shertukpens and other Buddhist tribes inhabiting West Kameng district.
Many people may say why I have chosen the Tawang Monastery as my subject of writing when there is already a book written by Niranjan Sarkar describing vividly many aspects of the monastery. Certainly his work was a well researched one but I prefer to differ with him with regard to certain accounts given by him. I strongly feel that inconsistences should be ratified and set right. Hence, I decided to take up this subject. However, I admit here that I have extensively used the work of Niranjan Sarkar as a base for this book.
Many monks of Tawang monastery and other laymen helped me a lot during my field investigation. At the outset, I would like to express my highest sense of gratitude to Gyalsey Tulku, former Abbot of Tawang Monastery, for his valuable guidance and for allowing me to have an insight into his rich collection of important historical documents related to this region. I would also like to express my sincere thanks to Ex-Lopon Lama Ngawang Norbu, Ex-Lopon Lama Kesang Norbu, Gelong Ngawang Tsering, Lama Choe Gombu, Choenze Thutan, Lama Dargyey, Late Geshi Sang Dakpa and other monks of Tawang Monastery. I am also grateful to Mrs Tsering Yangchen, District Research Officer, who helped me a lot in completion of this work. I am also indebted to Shri Rinchen Dorjee, former Chairman of APPSC, Lama Ngue, a Nyingma clergy of Tsangporong village, and my brother-in-law Ngawang Tsepag of CIHTS, Varanasi, for their valuable comments and suggestions.
I have to confess here that I failed to gain access to many known historical documents, for the reasons best known to me, during my field investigation. So, this work may be treated as a work of a novice writer, with much scope for improvisation. Inadvertent mistakes, oversights and inconsistencies are bound to be there due to lack of wisdom, and for that I apologize. Suggestions from readers for further improvement of this book in the near future would be highly appreciated.
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