Festival

My first connection with India’s spirituality was a book on Hinduism iconography that I bought many years in a small French bookstore long before my first trip to the subcontinent. Its colorful cover with statues of gods and goddesses with multiple arms and artefacts left a lasting impression on me.

I usually escape the suffocating summer of the plains to fly to the high plateau of the Himalayas but this year, I decided to postpone my Ladakh pilgrimage for a yatra of another kind. I already attended the Kumbh Mela twice (in Haridwar and Allahabad) and I was starting to miss the energy of such extravagant events. This year, I could not miss the Ambubachi Mela taking place in Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati.

Read moreAmbubachi Mela: The Cradle of Tantrism

So much is going on in Tawang, and is definitely a place to visit while traveling in northeast India. It radiates Buddhism and has natural beauty and serenity. It is surrounded by lakes and is the home to the Monpas, a community in Arunachal Pradesh.

Tawang Monastery – Arunachal Pradesh

Being the biggest monastery in India (2nd in Asia), Tawang Monastery houses more than 300 monks and is the most visited place in Tawang. The monastery has several structures within its premises and the architecture is simply stunning. There are several paintings within its walls and prove to great works of art. The Monastery itself provides a breathtaking view of the whole Tawang valley.

Read moreTawang, the Land of the Monpas