Bomdila is the headquarters of West Kameng district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Situated at 8000 feet above sea level it is the perfect place to view the brilliant landscape and snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas. It is a mini paradise with its apple orchards and in addition to its craft centre is also home to Bomdila Monastery which was founded in 1965 by the 12th reincarnate of TsonaGontse Rinpoche.
The monastery is an imitation of the one called TsonaGontse located at Tsona in South Tibet. The main prayer hall was added later by the 13th reincarnate of TsonaGontse Rinpoche and was later sanctified by His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama in 1997. Bomdila Monastery also comprises a temple of Lord Buddha and residential quarters for the monks. Also known as GentseGadenRabgyelLling Monastery, it is one of the most important centres of the Lamaistic faith of Mahayana Buddhism.
SELA PASS, SELA LAKE
The SelaPass is the high-altitude mountain pass located in Tawang District of Arunachal Pradesh state of India. It has an elevation of 4170 m (13,700 ft) connects the Buddhist city of Tawang Town (78 km) to Tezpur and Guwahati and is the main road connecting Tawang with the rest of India. Tawang is situated at a distance of 78 km from Sela Pass while Guwahati is at a distance of 340 km.
The pass has hardly any vegetation and is usually snow-covered to some extent all through the year. During winter temperature in the pass can go down to −10 degrees. This place is snowed in most of the year and offers excellent and heavenly views all year round. This part of the Eastern Himalayan range is pretty special for the Buddhists as it is believed that about 101 lakes exist in and around Sela pass and each of these lakes has a huge religious significance for the Buddhist community. Very close to the Pass is the beautiful Sela Lake (sometimes called Paradise Lake because of its beauty), which could be fully or partially frozen in winter. Some small rivers also flow out of the lake and during grazing season, yaks grazing around the lake. While Sela Pass does get heavy snow in winters, it is usually open throughout the year unless landslides or snow require the pass to be shut down temporarily. Sela Pass is the main route to access Tawang town, and given the proximity of Tawang District with Tibet.
According to legend, a sepoy of the Indian Army named Jaswant Singh Rawat fought alone against the Chinese soldiers near the pass during the 1962 Sino-Indian War. A tribal woman who had brought food and water to him (named sela)) is said to have killed herself upon seeing the dead body of Jaswant Singh Rawath . Singh was posthumously awarded the MahaVir Chakra for his courage and devotion to duty.
A war memorial stands in memory of Jaswant Singh Rawat, Mahavir Chakra Awardee (Posthumous) of the 4th Battalion of Garhwal Rifles Infantry Regiment. Jaswant showed his valor by fighting and holding the invading Chinese back for 72 hours all alone during the 1962 India-China war and remained at his post at an altitude of about 10,000 feet before succumbing to an enemy bullet during that bloody winter war. The post that he held to repulse the Chinese troops has been renamed JaswantGarh in recognition of his valor and sacrifice.
