The Tawang monastery’s 400 years: a border town’s spiritual and strategic weight

The Tawang monastery, Asia’s second-largest, marked 400 years with a week of prayer, masked dances and a gathering of lamas from across the Himalayan Buddhist world.

The monastery has been both spiritual heart and strategic symbol of a district that shares a border with China — a duality the town’s residents navigate daily.

Young monks are now learning Mandarin alongside scripture, a quiet sign of the times.