Early the monastery was the part of Tibet, now it is in Arunachal Pradesh, in India. Tawang Monastery is in Tawang City of Tawang district in Arunachal Pradesh. It is the second largest monastery in the world and the largest of India. The largest monastery of the world is located in Tibet, namely ‘Potala Palace in Lhasa’.

The Gaden Namgey Lhatse Monastery is situated near a valley of the ‘Tawang River’, at the north-western part of Arunachal Pradesh. It is very close to the borders of Tibet and Bhutan. The monastery was founded in 1680-81, by ‘Marek Lama Lodre Gyatso’ to fulfill the wish of 5th Dalai Lama ‘Nagawang Lobsang Gyatso’. The monastery has been built at the altitude of 10,000 ft. and provide the complete panoramic view of the valley, which is surrounded by beautiful mountains and green thickets of Coniferous Trees. The monastery is one of the important sources of attraction in the town.

Till 1914, the monastery was taken care of by Tibet, but after signing an agreement during the British Raj, the monastery came under the guidance of India. The monastery preserves the two ancient scripts, i.e. Kangyur and Tengyur. The monastery provides teaching for its students in the local language, as well as, English and Tibetan too.

The campus of the monastery is a three-storied building, which is defined by a 280-meter long compound wall. The compound is having 65 residential buildings for the Monks and Lamas, as well as, a school and a Buddhist Cultural Study Centre for all. The monastery also has a library and a printing press of their own.