Tawang Monastery, India's largest, sits above 10,000 feet in Arunachal Pradesh

Perched above 10,000 feet in Arunachal Pradesh's eastern Himalayas, Tawang Monastery is India's largest monastery and a striking symbol of Mahayana Buddhism. It was founded in 1681 by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in line with the wishes of the fifth Dalai Lama. Also called Gaden Namgyal Lhatse, meaning 'the divine paradise of complete victory', it has 65 residential buildings.