sanuroxz
Super User
Day 14 : Tezu – Namsai
Distance : 83 KM
Mode : Shared Sumo + Ferry + Tata Magic
Time Taken : 4 hours
Madhav woke me as it was 5.30 AM.. he was fully ready.. and at the same time the sumo counter guy called me to reach the sumo stand at 6.. I also finished my morning jobs..and got ready in sometime..
Check out the hotel and came to sumo stand.. our vehicle was ready.. madav was sitting on front row and I on seat number 6.. so many talkative guys were filled in the sumo.. they were travelling to Seppa.. Nyishi tribe attitude was clearly visible in their attitude… I was surprised to know they were traveling via Tezpur which they could make via Itanagar.. so I tagged Madhav with them.. That was a sunny and cool morning.. we left Tezu same route I travelled from Roing but after few kilometres we left the good road and take the muddy road towards Alubari ghat.. where we had to cross the river with ferry.. there were two more four wheelers waiting in front of us so we had to wait some time.. Madhav was interested in having breakfast.. what is definition of breakfast in Arunachal.. Rice da ha ha.. Disappointed madav had to manage with a packet of wafer ..
The bridge was completed and in a month it would be functional.. then no need to cross the river by ferry.. I was thinking what these boatmen would do after that ??
Our turn came and we crossed the river in 5 minutes.. Crystal clear water I could easily see the bottom..and we were again on bad road on the other side of the river.. Finally we reached Chowkham (Chongkham).. I already informed the driver where I wished to get down..also enquired how to reach Namsai from that place.. The road was super smooth from Chowkham..it was like a highway.. so many military vehicles were plying on that route.. On the way I noticed so many Pagoda’s .. I realized that that was the land of Khamtis ..Khamti or Tai-khamti tribe were from Myanmar and were hard working people they were the only tribe who had their own scripts ..They follow Theravada Buddhism and finally my destination was visible from far.. The Golden pagoda of Tengapani..
Alubari bridge work completed
Hungry Madhav munching
careful
crystal clear water
I got down from sumo driver brought down my backpack I bid Madhav Good bye.. I was thinking hope we would meet soon..and I was also sure that during that trip we might not meet again as from their our directions would be different.. but who knew
I called Partha da.. the plan was his friend would receive me and would arrange the stay for the night In pagoda.. but to my shock I had to get down much before just after Chowkham L so another plan got destroyed L but partha da was always positive.. I am a fan of his that particular attitude.. he never looked back.. and gave another plan… and I started towards the Golden pagoda..
That was a remote place could not spot a single one on the road.. I started walking the stairs ..that was the back side of the Pagoda.. so many stairs… when I looked down I saw the mountains far away from where I just returned.. and the Tengapani river which was just by side of the Pagoda and the beautiful high way… awesome views.. Golden pagoda is also called ‘Poi Lu Kongmu Kham’ in khamti language..Its said that 300 Architects together helped in building these perfect architectures.. which took 6 years to be completed…Golden Pagoda campus was spread in 20 hectares ..
And I also entered the Golden pagoda..thats a huge area..Pagoda was glowing in sunlight.. amazing creativity.. amazing structures. The hard and dedicated work was visible from those.. I was unable to spot a single person in the entire pagoda.. I decided to keep my backpack at a place and explore the place..
Kongmu-kham or the Golden Pagoda is a temple complex spread over 20 hectares of land built in a Burmese architectural design with a beautiful garden around it. The temple complex has a shrine hall which has a huge Buddha statue in meditating pose inside it. The shrine hall has four entrances on east,north,west and south directions. Main entrance to the hall faces north. The Buddha image inside faces north. The main entrance to the Golden Pagoda complex faces east, the direction that Buddha achieved Enlightenment. The Buddha statue was donated by Ven Prakhu Pabhavana, Chief monk of Wat Aranjikavas temple of Thailand.Each of the four entrances of the shrine hall is guarded by a pair of mythical lions. On four corners of the outer base of the main shrine are a bell, Vasundri or the witness to the offerings made in the temple, a monk and four deities. A pond near the entrance gate and a Ashoka pillar on the eastern side of the main shrine are some of the main features of the Golden Pagoda complex. The Golden Pagoda complex houses a spacious shrine hall, a meditation hall, a multipurpose hall, a guest house, a library, a monastery to accommodate around 100 Bhikkhus and living quarter for the monks.
The Pagoda has a beautiful gilded statue of Lord Buddha which is said to be modeled on the Kala Buddha (Black Buddha) of Nalanda archive. Its said that Ahoms poured into Assam from Myanmar via Tengapani and they had some bonding with the Tai community.. Ahoms are neither Buddhist nor Hindus in past they followed a unique religion of worshipping ancestors and belief in Phii (soul) still in practise by many Tais around the world..
This was also called Jewel of Namsai ..I roamed here and there and took lots of pictures.. Soon people started coming there.. mostly assamese tourists.. It was only 11 AM and the sun was getting hotter.. I sat inside the pagoda near Buddha statue .. Was thinking about my coming up plans..I was not at all sure those I could be able to make or not.. But one thing made me encouraged that I must try my best.. at 12 I decided to leave the place fork my next destination Namsai..
stairs for Pagoda
vast campus
all Burmese architecture
While coming down to road I met 2 Khamti kids and few things I notices about Khamti tribe from their attitude.. they were super shy and very friendly..My experience said most of the Buddhists are like that..
I asked them about the mode of transportation to reach namsai which was just 15 KM from there.. I suggested Tata Magic used to ply regularly.. I waited for 10 minutes and one Tata Magic stopped I boarded .. It was already crowded but people were awesome.. they managed to give me a seat.. I noticed something whoever was signalling to stop the vehicle the passengers happily managing among themselves to allow them to seat.. we were passing through jungles.. and another thing I noticed that lot of army presence with full alert as if something would going to happen in few seconds.. all of them were ready with their weapon.. that did not make me much comfortable..I thought might be Namsai is near Changlang which is said to be disturbed area…
We reached at one junction the straight road was directed towards Tinsukia we took the right road towards Namsai town.. I must say it was one of the biggest town in Arunachal Pradesh.. so many shops hotels and crowded market..
We stopped at the bus stand from where buses ,Sumos and Tata magics ply to everywhere..First I decided to have lunch as I was feeling very hungry..I entered one small place and ordered fish.. was served hot.. and the watery gravy with tomato was awesome.. next had to search a hotel for the night.. and I entered Hotel sona which was said to be the best hotel in Namsai.. got a single room for myself by paying 800..Took a long bath..and decided to take rest for sometime..i slept watching TV..
NH-52
military vehicles
Tengapani village
Tengapani river
Oh my lord ..when I got up it was the first line.. as it was already dark by 5 PM.. I rushed to market to book a seat for my next day’s travel in Government bus..and got it by paying 90..
Namsai being a bigger place evening was still crowded.. I decided wo walk a bit to find out the culture of the town.. I noticed each woman was wrapping a green colour shawl.. That was their identity of Khampti tribe.. Each tribe in Arunachal has different attires… which distinguish them from other tribes… Honestly I was getting more interested of these Khampti tribe..Curshing myself for sleeping in the afternoon…
Nothing much to do.. went to same restaurant where I had dinner..I got a chance to have chapati… came back to hotel and started watching TV till late night.. also spoke to Ananya ..she was badly missing me as the next day was Diwali …
NEXT >
Distance : 83 KM
Mode : Shared Sumo + Ferry + Tata Magic
Time Taken : 4 hours
Madhav woke me as it was 5.30 AM.. he was fully ready.. and at the same time the sumo counter guy called me to reach the sumo stand at 6.. I also finished my morning jobs..and got ready in sometime..
Check out the hotel and came to sumo stand.. our vehicle was ready.. madav was sitting on front row and I on seat number 6.. so many talkative guys were filled in the sumo.. they were travelling to Seppa.. Nyishi tribe attitude was clearly visible in their attitude… I was surprised to know they were traveling via Tezpur which they could make via Itanagar.. so I tagged Madhav with them.. That was a sunny and cool morning.. we left Tezu same route I travelled from Roing but after few kilometres we left the good road and take the muddy road towards Alubari ghat.. where we had to cross the river with ferry.. there were two more four wheelers waiting in front of us so we had to wait some time.. Madhav was interested in having breakfast.. what is definition of breakfast in Arunachal.. Rice da ha ha.. Disappointed madav had to manage with a packet of wafer ..
The bridge was completed and in a month it would be functional.. then no need to cross the river by ferry.. I was thinking what these boatmen would do after that ??
Our turn came and we crossed the river in 5 minutes.. Crystal clear water I could easily see the bottom..and we were again on bad road on the other side of the river.. Finally we reached Chowkham (Chongkham).. I already informed the driver where I wished to get down..also enquired how to reach Namsai from that place.. The road was super smooth from Chowkham..it was like a highway.. so many military vehicles were plying on that route.. On the way I noticed so many Pagoda’s .. I realized that that was the land of Khamtis ..Khamti or Tai-khamti tribe were from Myanmar and were hard working people they were the only tribe who had their own scripts ..They follow Theravada Buddhism and finally my destination was visible from far.. The Golden pagoda of Tengapani..
Alubari bridge work completed
Hungry Madhav munching
careful
crystal clear water
I got down from sumo driver brought down my backpack I bid Madhav Good bye.. I was thinking hope we would meet soon..and I was also sure that during that trip we might not meet again as from their our directions would be different.. but who knew
I called Partha da.. the plan was his friend would receive me and would arrange the stay for the night In pagoda.. but to my shock I had to get down much before just after Chowkham L so another plan got destroyed L but partha da was always positive.. I am a fan of his that particular attitude.. he never looked back.. and gave another plan… and I started towards the Golden pagoda..
That was a remote place could not spot a single one on the road.. I started walking the stairs ..that was the back side of the Pagoda.. so many stairs… when I looked down I saw the mountains far away from where I just returned.. and the Tengapani river which was just by side of the Pagoda and the beautiful high way… awesome views.. Golden pagoda is also called ‘Poi Lu Kongmu Kham’ in khamti language..Its said that 300 Architects together helped in building these perfect architectures.. which took 6 years to be completed…Golden Pagoda campus was spread in 20 hectares ..
And I also entered the Golden pagoda..thats a huge area..Pagoda was glowing in sunlight.. amazing creativity.. amazing structures. The hard and dedicated work was visible from those.. I was unable to spot a single person in the entire pagoda.. I decided to keep my backpack at a place and explore the place..
Kongmu-kham or the Golden Pagoda is a temple complex spread over 20 hectares of land built in a Burmese architectural design with a beautiful garden around it. The temple complex has a shrine hall which has a huge Buddha statue in meditating pose inside it. The shrine hall has four entrances on east,north,west and south directions. Main entrance to the hall faces north. The Buddha image inside faces north. The main entrance to the Golden Pagoda complex faces east, the direction that Buddha achieved Enlightenment. The Buddha statue was donated by Ven Prakhu Pabhavana, Chief monk of Wat Aranjikavas temple of Thailand.Each of the four entrances of the shrine hall is guarded by a pair of mythical lions. On four corners of the outer base of the main shrine are a bell, Vasundri or the witness to the offerings made in the temple, a monk and four deities. A pond near the entrance gate and a Ashoka pillar on the eastern side of the main shrine are some of the main features of the Golden Pagoda complex. The Golden Pagoda complex houses a spacious shrine hall, a meditation hall, a multipurpose hall, a guest house, a library, a monastery to accommodate around 100 Bhikkhus and living quarter for the monks.
The Pagoda has a beautiful gilded statue of Lord Buddha which is said to be modeled on the Kala Buddha (Black Buddha) of Nalanda archive. Its said that Ahoms poured into Assam from Myanmar via Tengapani and they had some bonding with the Tai community.. Ahoms are neither Buddhist nor Hindus in past they followed a unique religion of worshipping ancestors and belief in Phii (soul) still in practise by many Tais around the world..
This was also called Jewel of Namsai ..I roamed here and there and took lots of pictures.. Soon people started coming there.. mostly assamese tourists.. It was only 11 AM and the sun was getting hotter.. I sat inside the pagoda near Buddha statue .. Was thinking about my coming up plans..I was not at all sure those I could be able to make or not.. But one thing made me encouraged that I must try my best.. at 12 I decided to leave the place fork my next destination Namsai..
stairs for Pagoda
vast campus
all Burmese architecture
While coming down to road I met 2 Khamti kids and few things I notices about Khamti tribe from their attitude.. they were super shy and very friendly..My experience said most of the Buddhists are like that..
I asked them about the mode of transportation to reach namsai which was just 15 KM from there.. I suggested Tata Magic used to ply regularly.. I waited for 10 minutes and one Tata Magic stopped I boarded .. It was already crowded but people were awesome.. they managed to give me a seat.. I noticed something whoever was signalling to stop the vehicle the passengers happily managing among themselves to allow them to seat.. we were passing through jungles.. and another thing I noticed that lot of army presence with full alert as if something would going to happen in few seconds.. all of them were ready with their weapon.. that did not make me much comfortable..I thought might be Namsai is near Changlang which is said to be disturbed area…
We reached at one junction the straight road was directed towards Tinsukia we took the right road towards Namsai town.. I must say it was one of the biggest town in Arunachal Pradesh.. so many shops hotels and crowded market..
We stopped at the bus stand from where buses ,Sumos and Tata magics ply to everywhere..First I decided to have lunch as I was feeling very hungry..I entered one small place and ordered fish.. was served hot.. and the watery gravy with tomato was awesome.. next had to search a hotel for the night.. and I entered Hotel sona which was said to be the best hotel in Namsai.. got a single room for myself by paying 800..Took a long bath..and decided to take rest for sometime..i slept watching TV..
NH-52
military vehicles
Tengapani village
Tengapani river
Oh my lord ..when I got up it was the first line.. as it was already dark by 5 PM.. I rushed to market to book a seat for my next day’s travel in Government bus..and got it by paying 90..
Namsai being a bigger place evening was still crowded.. I decided wo walk a bit to find out the culture of the town.. I noticed each woman was wrapping a green colour shawl.. That was their identity of Khampti tribe.. Each tribe in Arunachal has different attires… which distinguish them from other tribes… Honestly I was getting more interested of these Khampti tribe..Curshing myself for sleeping in the afternoon…
Nothing much to do.. went to same restaurant where I had dinner..I got a chance to have chapati… came back to hotel and started watching TV till late night.. also spoke to Ananya ..she was badly missing me as the next day was Diwali …
NEXT >
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