Located in close proximity to the borders of China and Bhutan and standing near the top of a mountain at an altitude of around 10,000 feet (3000 m), about 2 km from Tawang town in the beautiful Himalayan region of Arunachal Pradesh, Tawang Monastery is known to be the largest Buddhist monastery in India. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, except on its east, the monastery is bounded on its southern and western flanks by steep ravines, formed by streams, a narrow spur on the north and gradually sloping on the east.

Known in Tibetan language as Gaden Namgyal Lhatse, which roughly stands for the celestial paradise of joyfulness and complete victory, it was founded by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1680-1681. The monastery, with a commanding view of the Tawang Chu Valley, comprising snow-capped mountains and coniferous forest, belongs to the Gelug Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism, and had a religious compatibility with the Drepung Monastery of Lhasa, one of the great three Gelug University monasteries of Tibet. Apart from being is an abode of the spiritual life, the monastery also serves as the most important Socio-Cultural Institute, which has tremendous influence on the life and culture of the people of the region.

The name Tawang is derived from two Tibetan words, Ta which means horse and Wang that stands for chosen. Legend says, the location of the present Monastery was chosen by the horse of Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso, who was on the mission of searching a suitable place to establish a monastery, assigned by the 5th Dalai Lama.

However, even after an intense search when he failed to find a suitable spot, he retired into a cave to pray for divine help in the matter. But when he came out of the cave after offering his prayer, he found his horse grazing at the top of a mountain called Tana Mandekhang, where once stood the palace of King Kala Wangpo. He took it as a divine guidance and decided to establish the monastery at that site, and later, with the help of the locals, established the monastery at that location in the latter part of 1681.

The towering structure of the Tawang Monastery with its yellow roofs creates an amazing view against the greenery of the hills. The colourful gate structure at the entrance of the monastery, known as the Kakaling, is built in the shape of a hut, but its side walls are built of stone masonry. The roof of the Kakaling features mandalas, a geometric configuration of symbols, while its interior walls are decorated with murals of divinities and saints, which include the mural of Ningmecahn, considered the guardian deity of the Tawang region.

The Main entrance of the monastery, located to the south, and equipped with huge massive doors, is set in the 925 feet (282 m) long northern wall of the monastery. Apart from that, there is another gate near the southern end of the monastery, also fitted with a huge door, with two small openings in the wall near the door, which offers the opportunity to view the exterior part of the eastern wall connecting the kakaling. A paved way from the main gate leads to a courtyard at the rear of the monastery, where religious dances (Cham) and outdoor ceremonies are held.

The three storey imposing building that stands on the northern side of the court and known as Dukhang is the assembly hall of the monastery that houses the temple of the monastery, and also the Labrang, the residence of the Abbot. The inside walls of the Dukhang are painted with murals of various divinities and saints, and it houses a massive, 18 feet (5.5 m) tall, richly decorated and gilded statue of Lord Buddha, seated on a lotus throne, with its head extended up to the upper floor. The statue is flanked by Maudgalyayana and Sariputra, the two most prominent disciples of Lord Buddha, each with a staff and begging bowl in hand. There is a silver casket on the left of the altar, wrapped in silk and containing the Thangkas, a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton or silk, of Goddess Sri Devi, also known as Palden Lhamo, the principle deity of the monastery, which was gifted to Merak Lama by the 5th Dalai Lama. The said painting, said to be painted with blood drawn from the nose of the 5th Dalai Lama, came to be known as Ja-Droi-Ma, which means, it had the warmth of a bird, symbolising that the Thangka is living. With the progress of time, the old main temple fell into a dilapidated condition, but was renovated in the traditional Buddhist architectural style in 2002, and has been exquisitely decorated with paintings, murals, carvings, and sculptures.

Apart from the Dukhang, a building located on the western side of the court and known as the Par-Khang, serves as the library where all the invaluable holy scriptures of the monastery are kept. Another long two-storied building that flanks the southern side of the court, and called Rhum-Khang, is partly used for storing provisions, and partly for cooking the food-offerings for the rituals as well as food for the monks. The monastery, with the capacity for housing about 700 monks, also has a Centre for Buddhist Cultural Studies, where young monks are taught Arithmetic, English, and Hindi, besides traditional monastic education. The monastery also has a museum, inaugurated by the 14th Dalai Lama on the 8th of November 2009, displaying several Buddhist artefacts, along with a statue of Buddha created in the 19th century, an elephant tusk found under the soil in 7th century, the skull of a man, ritualistic masks, and a copy of Prajana Paramita Sutra.