Sela Pass: A Heavenly Gateway to Tawang and Beyond

Are you looking for a destination that will take your breath away with its natural beauty, cultural richness, and historical significance? If yes, then you should definitely visit Sela Pass, a high-altitude mountain pass in Arunachal Pradesh that connects the town of Tawang with the rest of India. Sela Pass is not only a scenic wonder, but also a sacred site for the Buddhist and Indian communities.

In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about Sela Pass, from its history and significance, to its weather and attractions, to its adventure and sightseeing options. Read on to discover why Sela Pass is a must-visit destination for any traveller.

Sela Pass: A Brief History and Significance

Sela Pass is located at an altitude of 4,170 metres above sea level, and is one of the highest motorable passes in the world. The pass is named after Sela, a legendary woman who lived near the pass and helped the Indian Army during the 1962 Sino-Indian War. According to legend, Sela was a beautiful woman who fell in love with an Indian soldier named Jaswant Singh Rawat, who fought bravely against the Chinese forces at the pass. Sela sacrificed her life to save Jaswant, and the pass was named after her in her honour. Jaswant was also honoured with a memorial and a temple at the pass, which are visited by thousands of pilgrims every year.

Sela Pass is also a sacred site for the Buddhist community, as it is believed to be the place where Guru Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism, meditated and blessed the land. The pass is adorned with hundreds of colourful prayer flags that flutter in the wind, creating a spiritual atmosphere. The pass also has a stunning lake that is considered holy by the Buddhists, and is known for its crystal-clear water and changing colours. The lake is frozen for most of the year, except for a few months in summer when it reflects the blue sky and the green mountains.

Sela Pass: A Paradise for Nature Lovers and Photographers

Sela Pass is a destination that will enchant you with its natural beauty and diversity. The pass offers panoramic views of the snow-capped Himalayan peaks, the lush green valleys, and the sparkling streams and waterfalls. The pass is home to a variety of flora and fauna, such as rhododendrons, orchids, ferns, yaks, deer, foxes, and birds. The pass is especially beautiful in spring, when the flowers bloom and fill the air with their fragrance.

Sela Pass: A Destination for Adventure Seekers and Thrill Lovers

Sela Pass is not only a destination for nature lovers and photographers, but also for adventure seekers and thrill lovers. The pass offers various adventure activities and sports that will challenge your skills and test your limits. Some of the adventure activities and sports that Sela Pass offers are:

Trekking: Sela Pass is a popular trekking destination, as it offers many trails that lead to different attractions and viewpoints. You can trek to the Jaswant Garh Memorial, the Sela Lake, the Nuranang Falls, and the Tawang Monastery, and enjoy the scenic views and the fresh air along the way. The trekking trails vary in difficulty, from easy to moderate to hard, and require different levels of fitness and experience. You can also hire a guide or join a group to make your trekking experience more enjoyable and safe.

Biking: Sela Pass is a paradise for bikers, as it offers a thrilling and exhilarating ride on one of the highest motorable roads in the world. You can bike to Sela Pass from Tezpur, Bomdila, or Dirang, and experience the thrill of riding on the winding and steep roads, with the stunning views of the mountains and the valleys. You can also bike to Tawang from Sela Pass, and explore the town and its attractions. You will need a good bike, a helmet, and a permit to bike to Sela Pass, and you should also check the weather and road conditions before you start your ride.

Skiing and Snowboarding: Sela Pass is a winter wonderland, as it is covered with snow for most of the year. You can ski and snowboard on the slopes of Sela Pass, and enjoy the thrill of gliding on the snow, with the breathtaking views of the lake and the mountains. You will need to bring your own equipment and clothing, as there are no rental or training facilities at Sela Pass. You should also be careful of the altitude and the cold, and avoid skiing and snowboarding alone or in bad weather.

Sela Pass: A Gateway to Tawang and Other Attractions

Sela Pass is not only a destination in itself, but also a gateway to Tawang and other attractions in Arunachal Pradesh. You can reach Sela Pass from different nearby cities and towns, such as Tezpur, Guwahati, Bomdila, and Dirang, by road or by air. The nearest airport is at Tezpur, which is about 320 km away from Sela Pass, and the nearest railway station is at Rangapara, which is about 280 km away from Sela Pass. You can also take a bus or a taxi to Sela Pass from these places, or hire a private vehicle. You will need an inner line permit to enter Arunachal Pradesh, which you can obtain online or from the designated offices.

The best time to visit Sela Pass is from April to October, when the weather is pleasant and the pass is accessible. The winter months from November to March are also beautiful, but the pass may be closed due to heavy snowfall and landslides. You should always check the weather and road conditions before you plan your trip to Sela Pass, and carry warm clothes, medicines, and snacks with you.

Sela Pass is also a base for exploring some of the popular tourist attractions in and around Sela Pass, such as Tawang Monastery, Madhuri Lake, Nuranang Falls and Tawang War Memorial.

Sela Pass is a destination that will mesmerize you with its natural beauty, cultural richness, and historical significance. Sela Pass is a gateway to Tawang and other attractions in Arunachal Pradesh, and offers a variety of experiences and activities for all types of travellers. Whether you are looking for a peaceful and spiritual retreat, or a thrilling and adventurous escapade, Sela Pass has something for everyone. So, what are you waiting for? Plan your trip to Sela Pass and experience its beauty and charm for yourself.

Sela Pass Reviews

WanderfulPassport

122 Followers

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Route: Dirang- Tawang Distance: 130 km Time: 6 h 30 min Lunch: Sela Pass Overnight: Tawang This is the day when we drove through the most challenging road. This stretch has the most mesmerizing landscapes that will make you jump off through the car to enjoy the view. As there will be several stops, start from Dirang as early as possible. Stop 1: Sela Pass(13,700 ft) and Sela Lake(Paradise Lake) To reach Tawang, we crossed Sela Pass which is in the midway, at 13700 feet above sea level. The famous "Welcome to Tawang" gate is located here which is snowed in almost all through the year except May-June. We were lucky to experience the snowfall even in May as soon as we reached here. Sela pass is the second highest motorable road in the world. It was n't easy to drive through the hairpin-bend road and ascend to 13,500 ft from 4,900 ft within 1.5 hrs. From Dirang to Sela, the net distance is just 65km but the differences in height gain are 8,800 ft. Yes, you read it correctly- 8,800 ft elevation gain in just 1.5 hrs, that's 135 ft per km(I am using a calculator while writing this). There is an interesting story regarding the origin of the name of the Sela Pass and none of us know this story. According to legend, a brave and valiant Indian Army sepoy called "Jaswant Singh Rawat" single-handedly protected the open borders against a planned Chinese invasion. Had it not been for the indiscrete courage shown by Sepoy Rawat, India would have been annexed by the Chinese forces in the battle of 1962. A tribal woman from a nearby village named Sela constantly helped Jaswant with food and water while he single-handedly kept enemy forces at bay. One morning when she arrived at her usual meeting point, she was shell shocked to see the lifeless body of the gallant soldier who had died protecting his country and immediately committed suicide. It is after her that the pass has been named as Sela Pass. I feel sad that the government never promulgated the story of Gallant Jaswant Singh(famous as the rifleman) and Sela, as we lost that war and nobody want to hear or read the story of a war that is lost. Close at hand is the beautiful Sela Lake, also called Paradise Lake. Massive and powerful freezing and an icy wind blowing around the lake and heavenly view made us feel that we finally found a real paradise. Stop 2: Jaswantgarh Sela to Jaswantgarh part is a tough ride due to snowfall and very poor visibility. You should aim to reach Jaswantgarh before 1- 2 PM so that you will be able to reach Tawang comfortably before it gets dark. Jaswantgarh is a memorial to the brave soldier who singlehandedly tried to stop the Chinese soldiers from approaching the Sela Pass in the 1962 war. Stop 3: Jung Fall(Nuranang Falls) Also Known as Jung/Jang Falls or Bong Bong Falls, Nuranang located in the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh falls drops down from an altitude of 100 meters. It is one of the most spectacular waterfalls I have seen in India. Due to its relative anonymity, only a few travelers know about it. The spectacle of huge volumes of milky white water hurtling down into the river below throwing up sprays up to several ft high provides an exhilarating experience. This waterfall creates a mist and spray till 200mt distance and as a result, my camera and lenses were all wet, enforced me to pack up for the day. Stop 4: Tawang We continued the journey and reached Tawang by late evening.

Suhas R

160 Followers

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Another year, and it was time for another adventurous bike ride. The planned ride was in the forgotten land of northeast India, especially Arunachal Pradesh. And this time, we chose to ride in the worst possible weather - the winter. A lot of crazy things happened in the 20 day trip, but the most memorable experience that was etched in our memories was the crossing of Sela pass. Sela pass is a high mountain pass on the route between Bomdila and Tawang, about 100 km from Bomdila. This pass soars to a maximum height of 14000 ft, and is a part of northeastern Himalayan mountain ranges. This pass would always be covered in snow during winters, and the temperature dropped to -15 degree c many times. We started early in the morning from Bomdila, aware of the extreme weather conditions on the route. The ride till Dirang was as expected - generally mediocre, with a few bad stretches in between, but not too chilly. We had stopped for tea after Dirang, where the locals, having found that we would be riding to Tawang, adviced us not to take the route, as the snow on the Sela top had hardened and its nearly impossible to cross it. Well, we were aware something like this would happen, having planned to visit the place in extreme weather, so we continued further, taking note of what they advised. But the early seeds of doubt had already been sown in our minds about crossing Sela pass. As we ascended further towards Sela pass, patches of snow started to appear on the sides of the road, and the weather started to become more chilly and foggy. V isibility was barely 20 feet, and the amount of snow increased gradually as we ascended further, till everything around us was just snow. I was excited to see such a sight, and at the same time scared as well. We stopped here and there for photographs, and continued our ascent. Snow started appearing on the road further up, and the inevitable happened – both our bikes slid on the ice covered road, and took a fall. We were exhausted pretty soon and struggled a lot to lift both of our bikes up, due to the cold, the slippery road, snowfall and the very thin air. After much struggle, we were finally able to lift our bikes back up (we were literally sweating at this point, even at sub-zero temperatures) and continued the ascent carefully. We finally reached Sela top at 1:15 pm, about 6 hours after we started from Bomdila. We relaxed for a good amount of time on the top, talking to the armymen present there. We drank coffee, ate samosas at the army - run Prahari Cafeteria, clicked some photos. After spending a good 45 mins at the top, we started the descent. We were glad, thinking that the worst was over and the route downhill was easy, but as it turned out, this is where hell started for us. As we descended further, we noticed more and more hardened snow formed on the roads, making it more slippery. As we were close to Nuranang, about 16 km from Sela, we met two bikers from Guwahati who were coming in the opposite direction. We had a nice little chat with them, and they informed us that the road further down till the next 2 km was completely covered with black ice. Black Ice is a form of ice that had hardened due to a lot of vehicles passing through the snow covered route, hardening the snow and turn it to ice and stick to the road.

Saikkat Dasgupta

360 Followers

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There had been a substantial amount of snowfall the previous night and Se La pass was colder than when I had come. After lunch at Padma, I reached Bomdila by 3 in the afternoon. I got a room in the tourist lodge for Rs.500/-. The administration of the lodge was very hospitable. I had made a great friend during the drive from Tawang to Bomdila, a proud local from Arunachal. She offered to take me around the quaint town of Bomdila in the evening. We went to a small restaurant in main market, hidden from the eyes of the tourists in the basement with a nearly non-existent hoarding, Hotel Chotan. The restaurant served excellent local delicacies. I had Thukpa and some Chhurpi along with salted tea. The Thukpa tasted a little bland, which is accustomed to the overload of flavours & spices in western India. The Chhurpi, a local dish prepared with dried smoked cheese had a tangy flavor to it. After dinner, I got back to my lodge, only to gaze at the moonlit sky from my porch in a state of being bewitched. The view of a clear sky is quiet magical from an altitude of 8,500 ft. I woke up the next morning and walked uphill to the Upper Gompa, which offered an enthralling view of the valley below. The monastery is undergoing renovation. I wandered around the monastery soaking in the tranquility & peace of the aura in the Gompa. I couldn't help overhearing an old woman telling a monk how she hated the overhead halogen lights which had been recently put up in front of the gompa. She thought that the tryst with modernity and ‘so called’ development might obliterate the true essence of a Gompa. Her honest opinion about such a simple yet profound thought had a great impact on my thoughts. It kept echoing in my mind, as I savored the taste of yet another cup of tea. By now it had become a habit of sorts to taste the tea wherever I went. I came downhill to the main market to have lunch. Hotel Sikkimwas a recommendation by one of the locals I had met the other day. The dishes were so mouthwatering that I ended up having 3 plates of momos and 4 cups of coffee there. The restaurants in Bomdila had a very cozy and comfortable setting with small cubicles covered by wooden planks on three sides and curtains covering the open end. I walked down to the Lower Gompa, which is about 5 minutes from Hotel Sikkim. There is a palpable difference between the upper and lower gompa, since they followed different sects of buddhism. While the upper gompa was of Mahayana sect, the lower was of Himayana sect, one of the locals explained. The Mahayana sect believed that Buddha was a God, while the Himayana sect preached to Buddha as a teacher.

Fatema Diwan

4119 Followers

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I have always wondered why the most beautiful places are also the least visited ones. In the case of Tawang, the pretty little Himalayan town in Arunachal Pradesh, I pretty much get the reasons. For starters it is situated in the most neglected part of this country- the north east. Tawang is also a very remote place and getting there needs a lot of permits and proper guides to the roads (The best way to get into Tawang is through the Sela Pass.) Tawang is also a very disputed area politically and geographically. China has always claimed Arunachal Pradesh was a part of their territory and Tawang was an important target during the Indo-China war. Today, marks of that war still lie on Tawang's soil in the form of the McMohan Line. But, all of these reasons seem redundant once you enter Tawang's beautiful landscapes. The unexplored and raw charm of Tawang draws you in as you enter the cradle of the Himalayas. There is just so much to cherish in Tawang, natural and cultural, that in one sense it fits into almost all of the traveler's fantasies. Tall mountains, Glittering white snow, Deep blue lakes, warm and welcoming locals, an untouched culture and ancient monuments. It is hard to imagine how all of these aspects can fit so carelessly in one place. But, that is before you reach Tawang Valley.

Tusharsn

140 Followers

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The Sela Pass (more appropriately called Se La, as La means Pass) is the high-altitude mountain pass. It is cold and there is snow scattered all around me. I looked around and thought if there is heaven on earth, then this should be it (apart from Kashmir of course). Surrounding me were cotton candy snow that have descended from the sky to earth covering everything from mountain peaks to grasslands, flowers and birds. The view was breathtaking I was wrapped in a world of white and the Sun coming out from two hills. As we continued on our way snow-clad mountains gave us company until we reached a glacier which opens to a gate guarded by dragons with bright colored flags fluttering all around. At around 6:00 PM, we reached to Tawang. At end of the day, had my Birthday Dinner with my new friends. Day 5 Tawang