Tawang Tour: Sela Pass
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| Sela Pass |
Sela Pass is one of the beautiful tourist places in Arunachal Pradesh, India. It is located at the height of 13700 ft. from sea level, and is the gateway to Tawang Valley. It is also one of the high-altitude motorable routes or passes in the world. Tourists from across the country come here to see and enjoy views of the snow-covered Himalayan mountains peaks.
Winters are very cold and due to heavy snow fall Sela pass becomes fully white. However, while going towards Tawang, we come across the serene Sela Lake or Paradise Lake, frozen in winter. The sun rays falling on the snow-covered mountain tops are a very captivating sights to behold. Sela connects Tawang Valley to rest of the India. It is managed and protected by Border Road Organization (BRO) and Indian Army respectively.
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| Sela Lake Frozen. |
Sela Pass:Legend says that it was the battle field of the Sino-Indian war of 1962. The Garhwal Rifles was occupying the defensive position near the Nuranang bridge. During one mid-day time this place was came under a series of Chinese attacks and weakened its defences to a great extent. The Indian army sepoy Jaswant Singh Rawat along-with Lance Naik Trilok Singh Negi and Rifleman Gopal Singh Gusain volunteered to crawl up to Chinese MMG position in order to destroy with hand grenades under the cover of boulders and bushes. Without losing time Jaswant Singh Rawat and Rifleman Gopal Singh Gusain hurled grenades towards enemy position and killed the enemy. Jaswant Singh Rawat snatched the MMG from the Chinese and both of them withdrew to their position and Lance Naik Trilok Singh Negi gave cover. Just before they were about to enter their trenches they were fired upon by enemy automatic weapons. Rifleman Jaswant Singh was hit in the head and collapsed on the spot with MMG in his hand and Gopal Singh Gusain though badly injured, managed to enter the trench safely. For this supreme sacrifice Jaswant Singh Rawat was awarded Maha Veer Chakra (posthumously).
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| Sela Lake frozen. |
During these difficult times a local tribal girl Sela helped with food and water to soldier Jaswant Singh. She was also killed by the Chinese. In the honor of this brave tribal girl, this pass was named after her as “Sela Pass”.
When to Visit: Best time to visit Sela Pass is in the months of October, November, and March, April, and May. The weather is still cold, and one have to wear heavy woollens to protect oneself from the cold.
Transport: Here are the different ways to reach Sela Pass in Arunachal Pradesh -
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| Sela Pass snow covered mountains. |
By Flight: Nearest Airport is Guwahati, nearest to Sela Pass and is about 372 km away. From the airport, catch a bus or car to Tezpur and then further to Tawang. Helicopter services are also available from Guwahati to Tawang twice a week (Mondays and Fridays).
By Train: Tezpur has the nearest railway station to Tawang. You can take a bus or a car to Tawang from the railway station.
By Road: Arunachal Pradesh can be easily reached from major cities in the North-East by government-run buses and private buses. However, the best way to travel to Sela Pass is by cab.
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| Sela Pass |
What to see: This region of the Himalayas is revered by the followers of Buddhism. Sela holds immense religious importance for the Buddhists.
Precaution:
- Due to the high altitude, the weather is freezing in winter. Therefore, you must carry heavy winter clothes for self protection and from frost bites and to keep warm.
~oOo~
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