Tawang, Apr 10: Lhou Grelleng Heritage Village in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang district is poised to become a model cultural tourism destination, following a recent visit by a team of heritage and tourism experts.
The visit marks a significant step toward integrating traditional Monpa culture with sustainable tourism efforts in the region.
The delegation was led by state tourism deputy director Bengia Manna Sonam and included international cultural expert Dr Madhura Dutta, district tourism officer Tsering Dekey, and senior tourism advisor Raj Basu. The team was supported by a dedicated documentation crew.
Their visit followed a prior survey conducted by renowned conservation architect Anjan Mitra, who had studied the village’s traditional architecture in detail.
During the visit, the delegation engaged closely with the Lhou Grelleng Heritage Village Committee and held a community meeting at the village monastery. A detailed village-wide survey was carried out, during which the committee confirmed that road access and parking facilities are nearing completion, an important milestone in making the village tourism-ready.
Addressing the community, Sonam stressed the importance of responsible tourism, particularly in remote areas, and outlined the state’s 14 designated tourism circuits. She highlighted the crucial role of community participation in preserving cultural heritage while promoting tourism.
Dr Dutta spoke about the heritage significance of Lhou Grelleng and guided the community on aligning their conservation practices with UNESCO's cultural landscapes framework, emphasising the need for technical integrity in such efforts.
Dekey expressed concern over the declining duration of tourist stays in the region, attributing it to the lack of immersive cultural experiences. She advocated for developing a full-day cultural village experience in Tawang to engage visitors and enrich their stay.
Basu reinforced the idea that the success of the initiative depends on grassroots participation. He confirmed that a detailed architectural restoration plan has already been prepared and urged the community to begin tourism-oriented activities without delay.
Responding to the expert inputs, the village committee committed to launching several key initiatives, including the establishment of a community museum focusing on traditional Monpa mask collections, setting up an authentic Monpa kitchen, reviving the traditional Phla Festival, and conducting a detailed cultural mapping of the area.
They also proposed incorporating traditional sports like archery and designating forest areas as “Sacred Forests” to reinforce cultural preservation.
The visiting team later toured nearby monasteries and held discussions on the larger potential of developing Tawang district as a cultural heritage landscape, with Lhou Grelleng serving as the central heritage point.
A formal action plan focusing on heritage conservation and sustainable tourism development is now being prepared to take the project forward.
