TAWANG, 5 Jan: A six-day kayaking tournament is being organised on fast-flowing Tawangchu river, where two tributaries from Tibet join and flow through Bhutan to finally reach the Brahmaputra.
Scheduled from 10 to 15 February, Tawangchu Tides International Kayaking Championship (TTIKC) returns for its second edition and will take place in Tawang’s Lungla on the Tawangchu river, a release issued by the organiser said.
The championship is being held with support from the Arunachal Pradesh government, and in association with the Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association (IKCA), Arunachal Kayaking and Canoeing Association (AKCA), and Arunachal Olympic Association (AOA), it said.
Tawangchu is the main river of Tawang. Strategically very significant, Tawang is located above 10,000 feet, close to the border with China, in Arunachal Pradesh, which shares a 1,129 km long Line of Actual Control with the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Tawang is also a historic and picturesque town, known for its stunning landscapes and its spiritual heritage. Not only was the 6th Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso born here, but Tawang also has one of Asia’s oldest monasteries, founded in 1680.
The six-day event will feature everything from solemn prayers to start the festival to race briefings, practice runs, and adrenaline-pumping downriver sprint and kayak slalom races.
The entire Tawang district is known as the basin of the Tawangchu. In addition, two fast-flowing rivers from Tibet, Tsona Chu and Nyamjang Chu, and several streams join the river within the district.
The combined river flows west into Bhutan from where it enters Assam as the river Manas and later merges with the Brahmaputra. (PTI)
