Chagzam Bridge | Tawang | Arunachal Pradesh | Apr 2021

Some history about the Chakzam bridge in Tawang:

The word Chakzam, Chaksam or Jagsam is widely used in the Himalayas and stems from the ‘standard’ Tibetan word meaning ‘Iron Bridge’.

This ancient iron bridge was built in the 15th century and is one of the last surviving Tibetan bridges in the area. It allows you to cross over the Tawang Chu River between the areas of Kitpi and Mukto.

Tangton Gyalpo, or Lama Chag-Zam Wangpo, was a philosopher, engineer, poet and a disciple of the 1st Dalai Lama in Tibet, Gedun Drupa. Tangton Gyalpo built the Chakzam Bridge in the Tawang District from the 1420s to the 1430s.
In the 15th century, he was building 100 metre chain bridges over mountain passes and rivers across the Himalayas. Whereas in the West, 20 metres was seen as a great achievement at the time!

It is now over 600 years old and one of only two that still exist in Arunachal Pradesh today.