The Sela Pass is placed in the District of Tawang in the State of Arunachal Pradesh. It is also called Se La is the mountain pass located at great height with an altitude of 13,700 feet. The road is the second highest Motor-able road in the world. The pass links the Buddhist city which is positioned in the Tawang Town. From this town we can reach Tezpur and then to Guwahati. The tourist has to travel a distance of 78 kilometers to Tawang from the Sela Pass. But to reach Guwahati the visitors have to move 340 kilometers. As the pass is always encircled with snow, there is less agricultural activities carried out in the area. It is very cold during winter season and the temperature decreases to -10 degree at this time. The pass is very beautiful during snow fall through out the year. The place is mostly covered with the Buddhist people. Seal Pass is an area of Eastern Himalayan Ranges and it is often said that there consists of more than 100 lakes in the region. It presents outstanding and heavenly sights to the visitors. The lakes located here are renowned for religious significance for the worshipers of Buddha.
Sela Lake is another famous spot to be seen in the Sela Pass. This lake is also known as Paradise Lake due to its gorgeous appearance. During winter season, the lake is completely or moderately frozen. This is exceptional scenery which keeps our mind cool and fresh. In addition, the small rivers originate from this lake and also at the time of cropping season. In this season, the visitors can see yaks grazing near to the lake. The people of the locality experience heavy snow fall during winter and at this time the visitor are allowed. But when landslides or other natural calamities occur, the Government imposes restriction for the tourists. To reach Tawang Town the only access is through the Sela Pass making in an important link between India and Tawang. Therefore it keeps District of Tawang close to Tibet.
The pass is kept open all the year due to the efforts of the Border Roads Organization (BRO). In summer season the pass is less cold and making it favorable for the visitors to stay. Historically, the place is very important and there reasons for its importance. It is said that Jaswant Singh Rawat, Sipoy of Indian Army had battle with the Chinese Army in 1962. This incident happened close to the Sela Pass which is famously known as Sini-Indian War. When this incident took place, a tribal woman helped the Sipoy by giving water and food. Thereafter she is said to have committed suicide. He was later awarded Maha Vir Chakra posthumously in appreciation of his bravery and dedication. Other parts of the nation are linked with Tawang only due to the Sela Pass. Sela Pass comes in between the Bomdila city and Jung placed in the western part of Arunachal Pradesh. The Jung Village is a break in your journey for refreshment while travelling to Tawang. The journey to Tawang becomes difficult during war, terrible weather, snowfall, landslides etc. The Indian Army has positioned large number of battalion to prevent the enemies from entering to this place and to assist during natural disasters.
On the whole, the pass is glorious to visit at least once in lifetime. Wonderful images can be captured though there are some restrictions imposed by the Army people as it is close to China border. The Himalayas are the major attractions in the place with complete white shades of the snow fall. In this place, we can see many army trucks during the journey. The pine canopies that are stuck with snow are wonderful scene. At the bottom part of mountains, people can see rocky mountain landscape as well as army camp. The roads are suitable for travel and well maintained by the authorities.