evidence: The Buddhist monastery in Tawang is the biggest in India, and for a long time was one of the most important spiritual centers in the world. For all that, Tawang is still a quiet, secluded city. But when war broke out 50 years ago between India and China, Tawang found itself caught in the middle due to its militarily strategic and central location. Chinese troops occupied large portions of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh on October 20, 1962, and Tawang was first bombed, then rocked by mortal shells and sprayed with machine gun fire. Tawang remained under Chinese control for one month, until China declared an armistice on November 20, 1962 and withdrew from Indian territory. [...] Superficially, the wounds from the war appear to have healed in Tawang. Only the Indian army's strong presence in the region serves as a reminder of the still-smoldering conflict. China continues to claim the land as belonging to its "south Tibet region". In all, around 180,000 Indian soldiers are stationed in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. In the 10,000-person city of Tawang, the Indian army has constructed a training academy aimed at deploying soldiers at high altitudes.