Tawang Monastery in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh is the largest monastery in India and second largest in the world after the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. It was founded near the small town of the same name in the northwestern part of Arunachal Pradesh, by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1680-1681 in accordance with the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso. The monastery belongs to the Gelug school of Mahayana Buddhism and had a religious association with Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, which continued during the period of British rule. It is very close to the Tibetan and Bhutan border, in the valley of the Tawang-chu, which flows down from Tibet. The monastery is three stories high. It is enclosed by a 925 feet (282 m) long compound wall.