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26-465: Ngari was once the heart of the ancient kingdom of Guge . Later Ngari, along with Ü and Tsang, composed Ü-Tsang , one of the traditional provinces of Tibet , the others being Amdo and Kham . The prefecture has close cultural links with Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti district of the bordering Indian state of Himachal Pradesh . The paved Xinjiang-Tibet Highway ( 新藏公路 ) passes through this area. There are well-known prehistoric petroglyphs near

52-541: A Buddhist monk , took power as secular ruler. He was responsible for inviting Atiśa to Tibet in 1040 and thus ushering in the so-called Chidar (Phyi-dar) phase of Buddhism in Tibet. Byang chub 'Od 's son rTse lde was murdered by his nephew in 1088. This event marked the break-up of the Guge-Purang kingdom, since one of his brothers was established as separate king of Purang. The usurping nephew dBang lde continued

78-496: A large area including Ladakh and parts of Spiti . After his death his kingdom was split up between his three sons into the kingdoms of Guge, Purang, and Maryul (= Ladakh). Guge controlled an ancient trading route between India and Tibet. It emerged in the region previously known as Zhangzhung and became an important regional power by the 10th century CE. In the summer of 1624 two Portuguese Jesuit missionaries , Fr. António de Andrade and Brother Manuel Marques , came to

104-496: A maximum depth of 70 m (230 ft). Ngari has a cold desert climate ( Köppen climate classification : BWk ), with strong dry-winter subarctic climate tendencies ( Köppen climate classification : Dwc ). Ngari Prefecture is subdivided into seven county-level divisions : seven counties . 32°29′N 80°06′E  /  32.49°N 80.10°E  / 32.49; 80.10 Guge Guge ( Tibetan : གུ་གེ་ , Wylie : gu ge ; Chinese : 古格 )

130-513: A mission in Tibet from the Jesuit superior at Goa , Andrade, Marques, and three other Jesuits journeyed to Tsaparang the following summer and built a church at the foot of the citadel and another one at Rudok 130 miles (209 km) away. António de Andrade left Tibet in 1628, and in 1630 the king of Ladakh, Senge Namgyal, invaded and overthrew the kingdom of Guge, taking the pro-Jesuit king (Tri Tashi Drakpa) and his family captive. Under Ladakhi rule

156-691: A new diffusion of Buddhist teachings in western Tibet. In 988 Yeshe-Ö took religious vows and left kingship to his younger brother Khor re . According to later historiography , the Turkic Karluks ( Gar log ) took the Yeshe-Ö prisoner in a war. The episode has a prominent place in Tibetan history writing. The Karluks offered to set him free if he renounced Buddhism, which he refused to do. They then demanded his weight in gold to release him. His junior kinsman Byang chub 'Od visited him in his prison with

182-572: A small retinue, but Yeshe-Ö admonished him not to use the gold at hand for ransom, but rather to invite the renowned Mahayana sage Atiśa (982–1054). Yeshe-Ö eventually died in prison from age and poor treatment. The story is historically debated since it contains chronological inconsistencies. In 1037, Khor re 's eldest grandson 'Od lde was killed in a conflict with the Kara-Khanid Khanate from Central Asia, who subsequently ravaged Ngari. His brother Byang chub 'Od (984–1078),

208-682: A wife from the Ladakhi royal family. Tsaparang and the Guge kingdom were later conquered in 1679–80 by the Lhasa-based Central Tibetan government under the leadership of the 5th Dalai Lama , driving out the Ladakhis. Western archeologists heard about Guge again in the 1930s through the work of Italian Giuseppe Tucci . Tucci's work was mainly about the frescoes of Guge. Lama Anagarika Govinda and Li Gotami Govinda visited

234-805: Is best known for Mount Kailash , also called Sumeru , and Lake Manasarovar . Mount Kailash is 6,714 m (22,028 ft) above sea level and is the main peak of the Transhimalaya (also called the Kailash Range or Gangdisê Mountains). The holy mountain and lake are associated with number of religions: Buddhism , Hinduism , and Bon , among others, attracting numerous domestic and international religious pilgrims and tourists. Surrounding Mount Kailash are four ancient and famous monasteries: Zhabura , Chiu Gompa, Zheri and Zhozhub . Manasarovar lies 4,588 m (15,052 ft) above sea level, covers an area of 412 km (159 sq mi) and reaches

260-458: Is now a dry and desolate land. Perhaps as evidence of the kingdom's openness, de Andrade's party was allowed to construct a chapel in Tsaparang and instruct the people about Catholic Christianity . A letter by De Andrade relates that some military commanders revolted and called the Ladakhis to overthrow the ruler. There had been friction between Guge and Ladakh for many years, and the invitation

286-615: Is the Bon monastery of Gurugem . Tsaparang is a huge fortress perched on a pyramid-shaped rock rising about 500 to 600 feet (152 to 183 m) at the end of a long narrow spur. It contains numerous tunnels and caves that have been carved out of the rock. At its base was a village where the common people lived. Above them were two public temples - the Lhakhang Marpo (Red Chapel) and the Lhakhang Karpo (White Chapel), and quarters for

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312-460: The Guge kingdom are located at Tsaparang in the Sutlej valley, not far from Mount Kailash and 1,200 miles (1,900 km) west from Lhasa . Guge was founded in the 10th century. Its capitals were located at Tholing 31°28′55″N 79°48′01″E  /  31.48194°N 79.80028°E  / 31.48194; 79.80028 and Tsaparang . Kyide Nyimagon , a great-grandson of Langdarma ,

338-596: The far western town of Rutog . The town of Ngari lies 4,500 metres (14,800 ft) above sea level in northwest Tibet some 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) west of the capital, Lhasa . Ali Kunsha Airport began operations on July 1, 2010, becoming the fourth civil airport in Tibet (shortening the trip to Lhasa to one-and-a-half hours from three or four days by car) along with Lhasa Gonggar Airport in Lhasa, Qamdo Bamda Airport in Chamdo and Nyingchi Mainling Airport . Ngari

364-729: The kingdom of Guge, including Tholing and Tsaparang, in 1947–1949. Their tours of central and western Tibet are recorded in black-and-white photos. Samding Dorje Phagmo A list of rulers of Guge and the related Ya rtse kingdom has been established by the Tibetologists Luciano Petech and Roberto Vitali A. Royal ancestors of the Yarlung dynasty B. Kings of Guge and Purang. C. Kings of Ya rtse. D. Kings of Guge. Specific references: General references: Tsaparang Samding Dorje Phagmo Tsaparang ( Tibetan : རྩ་བྲང , Wylie : rtsa-brang )

390-634: The kings of Guge in modern Tibet. According to some accounts, Tsaparang was made the capital of the Kingdom of Guge by Namde Wosung , one of the sons of the Langdarma the anti-Buddhist king of Tibet 838-841 CE, after Langdarma was assassinated. The Tibetan Empire was then plunged into civil war and split into a number of independent kingdoms. Other accounts say that two of Langdarma's grandsons fled to Western Tibet about 919 CE. The eldest one, Kyide Nyiamagon , established himself at Purang and conquered

416-480: The last monarch of the Tibetan Empire , fled to Ngari (West Tibet) from the insecure conditions in Ü-Tsang in 910. He established a kingdom around 912, annexing Purang and Guge. He established his capital in Guge. Nyimagon later divided his lands into three parts. The king's eldest son Palgyigon became ruler of Maryul ( Ladakh ), his second son Trashigon ( bKra shis mgon ) received Guge-Purang, and

442-666: The late 14th century. From 1499 the Guge king had to acknowledge the Rinpungpa rulers of Tsang. The 15th and 16th centuries were marked by a considerable Buddhist building activity by the kings, who frequently showed their devotion to the Gelug leaders later known as the Dalai Lamas . The first Westerners to reach Guge were António de Andrade , a Jesuit missionary, and his companion brother Manuel Marques , in 1624. De Andrade reported seeing irrigation canals and rich crops in what

468-547: The mission quickly fell into disarray; Andrade was assassinated in Goa in 1634. In 1640 Manuel Marques led an expedition back in an attempt to reestablish the mission but he was captured and the rest of his party fled. He wrote a pitiful letter to the Jesuit headquarters at Agra in India begging to be rescued, but was never heard from again. In 1679–80 Tsaparang and the Guge kingdom were conquered by Central Tibet, based in Lhasa under

494-464: The monks. Up, a twisting stone staircase in a tunnel were the royal quarters, and at the very top, the summer palace. The English TV presenter and historian Michael Wood , in the "Shangri-La" episode of the BBC TV/PBS documentary series In Search of Myths and Heroes , suggested that Tsaparang was the historical origin of the legend of Shangri-La , and that its two great temples were once home to

520-531: The region looking for Christian kingdoms that had long been rumored to lay beyond the Himalayas . After a harrowing journey (they were the first known Europeans to traverse the Himalayas) they arrived in Tsaparang, where they managed to gain permission from the king of Guge to freely preach their religion throughout the kingdom, and left after less than a month. After gaining formal permission and funds to start

546-518: The related Ya rtse (Khasa) kingdom . After his death in 1277 Guge was dominated by the Sakya monastic regime. After 1363, with the decline of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty and their Sakya protégés, Guge was again strengthened and took over Purang in 1378. Purang was henceforth contested between Guge and Mustang , but was finally integrated into the former. Guge also briefly ruled over Ladakh in

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572-586: The royal dynasty in Guge. A new Kara-Khanid invasion of Guge took place before 1137 and cost the life of the ruler, bKra shis rtse . Later in the same century the kingdom was temporarily divided. In 1240 the Mongol khagan, at least nominally, gave authority over the Ngari area to the Drigung Monastery in Ü-Tsang. Grags pa lde was an important ruler who united the Guge area around 1265 and subjugated

598-415: The third son Detsukgon received Zanskar . Trashigon was succeeded by his son Srong nge or Yeshe-Ö ( Ye shes 'Od ) (947–1024 or (959–1036), who was a renowned Buddhist figure. In his time a Tibetan lotsawa from Guge called Rinchen Zangpo (958–1055), after having studied in India, returned to his homeland as a monk to promote Buddhism. Together with the zeal of Yeshe-Ö, this marked the beginning of

624-466: Was an ancient dynastic kingdom in Western Tibet . The kingdom was centered in present-day Zanda County , Ngari Prefecture , Tibet Autonomous Region . At various points in history after the 10th century AD, the kingdom held sway over a vast area including south-eastern Zanskar , upper Kinnaur district , and Spiti Valley , either by conquest or as tributaries. The ruins of the former capital of

650-567: Was heeded in 1630. The Ladakhi forces laid siege to the almost impenetrable Tsaparang. The King's brother, who was chief lama and thus a staunch Buddhist, advised the pro-Christian ruler to surrender against keeping the state as tributary ruler. This treacherous advice was eventually accepted. Tibetan sources suggest that the Guge population was maintained in their old status. The last king, Tashi Drakpa De, ( Khri bKra shis Grags pa lde ) and his brother and other kin, were deported to Ladakh, where they lived comfortably until their death. The prince married

676-541: Was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Guge in the Garuda Valley , through which the upper Sutlej River flows, in Ngari Prefecture (Western Tibet) near the border of Ladakh . It is 278 km south-southwest of Senggezangbo Town and 26 km west of the 11th-century monastery at Tholing , and not far west of Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar . The Tsaparang Dzong was located here. Nearby

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