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26-528: Rangdum is a village located in the Suru Valley in the union territory of Ladakh in Northern India . On one side are the colourful hills while on the other side are rocky mountains and glaciers , notably Drang-drung . Rangdum is located midway between Kargil and Padum . It is about 100 kilometres (62 mi) from Kargil. "Rangdum, with its gompa and the attendant village of Juliodok,

52-561: A land border with the Kingdom of Nepal . Ali Sher Khan Anchan the most powerful king, fifteenth in the kings of the Maqpon Dynasty of Baltistan, conquered Ladakh and Western Tibet up to Purang in the east and Gilgit and Chitral in the west during his reign (1590-1625 AD). In 2010, the county reported a GDP of 140 million Renminbi , fiscal revenue of 4.27 million Renminbi, and retail sales totaling 26.97 million Renminbi. Purang

78-712: Is 4.0 °C (39.2 °F), and annual precipitation averages 147 mm (5.8 in). Temperatures are hottest on average in July, when the daily mean is 14.7 °C (58.5 °F), and coldest in January when the average is −7.4 °C (18.7 °F). The county is divided into 1 town and 2 townships . The county government is seated in the Gyitang Residential Community ( སྐྱིད་ཐང་སྡེ་ཁུལ་གྲོང་ལྷན། , 吉让社区居委会 ), Purang Town. Some historians believe that Tegla kar (Lying Tiger fort) near Purang

104-674: Is a valley in the Kargil District in the Union Territory of Ladakh , India. It is drained by the Suru River , a tributary of the Indus River . The valley's most significant town is Sankoo . Horses, yaks and other animals can be found in the valley. In winter Suru Valley experiences heavy snowfall and avalanches. The literacy rate of Suru Valley is very low as compared to other parts of Ladakh. The Suru Valley

130-406: Is also a prominent geographical feature of the landscape. Wildlife commonly seen in the far south-western Tibetan county are wild donkeys , wild yaks , yellow goats , antelope , rock goat , lynxes , foxes , leopards and marmots . Purang County has a cool semi-arid climate ( Köppen BSk ), with pleasant to warm summers and freezing winters. The annual average temperature in the county

156-707: Is also said to have been killed during one of the raids. A succession of Ladakhi kings from Tashi Namgyal ( r.  1555–1575 ) onwards attempted to make forays into Purig, but Kartse is not mentioned by name until the time of Deldan Namgyal ( r.  1642–1680 ). Deldan Namgyal, having made peace with Lhasa and the Mughal Empire in Kashmir in his early years, sent a comprehensive invasion force to Purig under general Shakya Gyatso. Chiktan, Pashkum, Sod and Kartse were all conquered. Tri Sultan of Kartse, who appears to have been an independent king at that time,

182-518: Is an important barley -growing region and traditionally barley and salt from the salt lakes to the north of Taklakot made up the bulk of the trade to the south, while rice and a wide range of luxuries were traded back into Tibet from Nepal. The local villagers (known as Purangpa ) carried the produce across the ranges into Nepal on caravans of sheep and goats during the summer and autumn. Sheep and goats are fitted with double packs which can carry up to 30 kg (70 lb) of barley or salt on

208-548: Is bounded by other counties in the Ngari Prefecture , including Zanda to the west, Gar to the northwest and Gê'gyai to the north. To the east is Zhongba County of Shigatse Prefecture . The county covers an area of 12,539 square kilometres (4,841 sq mi), and has a population of some 9,058 people as of 2010. The county seat, located in the Jirang Neighborhood Committee ,

234-438: Is located only 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Nepalese territory, and 450 kilometres (280 mi) north-west of Kathmandu . It is an important Chinese customs point between Tibet, Nepal and India. Much of the county consists of river valleys of mountains and lakes such as Kangrinboqê (also known as Mount Kailash ), The Naimonany Peak Gunrla and Lake Maponen Yamco Lake Manasarowar . The Karnali River fed by Mabja Zangbo

260-635: Is said to have become his vassal and assisted in the invasions. Islam was introduced into the area from the 16th century onward by preachers traveling through Baltistan . Around the 16th century, a Muslim chieftaincy connected to Skardu appeared in Purig, first at Sod northeast of Kargil, then with a branch at Chiktan northeast of Namika La . During the invasion of Ladakh by Mirza Haidar Dughlat in 1532, Sod and Chiktan appear to have submitted, but not Kartse. Joint raids were conducted on Kartse but they failed. The chief or commander of Suru, named "Baghan",

286-580: Is the last inhabited region in the Suru valley ; it is also the destination of the nomadic herds people called Bakarwals , who trek up every year from the Himalayan foothills near Jammu , bringing their flocks of sheep and goats to grow fat on the rich summer growth of grass. From Rangdum the valley rises to 4400 metres and the Pensi-la, the gateway into Zanskar ." The country surrounding Rangdum Monastery

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312-468: Is very bleak and crops sometimes cannot ripen in the brief summer. The locals depend on their flocks and supplies from lower down the Suru Valley or over the pass from Zanskar. The population of the Suru Valley as far as Parkachik are all Muslim. The valley is, however, practically uninhabited past Parkachik other than a couple of tiny settlements. The small villages of Yuldo and Julidok, at the end of

338-950: Is very limited in the valley with most visitors rushing through to Padum and Zanskar . There are few facilities for visitors but Ladakh UT Tourism does have basic tourist bungalows in several of the villages. and there's a summer tent-camp in Rangdum . Tangole village is a possible starting point for mountaineering expeditions up Nun Kun . 34°34′N 76°06′E  /  34.567°N 76.100°E  / 34.567; 76.100 Burang County Purang County has TAR's south-western border with Nepal 's Sudurpashchim and Karnali province , Darchula , Bajhang and Humla District . Further west, India 's Uttarakhand State , Pithoragarh district and Chamoli district borders. Buddhist , Hindu and Jain pilgrims going to Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash enter from Nepal via Simikot , and from India via Dharchula . The county

364-543: The 13th king Sonam De took over the important Khasa Malla kingdom (alias Yatse; not to be confused with the Malla dynasty of central Nepal) in western Nepal on the extinction of the local dynasty. The dynasty of Purang kings died out shortly before 1376. The territory was subsequently dominated in turns by the neighbouring kingdoms Guge and Mustang . region. region. During Dogra-Tibetan War , General Zorawar Singh had captured Purang and Zanda County , in order to create

390-572: The 18th century Rangdum Monastery belonging to the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. About 25 km south of Rangdum Monastery, the 4,400 m (14,436 ft) Pensi La (pass) leads into Zanskar Almost the entire population of Suru valley are adherents of Shia Islam. A small fraction of the population also follows the Sunni branch of Islam, mostly concentrated in the villages of Panikhar and Prantee. The few other religious demographics shown in

416-455: The Ladakhi ruler Nyima Namgyal as his son. After Nyima Namgyal's abdication, Purig was assigned to his second son Tashi Namgyal to rule independenly. Five noble familites of Purig are said to have paid tributes to Tashi Namgyal at Mulbekh . After Tashi Namgyal, Purig reverted as an integral par of Ladakh. The Dogras conquered the entire area by 1847 and it proved to be disastrous for

442-472: The census are mostly migrant workers from other parts of India. The Purgi language is the predominant language in the Suru Valley, spoken by about 95 percent of the people in the Sankoo Tehsil. The lower part of the valley, at altitudes below 3,000 metres (9,843 ft), is one of the most agriculturally productive parts of Ladakh with two crops a year being harvested, watered by the run-off from

468-716: The formation of the Maryul kingdom (in modern Ladakh) in the 10th century. However, there is no mention of it in Ladakh Chronicles . When the Maryul kingdom was formed under Lhachen Palgyigon , its extent ran up to the Zoji La pass. The principality of Kartse apparently controlled the entire western Ladakh, from Mulbekh and Wanla in the east to Dras in the west, even though the extent of territory would have varied with time. The Tri-gyals were Buddhist and adopted

494-513: The natives. The Dogras were especially harsh to Muslims (including the nobles) in the area, and they attempted to rebel against the Dogras. The current line of control runs near modern Kargil. Religion in Sanku tehsil (2011) The Suru valley is inhabited 25,000 by people of Dard and Tibetan descent . The majority of the population are followers of Shi'a Islam . According to local tradition,

520-449: The populace was converted from Tibetan Buddhism during the rule of Thi-Namgyal, chief of Kartse and his Balti wife Thi Lha Khatun, who brought Muslim scholars to the area, which ultimately led to many conversions. Beyond Parkachik, the valley is practically uninhabited other than a couple of tiny settlements (Yuldo and Julidok) that make up Rangdum . People here are socially and culturally part of neighbouring Buddhist Zanskar and support

546-534: The religion from Kashmir in ancient times. They commissioned a giant Maitreya rock carving in the vicinity of Kartse, and others at Mulbekh and possibly Apati . The conversion of Kashmir to Islam in the 14th century had implications for western Ladakh. Baltistan was invaded during the reign of Sultan Sikandar ( r.  1394–1416 ), and the influence of Islam spread there. Zain-ul-Abidin ( r.  1418–1470 ) raided Ladakh, Guge and Purang (in western Tibet) and collected tribute. The Tri-gyal of Kartse

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572-406: The valley, are entirely Buddhist. The people are socially and culturally part of neighbouring Zanskar and support the 18th-century Rangdum Monastery belonging to the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Rangdum has a tourist bungalow, three tea-houses and, around 2 km from the village, a summer-only camp offering accommodation for tourists in bedded tents. Suru Valley The Suru Valley

598-454: The very heavy winter snowfalls, and even plantations of willow and poplar trees making it a relatively lush and very attractive area, but around Rangdum the landscapes are stark, flat moorlands ringed by arid crags. The spiky white topped mountain peaks of the Nun-Kun massif , topping 7000 m, are visible from several places in the valley. Despite considerable potential, tourism activity

624-657: Was built during the Zhangzhung dynasty which was conquered by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo in the early 7th century CE. It became the main fort of the Purang Kingdom, in the 10th century under King Kori, one of the two sons of Tashi Gon, King of the Guge Kingdom. The Guge and Purang kingdoms were separated about the late 11th century, when king Logtsha Tsensong founded an independent realm. In about 1330

650-410: Was historically ruled from Kartse ( Wylie : dkar rtse , 34°16′02″N 76°00′06″E  /  34.2672°N 76.0018°E  / 34.2672; 76.0018  ( Kartse Khar ) ), a fort in a branch valley near Sankoo . An inscription names its ruler as Tri-gyal ( Wylie : k'ri rgyal ). Tibetologist A. H. Francke believes that the dynasty of Tri-gyals might have been in existence prior to

676-604: Was taken prisoner. Kashmir sent a small force to check the Ladakhis, but it was repulsed. After the Tibet–Ladakh–Mughal War (1679–1683), Ladakh was apparently compelled to return the Purig principalities to their former independence. In the early 18th century, the Suru valley became part of the chiefdom of Purig. According to local traditions, around the year 1720, Mohammed Thi Sultan, who did not have an heir, adopted

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