Purang or Burang , known as Puhreng in Tibetan ( Tibetan : སྤུ་ཧྲེང་གྲོང་བརྡལ , Wylie : spu hreng grong rdal , THL : pu hreng drong del , IPA : puʂeŋ), ( Nepali : ताक्लाकोट ) is a town which serves as the administrative center of Purang County , Ngari Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) , China. The town lies at an altitude of 3,900m (12,795 feet) in the valley of the Karnali River. The town spans an area of 3,257.81 square kilometres (1,257.85 sq mi), and has a permanent population 6,047 as of 2010, and a hukou population of 4,477 as of 2018. To the south are Gurla Mandhata (Mount Namonanyi) and the Abi Gamin ranges. Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash are to the north. This region is the mythological and actual river nexus of the Himalaya with sources of the Indus , Ganges and Yarlung Tsangpo / Brahmaputra all within 110 kilometres (70 mi) of Purang.
16-473: The Tibetan name of the town ( spu hreng ) is a corruption of the Zhang-zhung words pu hrang , meaning 'horse head'. Nepalese call the town Taklakot from Tibetan 'Takla Khar' ( Tibetan : སྟག་ལ་མཁར། , Wylie : stag la mkhar , THL : Takla Khar ). Takla Khar means Tiger Hill Castle , which is the name of a historic Zhang-zhung fortress in the county. Saryu Karnali River's Peacock Mouth source
32-509: A cold arid climate ( Köppen BWk ), with long, cold winters and mild summers. The normal monthly mean temperature ranges from −7.6 °C (18.3 °F) in January to 14.4 °C (57.9 °F) in July, and the annual mean is 3.64 °C (38.6 °F). Annual precipitation is only around 150 mm (5.9 in). Zhang-Zhung language Too Many Requests If you report this error to
48-639: A sacrifice to please Shiva. Finally, on the tenth day, Shiva was moved enough by his devotion to grant Ravana his wish to obtain superpowers. As there are no plants or wildlife around the lake, its lifeless surroundings caused the Tibetans to refer it as "the Ghost Lake". Visitors who approach the lake must be respectful to avoid inauspicious mishaps. Rakshastal covers a total area of 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi), at an altitude of 4,575 metres (15,010 ft). Though absent of nearby grasslands ,
64-617: Is a saltwater lake in Tibet Autonomous Region , lying just west of Lake Manasarovar and south of Mount Kailash . The Sutlej River (also known by the Tibetan name Langqen Zangbo in this area) originates at Rakshastal's northwestern tip. The name of the lake literally means "lake of the rakshasa " in Sanskrit. It is also known as Ravan Tal , as it is considered to be the site of the penance performed by Ravana ,
80-458: Is about 90 km. (55 mi.) SE of Lake Manasarovar . Purang is an ancient trading post . Indian and Nepali communities residing in the mountainous parts of India and Nepal bordering the Purang county have for many generations conducted trade with Tibetan communities at Purang. But the conditions under which this trade presently happens are significantly different from those prevailing before
96-756: Is glaciers on the northern slopes of the Himalaya 50 kilometres (30 mi) NW of Purang. The Lion Mouth source of the Indus is 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Mount Kailash and the Elephant Mouth is the source of the Sutlej. Lake Manasarovar is just 2 km from few of the Sarayu heads, and has an ephemeral connection to Rakshastal . The Horse Mouth source of the Yarlung Tsanpo ( Brahmaputra )
112-562: Is near the borders with India and Nepal . A road leads some 56 kilometres (35 mi) down the Karnali River to the border crossing at the village of Xie'erwa (Tibetan: Sher) into Hilsa in Nepal ( Humla District , Karnali Zone ) where a historic trail and now a rough motor road continuing to Simikot . There is also a border crossing into India ( Pithoragarh district , Uttarakhand State ) over Lipulekh Pass . Purang has
128-697: Is seated in the Jirang Neighborhood Committee. As of 2018, the town has a hukou population of 4,477. Per the 2010 Chinese Census , the town has a permanent population of 6,047, up from 5,026 in the 2000 Chinese Census . A 1996 estimate placed the town's population at 4,700. Ali Pulan Airport opened in December 2023 and is a dual-use military-civilian airport that serves the town. National Road S207 starts in Purang, heading NE 65 kilometres (40 mi) past Lake Rakshastal and Manasarovar to China National Highway 219 . Purang
144-532: Is the gateway town for travel to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar to the north. These are important destinations for Bon , Buddhist , Hindu , Jain and even New Age pilgrims . Traditional cosmology designates Mount Kailash the center of the universe . Great religious merit is attributed to parikrama around the mountain, and to bathing in Lake Manasarovar . The town is divided into six village-level divisions : The town's government
160-440: The Tibetan language, the lake is known as Lagngar Cho or Lhanag Tso, which means "the dark lake of poison". According to Hindu scriptures , Rakshastal was created by Ravana for the express purpose of garnering superpowers through acts of devotion and meditation to the god, Shiva , who resided on Mount Kailash. It was upon the banks of a special island in this lake that he would make a daily offering with one of his ten heads as
176-486: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.150 via cp1114 cp1114, Varnish XID 935643015 Upstream caches: cp1114 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:52:54 GMT Lake Rakshastal Lake Rakshastal ( Tibetan : ལག་ངར་མཚོ ; Sanskrit : राक्षसताल , romanized : Rākṣasatāla ; Chinese : 拉昂错 )
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#1732783974574192-494: The mid-twentieth century. The government of Nepal issues special border area passes to its citizens who are bona-fide residents of the border district of Humla , which enables them to seek seasonal work in Purang. On a cliff above the town was the large ancient fort of Tegla Kar (Lying Tiger Fort) and Simbiling Monastery (both totally destroyed in 1967 by Chinese artillery during the Cultural Revolution , but
208-581: The monastery has since been partially restored). Beneath them is the Tsegu Gompa or the "Nine-Storey Monastery" which was probably originally a Bön establishment. Tsegu covers many terraces and may be reached by ladders , and contains many unique and ancient wall-painting, darkened from centuries of smoke. It seems that the Tegla kar (Lying Tiger fort) was built during the Zhangzhung dynasty which
224-642: The rakshasa king of Lanka . In Buddhism , Lake Manasarovar, which is round like the sun, and Rakshastal, shaped as a crescent , are respectively regarded as "brightness" and "darkness". Rakshastal is a saline lake. There is a short river named Ganga Chhu , which connects Lake Manasarovar with Rakshastal, believed to be created by rishis to add pure water from Manasarovar. There are four islands in Rakshastal, named Topserma (Dose), Dola (the two biggest), Lachato (Nadzhado), and Dosharba. The islands are used by local people as winter pastures for their yaks. In
240-404: The white cobbles, the hills and the island colored with dark red, and the deep blue lake water present another distinctive picture absent from many of the places more frequented by visitors. In 2004, Lake Manasarovar and Rakshastal were designated as a single Ramsar Wetland complex, under the name 'Mapangyong Cuo'. Lake Rakshastal lies right next to Lake Manasarovar , and is an integral part of
256-584: 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 Purang kingdom is believed to have ended in the 15th century. In addition, Purang is said to be the place where Sudhana , a previous incarnation of the Buddha , lived. Purang
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