Purang Town

{{Infobox settlement | name = Purang | other_name = Pulan, Burang, Taklakot | native_name = {{hlist|{{bo-textonly|སྤུ་ཧྲེང་གྲོང་བརྡལ}}|{{lang|zh-Hans|普兰镇}}}} | nickname = | settlement_type = Town | motto =  | image_skyline = File:Burang County Health Service Center.jpg | imagesize = | image_caption = Purang County Health Service Center located in Purang Town | image_seal = | seal_size = | image_map = | mapsize = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = China Tibet Ngari | pushpin_label_position =  | pushpin_map_caption = Location within Tibet Autonomous Region | pushpin_mapsize =  | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = People's Republic of China | subdivision_type1 = Autonomous region | subdivision_name1 = Tibet | subdivision_type2 = Prefecture | subdivision_name2 = Ngari | subdivision_type3 = County | subdivision_name3 = Purang | subdivision_type4 = Nearby settlements (distance) | subdivision_name4 =  | government_footnotes = | government_type = | leader_title = | leader_name = | leader_title1 =  | leader_name1 = | leader_title2 = | leader_name2 = | leader_title3 = | leader_name3 = | leader_title4 = | leader_name4 = | established_title =  | established_date = | established_title2 =  | established_date2 = | established_title3 =  | established_date3 =  | area_magnitude = | unit_pref =  | area_footnotes = <ref name="b2"></ref> | area_total_km2 = 3257.81 | area_land_km2 =  | population_as_of = 2010 | population_footnotes = <ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2016-04-05 |script-title=zh:普兰镇|url=http://www.xzqh.org/html/show/xz/37861.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617174408/http://www.xzqh.org/html/show/xz/37861.html|archive-date=2020-06-17|access-date=2020-06-17|website=xzqh.org|language=zh}}</ref> | population_note = | population_total = 6047 | population_density_km2 = auto | population_blank1_title = Major Nationalities | population_blank1 = Tibetan | population_density_blank1_km2 = | population_blank2_title = Regional dialect | population_blank2 = Tibetan language | timezone = CST | utc_offset = +8 | coor_pinpoint = Purang Town government | coordinates = {{coord|30.2861|N|81.1770|E|type:city_region:CN-54_source:Gaode|format=dms|display=it}} | elevation_footnotes =  | elevation_m = 3900 | elevation_ft = 13,205 | postal_code_type =  | postal_code = | area_code = | blank_name = | blank_info = | blank1_name = | blank1_info = | website = | footnotes = | official_name = | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 8 | mapframe-wikidata = yes | mapframe-marker = village }}

{{Infobox Chinese | tib = སྤུ་ཧྲེང་གྲོང་བརྡལ | wylie = spu hreng grong rdal | zwpy = Burang Chongdai | order = st | s = 普兰镇 | t = 普蘭鎮 | p = Pǔlán Zhèn | j = pou2laan4 jyun2 }} {{Contains special characters|Tibetan}} {{Contains special characters|Indic }} '''Purang'''{{sfnp|Strachey, Physical Geography of Western Tibet|1854|pp=12–13}}{{sfnp|Dorje, Footprint Tibet|1999|p=328}} or '''Burang''' ({{bo|t=སྤུ་ཧྲེང་གྲོང་བརྡལ|w=spu hreng grong rdal|s=pu hreng drong del}},<ref name="KNAB">{{Cite web|title = Ngari prefecture|url = https://www.eki.ee/knab/valik/cn54ng.htm|work = Geographical names of Tibet AR (China)|publisher = Institute of the Estonian Language|date = 2018-06-03|access-date = 9 January 2020}}</ref> {{lang-zh|s=普兰镇}}), also known as '''Taklakot''', is a town which serves as the administrative center of Purang County, Ngari Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), China.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2016-03-01 |script-title=zh:普兰县概况地图|url=http://www.xzqh.org/html/show/xz/37822.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617173840/http://www.xzqh.org/html/show/xz/37822.html|archive-date=2020-06-17|access-date=2020-06-17|website=xzqh.org|language=zh}}</ref> The town lies at an altitude of {{cvt|3,900|m}} in the valley of the Karnali River.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Burang, the Major Border Linking Ngari to Nepal and India |url=https://www.tibettravel.org/tibet-travel-guide/purang-tour.html |access-date=2022-08-05 |website=Tibet Travel and Tours - Tibet Vista |language=en}}</ref> The town spans an area of {{Convert|3257.81|km2}},<ref name="b2">{{Cite book |title= |date=May 2020 |publisher=中国统计出版社, 国家统计局农村社会经济调查司 |isbn=9787503791390 |editor-last= |location=Beijing |page=607 |language=zh |script-title=zh:中国县域统计年鉴·2019（乡镇卷）}}</ref> and has a permanent population 6,047 as of 2010,<ref name=":0"/> and a hukou population of 4,477 as of 2018.<ref name="b2" /> 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 {{convert|110|km|mi|-1}} of Purang.

==Etymology== The Tibetan name of the town (''spu hreng'') is a corruption of the Zhang-zhung words ''pu hrang'', meaning 'horse head'.{{cn|date=February 2022}} Nepalese and Indians call the town '''Taklakot''' from Tibetan 'Takla Khar' ({{bo|t=སྟག་ལ་མཁར།|w=stag la mkhar|s=Takla Khar}}).{{cn|date=February 2022}} ''Takla Khar'' means ''Tiger Hill Castle'', which is the name of a historic Zhang-zhung fortress in the county.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Takla Khar | author = SHANTI (Sciences, Humanities and Arts Network of Technological Initiatives) | work = SHANTI Place Dictionary | publisher = University of Virginia | date = | access-date = 18 February 2022 | url = http://places.kmaps.virginia.edu/features/16514 | quote = Takla Khar is a fortress and monastic complex in Kyitang township, Purang county. According to the Bon tradition, a fortress was founded on the hilltop site in the prehistoric Zhang Zhung period. }}</ref>

Saryu Karnali River's ''Peacock Mouth''<ref>.Snelling, John. (1990). ''The Sacred Mountain: The Complete Guide to Tibet's Mount Kailas''. 1st edition 1983. Revised and enlarged edition, including: Kailas-Manasarovar Travellers' Guide. Forwards by H.H. the Dalai Lama of Tibet and Christmas Humphreys, pp. 74, photo on p. 238. East-West Publications, London and The Hague. {{ISBN|0-85692-173-4}}.</ref> source is glaciers on the northern slopes of the Himalaya {{convert|50|km|mi|-1}} NW of Purang. The ''Lion Mouth'' source of the Indus is {{convert|20|km|mi|0}} 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) is about 90 km. (55 mi.) SE of Lake Manasarovar.

==History and religion== 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 the mid-twentieth century.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pandey |first=Abhimanyu |last2=Pradhan |first2=Nawraj |last3=Chaudhari |first3=Swapnil |last4=Ghate |first4=Rucha |date=2017-01-02 |title=Withering of traditional institutions? An institutional analysis of the decline of migratory pastoralism in the rangelands of the Kailash Sacred Landscape, western Himalayas |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/23251042.2016.1272179 |journal=Environmental Sociology |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=87–100 |doi=10.1080/23251042.2016.1272179|doi-access=free }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bubriski |first=Kevin |title=Kailash Yatra: a Long Walk to Mt Kailash through Humla |last2=Pandey |first2=Abhimanyu |publisher=Penguin Random House |year=2018 |location=New Delhi |pages=107}}</ref>

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 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.<ref>Allen, Charles. (1999) ''The Search for Shangri-La: A Journey into Tibetan History'', p. 55. Little, Brown and Company. Reprint: 2000 Abacus Books, London. {{ISBN|0-349-11142-1}}.</ref> Tsegu covers many terraces and may be reached by ladders, and contains many unique and ancient wall-painting, darkened from centuries of smoke.<ref>''Tibet Handbook'', p. 351. (1999). Edited by Sarah Thorowgood. Passport Books, Chicago. {{ISBN|0-8442-2190-2}}.</ref> It seems that the Tegla kar (Lying Tiger fort) 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 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.<ref>''Tibet Handbook'', p. 350. (1999). Edited by Sarah Thorowgood. Passport Books, Chicago. {{ISBN|0-8442-2190-2}}.</ref>

Purang 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.

== Administrative divisions == The town is divided into six village-level divisions:<ref>[http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/tjbz/tjyqhdmhcxhfdm Burang Town], National Bureau of Statistics, 2022.</ref><ref name=":0"/> * Kyitang/Jirang Community ({{bo|t=སྐྱིད་ཐང}}, {{zh|z=|c=吉让社区}}) * Toyo/Doyou ({{bo|t=སྟོད་ཡོད}}, {{zh|c=多油村}}) * Rikug/Rengong ({{bo|t=རི་ཁུག}}, {{zh|c=仁贡村}}) * Zhidé/Xide ({{bo|t=ཞི་བདེ།}}, {{zh|c=西德村}}) * Khorchak/Kejia ({{bo|t=འཁོར་ཆགས}}, {{zh|c=科迦村}}), and * Tridé/Chide ({{bo|t=ཁྲི་སྡེ}}, {{zh|c=赤德村}}) The town's government is seated in the Jirang Neighborhood Committee.<ref name=":0" />

== Demographics == As of 2018, the town has a hukou population of 4,477.<ref name="b2" />

Per the 2010 Chinese Census, the town has a permanent population of 6,047, up from 5,026 in the 2000 Chinese Census.<ref name=":1" />

A 1996 estimate placed the town's population at 4,700.<ref name=":1" />

==Transport== ===Air=== Ali Pulan Airport opened in December 2023 and is a dual-use military-civilian airport that serves the town.

===Road=== National Road S207 starts in Purang, heading NE {{convert|65|km|mi|0}} past Lake Rakshastal and Manasarovar to China National Highway 219.

===Border crossings=== Purang is near the borders with India and Nepal. A road leads some {{convert|56|km|mi|0}} 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.

==Geography and climate== Purang has a cold arid climate (Köppen ''BWk''), with long, cold winters and mild summers. The normal monthly mean temperature ranges from {{convert|−7.6|°C}} in January to {{convert|14.4|°C}} in July, and the annual mean is {{convert|3.64|°C|1}}. Annual precipitation is only around {{convert|150|mm|in|abbr=on}}.

{{Weather box |metric first=y |single line=y |location = Burang, {{convert|3900|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} amsl (1981−2010 normals) |Jan high C = 0.2 |Feb high C = 1.2 |Mar high C = 5.2 |Apr high C = 10.1 |May high C = 14.9 |Jun high C = 19.2 |Jul high C = 21.3 |Aug high C = 20.7 |Sep high C = 17.9 |Oct high C = 12.2 |Nov high C = 7.7 |Dec high C = 3.6

|Jan humidity = 42 |Feb humidity = 46 |Mar humidity = 47 |Apr humidity = 46 |May humidity = 47 |Jun humidity = 51 |Jul humidity = 59 |Aug humidity = 61 |Sep humidity = 56 |Oct humidity = 43 |Nov humidity = 35 |Dec humidity = 35 |source 1 = China Meteorological Administration<ref name="cma graphical">{{cite web|url=http://data.cma.cn/data/weatherBk.html |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网 - WeatherBk Data |publisher=China Meteorological Administration |language = zh-cn |accessdate=2020-04-21}}</ref> }}

==References== {{reflist}}

==Bibliography== * {{citation |last=Dorje |first=Gyurme |title=Footprint Tibet Handbook with Bhutan |edition=2nd |publisher=Footprint Handbooks |location=Bath |year=1999 |url=https://archive.org/details/tibethandbookwit0000unse_02ed |via=archive.org |url-access=registration |ISBN=0-8442-2190-2 |ref={{sfnref|Dorje, Footprint Tibet|1999}}}} * {{citation |last=Strachey |first=Henry |title=Physical Geography of Western Tibet |publisher=William Clows and Sons |location=London |date=1854 |url=https://archive.org/details/physicalgeograp00stragoog |via=archive.org |ref={{sfnref|Strachey, Physical Geography of Western Tibet|1854}}}}

==External links== * [http://www.kailashzone.org/pages/ngari/purang.html Purang: a region joining Tibet, Nepal, and India] ''(Kailashzone Charitable Foundation)'' * [https://web.archive.org/web/20180628124729/https://www.panoramio.com/user/1734505?with_photo_id=23464252 Photos of Taklakot]

Category:Populated places in Ngari Prefecture Category:Township-level divisions of Tibet Category:China–Nepal border crossings