Tingri (town)

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Tingri
Tibetan transliteration(s)
 - Tibetan
 - Wylie transliteration Ding-ri
 - transcription in the IPA tʰìŋri
Tingri, Tibet, 1993
Tingri, Tibet, 1993
Tingri (China)
Tingri
Tingri
Location within Tibet
Coordinates: 28°34′N 86°37′E / 28.567, 86.617
Country China
Region Tibet
Prefecture Xigaze Prefecture
County Tingri County
Nearby settlements (distance) Nailung 
13.7 mi/22 km

Memo 
8.8 mi/14 km

Rongpu Si 
24.6 mi/40 km

Rongxar 
33 mi/53 km

Surco 
20.7 mi/33 km

Elevation 4,348 m (14,268 ft)
Population
 - Total
 - Major Nationalities Tibetan
 - Regional dialect Tibetan language
Time zone +8 (UTC)

Tingri or Dingri or Dhingri (Tibetan: དིང་རི་; Wylie: Ding-ri; Chinese: 定日; Pinyin: Dìngrì) is a town in southernTibet. It is in Tingri County, Shigatse Prefecture with a population of around 523. It is often used as a base by mountain climbers preparing to ascend Mount Everest or Cho Oyu.

Tingri Shekar (Dring ri Shel dkar) is a small town approximately 60km north-west of Mount Everest and just over 50 km from the Nepali border in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It is at an altitude of about 4,300 metres (approx. 14,107 feet). The old Shekar Dorje Dzong, or fort, is above the new town and used to enclose Shekar Chode, a Gelugpa monastery which was completely destroyed but is being restored.[1] It is known for its spectacular views of Mount Everest, Mount Lhotse and Mount Makalu which lie around in what is the highest mountain group in the world.

Tingri Dzong, 1993
Tingri Dzong, 1993

Tingri used to be an important trading post where Sherpas from Nepal exchanged rice, grain and iron for Tibetan wool. livestock and salt. It gives its name to the broad upland basin more than 4,500 metres high that is known as the Tingri Plain. One must cross the pass known as the Lakpa La (5,220 m) to the north to reach the Tsangpo Valley system. Shallow, fast-flowing rivers of melted snow water make its grassy meadowland ideal for grazing by Tibetan animals. The plain used to abound with gazelles, blue sheep, antelopes and khyang or wild asses but, unfortunately, most of the animals are gone now.[2] The Chinese army has a small base nearby.

Riding a dzo. Tingri, Tibet. 1993.
Riding a dzo. Tingri, Tibet. 1993.
Tingri town, Tibet. 1993.
Tingri town, Tibet. 1993.

Tingri Lankor (Ding ri glang 'khor) - Padampa's Residence was founded in 1097 CE by the South Indian Buddhist adept, Padampa Sange (d. 1117) who made five visits to Tibet and was an important person in the re-establishment of the Buddhadharma in Tibet. His consort was the famous Tibetan Kandroma Machik Labdron. The gompa or temple was built in the Padampa Sange's meditation cave and became the seat of the Dampapa School of Tibetan Buddhism. It is in the process of restoration.[3]

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Dowman, Keith (1998). The Power-Places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide, p. 280. Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., London. ISBN 0-7102-1370-0.
  2. ^ Buckley, Michael and Strauss, Robert. (1986) Tibet: a travel survival kit, pp. 193, 196. Lonely Planet Publications. ISBN 0-908086-88-1.
  3. ^ Dowman, Keith (1998). The Power-Places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide, p. 281. Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., London. ISBN 0-7102-1370-0.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 28°34′N, 86°38′E