Jump to content

Rudok

Coordinates:33°24′58″N79°38′36″E/ 33.4161°N 79.6433°E/33.4161; 79.6433
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the historic Tibetan town. For the modern town, seeRutog Town.
Rudok
རུ་ཐོག་དགོན
Rutok, Rutog
Village
Ngày thổ thôn
Rudok village and dzong
Rudok village anddzong
(The hillside is dotted with the ruins of numerous buildings destroyed during thecultural revolution)[1]
Nickname:
Rudok Dzong
Location in Tibet Autonomous Region
Location in Tibet Autonomous Region
Rudok
Location in Tibet Autonomous Region
Location in Tibet Autonomous Region
Rudok
Coordinates:33°24′58″N79°38′36″E/ 33.4161°N 79.6433°E/33.4161; 79.6433
CountryChina
ProvinceTibet Autonomous Region
PrefectureNgari Prefecture
CountyRutog County
TownshipRutog Town
Elevation
4,250 m (13,940 ft)
Area code+86 (0) 897

Rudok,also speltRutokandRutog,[a]more properlyRudok Dzong[8](Tibetan:རུ་ཐོག་དགོན,Wylie:Ru thogs rdzong),[b]is a town that served as the historical capital of the Rudok area inWestern Tibeton the frontier withLadakh.In the1911 Encyclopædia Britannica,it is described as being "picturesquely situated" on the side of a hill standing isolated in the plain near the east end ofLake Pangong.[3]

Initially part of Ladakh when the kingdom wasfoundedin the 10th century, Rudok was separated from Ladakh after of theTibet–Ladakh–Mughal Warin 1684 and annexed toCentral Tibet.Close economic relations between Ladakh and Rudok nevertheless continued until theChinese annexation of Tibetin 1949. China discontinued trade between Ladakh and Rudok,[11]and developed Rudok into a military base for prosecuting its border claims against Ladakh.[12]

Around the year 2000, the Chinese administration of Tibet built a newRutog Townabout 10 km east of Rudok, adjacent to theChina National Highway 219,and moved the county headquarters there. The original town is now regarded as a "village" (Chinese:Ngày thổ thôn;pinyin:Rì tǔ cūn) within the township of the new town. The original town also took considerable damage during theCultural Revolutionand lost much of its grandeur. It is still recommended as a tourist destination by a number of guide books.[4]

Geography

[edit]
Map
Rutog Dzong ( ngày thổ thôn ) and Rutog Town ( ngày thổ huyện )
Rudok monastery

Rudok is centred on a small hill on the bank of a tributary calledChuling Chuof theMaga Tsangporiver. Chuling Chu joins the latter about 4 km downstream and the combined river flows into the southeastern end of thePangong Lakefurther 4 km down. Maga Tsangpo is one of the largest affluents of the Pangong Lake.

E. B. Wakefield,the first European to visit Rudok in 1929, described the purple and black hill, rising high above the level of the surrounding plain, crowned by the Dzongpön's palace, which seemed "beautiful and impressive and worthy of [its] sanctity".[13]The village was built around the hill, at its base as well as on the hill slopes. The houses were built in tiers, whitewashed and walled in.[3]

According to the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, at the top of the hill were a large palace (dzong) and several monasteries painted in red.[3]Modern travel literature names them as Sharje, Lhakhang, Marpo, and Nubradan monasteries.[14]According to another travel book, the monasteries were destroyed during the ChineseCultural Revolution.One of them (Lhakhang) was rebuilt in 1983–84. It had only six monks in 1999.[1]

An early monastery called "Lhundrub" was located here, belonging to the New Tantra Tradition School ofRinchen Zangpo.[15]It appears to have been adapted by theGelugpaschool at a later time. It is currently referred to as Lhundrub Chode monastery.[16]

Climate

[edit]

Rudok is over 4,000 m. above sea-level. The winter climate of Rudok and of all the towns of the Tsangpo basin, owing to the intense dryness of the air and the light fall of snow, seems to be bracing and exhilarating rather than severe.[3]

History

[edit]
Maryul in 1100–1200 CE (said to have included Guge)

According toEncyclopedia Britannica,Rudok was historically an integral part of Ladakh, and it was also geographically and culturally a part of Ladakh.[3]In the vicinity of Rudok are ancientpetroglyphswhich resemble those of Gilgit and Ladakh.[14]They were chiselled using stone tools, and depict animals, human figures andBönsymbols. They are believed to have been carved prior to the 7th century when Ladakh as well as Rudok were part of theZhangzhungempire based in theSutlej Valley.[17][18]

After the Zhangzhung empire was conquered by theYarlung dynastyof Central Tibet, both Ladakh and Rudok came under Tibetan control. Roughly two hundreds later (around 900 CE), the Tibetan Empirefragmentedwith the assassination of the emperorLangdarma.One of Langdarma's descendants,Kyide Nyimagon,founded a new empire in Western Tibet (Ngari Khorsum). After his death, the kingdom was divided among his three sons. Ladakh and Rutog were among the inheritance ofLhachen Palgyigon,the eldest son, who established the kingdom ofMaryulin modern day Ladakh. The second son receivedGugeandPurang.One late source states that Rudok was included in Guge rather than Maryul, which might indicate that it did not stay long with the descendants of Palgyigon and fell into Guge's orbit.[19]However, the levels of controls shifted between Maryul and Guge through history. Rudok can be expected to have had influence from both of them, but mostly controlled by local chieftains.

Chinese control

[edit]
Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
15km
10miles
Chakgang
Chakgang
(Jiagang)
Tashigang
Shiquanhe
Tashigang
Tashigang
Kalinka La
Kalinka La
Demchok, Tibet (Dêmqog)
Demchok, Ladakh
Demchok
Jara La
Jara La
Fukche
Fukche
Dumchele
Dumchele
Chang La
Chang La
Rudok
Rudok
Risong
Risong
Chiakang (Qiě kǎn)
Chiakang
(Qiě kǎn)
Maga Zangbo
Maga
Zangbo
Maga Zangbo
Maga
Zangbo
Queding
Queding
Womai Xiong
Womai
Xiong
Jaggang
Jibajiawu
model
village
Churkang
Churkang
(Qukang)
Rudok with respect to Sino-Indian border

In 1950, as thePeople's Republic of Chinasent forces toLhasain order toannexTibet, it also sent a small force fromKhotaninXin gian gto western Tibet, taking its people by surprise.[20]According to Indian intelligence, the force travelled via the Keriya Pass toGar Gunsa(Gartok) via a tedious route and arrived there in June 1951.[21]Chinese accounts seem to corroborate this information. In October, the Chinese started to explore the possibility of opening a road route to Xin gian g via Rudok (through Keriya La).[21]In late 1952, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment based at Gartok garrisoned Rudok with 150 men and 800 camels.[22]The Indian trade agent stationed at Gartok was denied permission to visit trade marts at Rudok.[23]By 1953, the Chinese had a motorable jeep track between Xin gian g and Rudok.[21]

During the negotiations for the1954 trade agreementwith India, the Chinese declined to allow trade between Ladakh and Rudok, bringing to an end a centuries-old trading relationship. Indian negotiators believed it was due to the presence of military installations in the area.[24] An alternative route toTashigangviaDemchokwas agreed and incorporated in the agreement.[25]

During the1962 war,China stationed a battalion of forces at Rudok (Ritu Dzong), a battalion at the Indus crossing, and a cavalry regiment atJiagangfor operations in theDemchok sector(Parigas/Balijiasi). Jiagang also functioned as the command headquarters. Starting around 26/27 October, the forces attacked the Indian border posts at the Demchok village, and Jara La and Chang La passes, and forced them to withdraw to the west of the Indus river. The Demchok sector has since been divided between the two countries.[26]

Maps

[edit]
  • Map of the Pangong lake region with Rudok at the southeast (Strachey, 1851)
    Map of the Pangong lake region with Rudok at the southeast (Strachey,1851)
  • Map of the Pangong lake region with Rudok at the southeast (Survey of India, 1928)
    Map of the Pangong lake region with Rudok at the southeast (Survey of India,1928)
  • Map including Rudok, labeled as Ko-pa-k'o (DMA, 1973)
    Map including Rudok, labeled asKo-pa-k'o(DMA,1973)

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^The standard British spelling of the town is "Rudok".[2]Encyclopedia Britannicastates that the modern spelling is "Rutog".[3]Tourist guides often spell it as "Rutok".[4]Other spellings includeRuduk,[5]Ruthog,[6]andRodakh.[7]
  2. ^Luciano Petechtransliterates the name asRu-t'og,[9]while Zahiruddin Ahmad writesRu-thogs.[10]

References

[edit]
  1. ^abLonely Planet 1999,p. 280.
  2. ^Wakefield 1961,p. 118.
  3. ^abcdefOne or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Rudok".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 815.
  4. ^abMayhew, Bradley; Bellezza, John Vincent; Kelley, Robert (2008),Tibet,Lonely Planet, pp. 237–238,ISBN9781741045697– via archive.org
  5. ^Strachey, Capt. H. (1853)."Physical Geography of Western Tibet".The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, Volume 23.Royal Geographical Society (Great Britain). pp. 1–68.
  6. ^Cunningham 1854,pp. 327–328.
  7. ^Handa 2001,pp. 159–160.
  8. ^Report of the Officials 2016,p. 341: 'During the discussions the Chinese side cited a document which stated that "Chushul was very close to the Naga of Mordo ofRudok Dzong".' [The term in this context means thedistrictadministered by Rudok Dzong.]
  9. ^Petech 1977,p. 30.
  10. ^Ahmad 1963,p. 30.
  11. ^ Bhasin 2021,Chapter 7: 'India felt it was imperative to open the two passes, Rudok and Rawang, which directly linked Ladakh to Tibet, in order to facilitate Ladakh's links with Tibet. As India pressed for this, the Chinese shocked the Indians, suggesting: ".. the question of Kashmir is pending settlement through negotiations between India and Pakistan..." '
  12. ^ Bhargava (1964),The Battle of NEFA – the Undeclared War,Allied Publishers, p. 5 – via archie.org:"For instance, Gartok and Rudok, which had been developed into heavily fortified military centres, were the bases from which enemy patrols probed our [Indian] border positions."
  13. ^Wakefield 1961,pp. 127–128.
  14. ^abChan 1994,p. 980.
  15. ^Ryavec, Karl E. (2015),A Historical Atlas of Tibet,University of Chicago Press, p. 72, Map 17,ISBN978-0-226-24394-8
  16. ^Rutok County Tibetan Trekkingretrieved 10 July 2022.
  17. ^Chan 1994,p. 981.
  18. ^Fisher, Rose & Huttenback 1963,p. 13.
  19. ^Howard & Howard 2014,p. 83.
  20. ^Richardson, Hugh E. (1984),Tibet and its History(Second ed.), Boulder/London: Shambala, pp. 183–184 – via archive.org
  21. ^abcMullik 1971,pp. 196–197.
  22. ^Claude Arpi,We shut our eyes once, let's not do so again,The Pioneer, 23 March 2017.ProQuest1879722382
  23. ^Mullik 1971,p. 150.
  24. ^ Bhasin 2021,Chapter 7. "India felt it was imperative to open the two passes, Rudok and Rawang, which directly linked Ladakh to Tibet, in order to facilitate Ladakh’s links with Tibet.... India, presenting a draft of the agreement to the Chinese, included the two passes. China [..] refused to consider Ladakh’s links with Tibet, suggesting it to be 'impossible even if there is a deadlock'."
  25. ^Bhasin 2021,Chapter 7.
  26. ^Sandhu, Shankar & Dwivedi 2015,pp. 59–61.

Bibliography

[edit]
Historical and scholarly sources
Travel literature
Official reports
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rudok&oldid=1202695879"