Purang

Purang, also known as Taklakot, stands in the Karnali valley of western Tibet, near the routes leading to Nepal and India. The fortress of Tegla Kar once overlooked the town, while nearby Khorchag Monastery marked an old centre of Buddhist learning. The sacred mountain Kailash and Lake Manasarovar lie to the north, drawing pilgrims through the same high country as merchants.

Purang was the seat of a western Tibetan kingdom whose rulers built on the legacy of the older Tibetan royal house. Khorchag was among the early monasteries of this region, and in the fifteenth century came under the Sakya tradition. During the seventeenth century the Gelugpa built the fortified monastery of Shakpel Ling above Taklakot. Its position over the market helped make the town a centre of political and economic power, while Sakya influence continued at Khorchag and within the new monastery's colleges.