Basic site data

• Site name: Takla Khar
• English equivalent: Tiger Hill Castle
• Site number: A-81
• Site typology: I.1b
• Elevation: 4150 m.
• Administrative location (township): Kyitang
• Administrative location (county): Purang
• Survey expedition: HTCE
• Survey date: May 3, 2002
• Contemporary usage: Light grazing and illegal excavations carried out in search of valuable artifacts. Many small holes have been recently dug at proximate monasteries.
• Identifiable Buddhist constructions: None.
• Maps: UTRS X, HAS C4
• View Place Dictionary Entry
• View Site Images

General site characteristics

Rising 260 m above the town of Purang is the celebrated Takla Khar, a large fortress and monastic complex. The parent hill is on the right bank of the Maja Tsangpo (Karnali river). According to the Bön tradition, a fortress on the hilltop was founded in the prehistoric Zhang Zhung period.¹ This hill, known as Mengyi Gyelmo Takri Rong (Queen of the Men Tiger Hill Valley), also hosted the Gelukpa monastery of Shenpel Ling, as well as an earlier monastery belonging to the Sakya sect. This same hill also supported the old Tibetan government (Ganden Podrang Sizhung) headquarters (dzong) of Purang. Verification of the cultural identity of structures attributed to prehistoric Zhang Zhung was not possible. Its morphological and design characteristics vary little from those exhibited by the sakyapa monastery. Nevertheless, the strategic location of the Mengyi Gyelmo Takri Rong hilltop near a main river confluence, in western Tibet’s largest agricultural enclave, and the paucity of contending strongholds, lend credence to the literary and oral traditions attributing an archaic cultural monument to this location.

Oral tradition

A single earthen wall segment of the prehistoric epoch stands on the summit of the Takla Khar hill. In the local oral tradition, this castle is variously called Taklha Khar (Tiger God Castle) and Takmo Ritra Taklha Khar (Female Striped Tiger Tiger God Castle).

Site elements

Zhang Zhung fortress

The hill of Mengyi Gyelmo Takri Rong rises to the west until, at its highest point, it is suspended above the old Buddhist monasteries. On the 15 m wide summit there is a highly eroded V-shaped rammed-earth wall, 15 m in length, a maximum of 1 m thick and approximately 6 m high. The mouth of the “V” is 5 m wide. There are, more or less, 12 horizontal rows of orifices in this wall, in which pins used to hold the shuttering in place during construction were inserted. Capping many of these orifices is a stone in the wall and in some places adobe blocks. The walls of the ruined Sakya monastery are constructed in a similar fashion, while those of Shenpel Ling are much less weathered, contain far fewer orifices and only average 40 cm to 60 cm in thickness. In addition to the landmark wall segment, there is cobble building rubble on the summit. This rubble is scattered west and south of the summit. Faint traces of another wall are found on the steep south flank of the summit.

Cave complex

Immediately north of Mengyi Gyelmo Takri Rong there is a south facing cave complex with around 40 individual caves. These evidently were used by Buddhist religious practitioners, because there are many mani mantras carved on the cliff face and among the domiciliary remains.