Ü-Tsang
Encyclopedia
Ü-Tsang or Tsang-Ü, is one of the three traditional provinces of Tibet
, the other two being Amdo
and Kham
. Geographically Ü-Tsang covered the central and western portions of the Tibetan cultural area, including the Tsang-po (Gtsang-po) watershed, the western districts surrounding and extending past Mount Kailash
, and much of the vast Chang Tang (Byang-thang) plateau to the north. The Himalayan range
defined Ü-Tsang's southern border. The present Tibet Autonomous Region
corresponds approximately to what was ancient Ü-Tsang and western Kham
.
Ü-Tsang was formed by the merging of two earlier power centers: Ü
(Dbus) in central Tibet, controlled by the Gelukpa (Dge-lugs-pa) sect of Tibetan Buddhism
under the early Dalai Lama
s, and Tsang (Gtsang) which extended from Gyantse (Rgyang-rtse)
to points west, controlled by the rival Sakyapa (Sa-skya-pa) sect. Military victories by the powerful Fifth Dalai Lama consolidated power over the combined region in the 17th century.
Ü-Tsang is the cultural heartland of the Tibetan people
. Successive Dalai Lama
s have ruled Tibet from the Potala
and Norbulingka
palaces in Lhasa
. Jokhang Temple, perhaps the most holy temple in Tibetan Buddhism
, is also located there. The Tibetan language
dialect spoken in Lhasa is used as a lingua franca
in Ü-Tsang and the Tibetan Exile koine language
is also based largely on it.
and Shigatse
, near where the Panchen Lama
has his traditional seat at Tashilhunpo Monastery, was designated on maps of the Qing Dynasty
as "Back Tibet", while Ü, where the Dalai Lama has his seat at Lhasa, was designated "Front Tibet". This division was an artificial construct of the Chinese and had no currency within Tibet where the Dalai Lama exercised effective rule over both Tsang and Ü. An attempt had been made in the 18th century during the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor
to split Tibet by offering the Panchen Lama dominion over Tsang, but the expansive offer was declined, the Panchen Lama only accepting a small portion of the offered territory. Later attempts, during the period 1906-1913 and in 1950, by the Panchen Lama to resurrect a separate Back Tibet over which he would have dominion were rejected by the Chinese.
clans in Sikkim
. Originally natives from the U-Tsang territory of Tibet. They migrated from Sjiyatse, Penam, Norpu, Giengtse etc. of the Tsang province of Tibet. They followed Guru Matog Lama, a major Buddhist influence on the Limbus and settled in Sikkim. In Nepal and eastern Limbu settlements, these words are used by Limbus to describe Sikkimese Limbu clans.
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, the other two being Amdo
Amdo
Amdo is one of the three traditional regions of Tibet, the other two being Ü-Tsang and Kham; it is also the birth place of the 14th Dalai Lama. Amdo encompasses a large area from the Machu River to the Drichu river . While culturally and ethnically a Tibetan area, Amdo has been administered by a...
and Kham
Kham
Kham , is a historical region covering a land area largely divided between present-day Tibetan Autonomous Region and Sichuan province, with smaller portions located within Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces of China. During the Republic of China's rule over mainland China , most of the region was...
. Geographically Ü-Tsang covered the central and western portions of the Tibetan cultural area, including the Tsang-po (Gtsang-po) watershed, the western districts surrounding and extending past Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash is a peak in the Gangdisê Mountains, which are part of the Himalayas in Tibet...
, and much of the vast Chang Tang (Byang-thang) plateau to the north. The Himalayan range
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
defined Ü-Tsang's southern border. The present Tibet Autonomous Region
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region , Tibet or Xizang for short, also called the Xizang Autonomous Region is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China , created in 1965....
corresponds approximately to what was ancient Ü-Tsang and western Kham
Kham
Kham , is a historical region covering a land area largely divided between present-day Tibetan Autonomous Region and Sichuan province, with smaller portions located within Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces of China. During the Republic of China's rule over mainland China , most of the region was...
.
Ü-Tsang was formed by the merging of two earlier power centers: Ü
Ü (region)
Ü is a geographic division and a historical region in Tibet. Together with Tsang , it forms Central Tibet Ü-Tsang , which is one of the three Tibetan regions or cholka . The other two cholka are Kham and Amdo...
(Dbus) in central Tibet, controlled by the Gelukpa (Dge-lugs-pa) sect of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
under the early Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
s, and Tsang (Gtsang) which extended from Gyantse (Rgyang-rtse)
Gyantse
Gyantse is a town located in Gyangzê County, Shigatse Prefecture. It was historically considered the third largest and most prominent town in the Tibet region , but there are now at least ten larger Tibetan cities.-Location:The town is strategically located in the Nyang River Valley on the ancient...
to points west, controlled by the rival Sakyapa (Sa-skya-pa) sect. Military victories by the powerful Fifth Dalai Lama consolidated power over the combined region in the 17th century.
Ü-Tsang is the cultural heartland of the Tibetan people
Tibetan people
The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
. Successive Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
s have ruled Tibet from the Potala
Potala Palace
The Potala Palace is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was named after Mount Potala, the abode of Chenresig or Avalokitesvara...
and Norbulingka
Norbulingka
Norbulingka is a palace and surrounding park in Lhasa, Tibet, built from 1755. It served as the traditional summer residence of the successive Dalai Lamas from the 1780s up until the 14th Dalai Lama's exile in 1959...
palaces in Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
. Jokhang Temple, perhaps the most holy temple in Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
, is also located there. The Tibetan language
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
dialect spoken in Lhasa is used as a lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
in Ü-Tsang and the Tibetan Exile koine language
Koine language
In linguistics, a koiné language is a standard language or dialect that has arisen as a result of contact between two mutually intelligible varieties of the same language. Since the speakers have understood one another from before the advent of the koiné, the koineization process is not as rapid...
is also based largely on it.
Front and Back Tibet
Tsang, whose largest cities are GyantseGyantse
Gyantse is a town located in Gyangzê County, Shigatse Prefecture. It was historically considered the third largest and most prominent town in the Tibet region , but there are now at least ten larger Tibetan cities.-Location:The town is strategically located in the Nyang River Valley on the ancient...
and Shigatse
Shigatse
Shigatse is a county-level city and the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region , People's Republic of China, with a population of 92000, about southwest of Lhasa and northwest of Gyantse...
, near where the Panchen Lama
Panchen Lama
The Panchen Lama , or Bainqên Erdê'ni , is the highest ranking Lama after the Dalai Lama in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism...
has his traditional seat at Tashilhunpo Monastery, was designated on maps of the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
as "Back Tibet", while Ü, where the Dalai Lama has his seat at Lhasa, was designated "Front Tibet". This division was an artificial construct of the Chinese and had no currency within Tibet where the Dalai Lama exercised effective rule over both Tsang and Ü. An attempt had been made in the 18th century during the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor
Yongzheng Emperor
The Yongzheng Emperor , born Yinzhen , was the fifth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the third Qing emperor from 1722 to 1735. A hard-working ruler, Yongzheng's main goal was to create an effective government at minimal expense. Like his father, the Kangxi Emperor, Yongzheng used military...
to split Tibet by offering the Panchen Lama dominion over Tsang, but the expansive offer was declined, the Panchen Lama only accepting a small portion of the offered territory. Later attempts, during the period 1906-1913 and in 1950, by the Panchen Lama to resurrect a separate Back Tibet over which he would have dominion were rejected by the Chinese.
Tsong people
Tsong people are divisional LimbuLimbu
-Limbu people:*Limbu people a Tibeto-Mongoloid ethnic group in Asia, an indigenous ethnic group of Nepal.*Limbu language*Limbu script*Kirati nation.-Limbu History:*Limbuwan*History of Limbuwan*Limbuwan Gorkha War*Limbuwan-Gorkha Treaty of 1774...
clans in Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
. Originally natives from the U-Tsang territory of Tibet. They migrated from Sjiyatse, Penam, Norpu, Giengtse etc. of the Tsang province of Tibet. They followed Guru Matog Lama, a major Buddhist influence on the Limbus and settled in Sikkim. In Nepal and eastern Limbu settlements, these words are used by Limbus to describe Sikkimese Limbu clans.