Treaty of Tingmosgang

Last updated
Treaty of Tingmosgang
Type Peace treaty
ContextConflict resolution between Ladakh and Tibet
Signed1684;341 years ago (1684)
Location Tingmosgang, Ladakh
MediatorsMee-pham-wang-po
Signatories
Parties
Languages

The Treaty of Tingmosgang (Tibetan : གཏིང་མོ་སྒང་འགྲེལ་ཚན, Wylie : Tingmosgang 'drel tshan), also known as the Treaty of Temisgam, was a tripartite peace agreement signed in 1684 between the Kingdom of Ladakh and the Ganden Phodrang of Tibet, with the support of the Qing dynasty, at the end of the Tibet–Ladakh–Mughal war. The original text of the Treaty of Tingmosgang no longer survives, but its contents are summarized in the Ladakh Chronicles . The treaty contained clauses that established diplomatic relations, delineated borders, and regulated trade between Ladakh and Tibet.

Contents

Background

The origins of the conflict between Ladakh and Tibet date back to the mid-17th century. Ladakh, a kingdom nestled in the Himalayas, was strategically located along key trade routes connecting Tibet, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. During the reign of king Sengge Namgyal (r. 1616–1642), Ladakh had expanded its territories, leading to tensions with Tibet. These tensions were further heightened by religious differences, as Ladakh followed Tibetan Buddhism, but the ruling Gelug school of Tibet sought dominance over other Tibetan Buddhist sects, which Ladakh supported. [1] [ page needed ]

In 1679, the 5th Dalai Lama's regent, Desi Sangye Gyatso, sent Tibetan forces to invade Ladakh. This led to the Tibet–Ladakh–Mughal War (1679–1684), during which the Tibetan forces occupied Leh and laid siege to Basgo. Ladakh, under king Delek Namgyal, sought assistance from the Mughal Empire. The combined forces then defeated the Tibetan army in 1683 causing the latter to withdraw to Tashigang. [2]

Negotiations

According to the Ladakh Chronicles , Prime Minister Desi Sangye Gyatso of Tibet [3] and the King Delek Namgyal of Ladakh [4] [5] agreed on the 'Treaty of Tingmosgang in the fortress of Tingmosgang at the conclusion of the Tibet–Ladakh–Mughal War in 1684. [6]

The treaty was mediated by the Qing dynasty of China, which was interested in maintaining stability along its western borders and ensuring Tibetan allegiance. [1] [ page needed ] The terms of the treaty were written in both Classical Tibetan and Ladakhi languages, with Qing mediation confirming the final agreement. [1] [ page needed ]

Text

The original text of the Treaty of Tingmosgang no longer survives, but its contents are summarized in the Ladakh Chronicles. [7]

An English translation of the summary reads:

1. The boundaries fixed, in the beginning, when king Skyed-Ida-ngeema-gon gave a kingdom to each of his three sons, shall still be maintained.

2. Only Ladakis shall be permitted to enter into Ngarees-khor-sum wool trade.

3. No person from Ladak, except the royal trader of the Ladak Court, shall be permitted to enter Rudok.

4. A royal trader shall be sent by the Deywa Zhung (i.e. the Grand Lama of Lhasa), from Lhasa to Ladak, once a year, with 200 horse-loads of tea.

5. A "Lo-chhak" shall be sent every third year from Leh to Lhasa with presents. As regards the quality and value of presents brought for all ordinary Lamas, the matter is of no consequence, but to the Labrang Chhakdzot shall be given the following articles, viz:

(a) Gold dust - the weight of 1 zho 10 times.

(b) Saffron - the weight of 1 srang (or thoorsrang) 10 times.

(c) Yarkhand cotton cloths - 6 pieces. (d) Thin cotton cloth - 1 piece.

The members of the Lapchak Mission shall be provided with provisions, free of cost, during their stay at Lhasa, and for the journey they shall be similarly provided with 200 baggage animals, 25 riding ponies, and 10 servants. For the uninhabited portion of the journey, tents will be supplied for the use of the Mission.

6. The country of Ngaress-khor-sum shall be given to the Omniscient Drukpa Lama, Mee-pham-wang-po, and in lieu thereof the Deywa Zhung wil give to the Ladak king three other districts (in Great Tibet).

7. The revenue of the Ngarees-khor-sum shall be set aside for the purpose of defraying the cost of sacrificial lamps, and of religious ceremonies to be performed at Lhasa.

8. But the king of Ladak reserves to himself the village (or district?) of Monthser (i.e. Minsar) in Ngarees-khor-sum, that he may be independent there; and he sets aside its revenue for the purpose of meeting the expense involved in keeping up the sacrificial lights at Kang-ree (i.e. Kailas), and the Holy Lakes of Manasarwar and Rakas Tal.

With reference to the first clause of the treaty, it may be explained that, roughly speaking, king Skyed-Ida-ngeema-gon gave the following territories to his sons:

a. To the eldest son - The countries now known as Ladak and Purig extending from Hanley on the east to the Zojila Pass on the west, and including Rudok and the Gogpo gold district.

b. To the second son - Goo gey, Poorang and certain other small districts.

c. To the third son - Zangskar, Spiti, and certain other small districts. [8]

Terms

The summary of the treaty contained in the Ladakh Chronicles includes six main clauses: [9] [10]

  1. A general declaration of principle that the region of Ngari Khorsum was divided into three separate kingdoms in the 10th century;
  2. The Tibetan recognition of the independence of Ladakh and the obligation on the King of Ladakh from inviting foreign armies into his kingdom;
  3. The regulation of trade of goat-wool, subdivided into two subclauses, for Guge and the northern plain of Tibet (Changthang);
  4. A clause fixing the Ladakh–Tibet frontier at the Lhari stream at Demchok, but granting Ladakh an enclave at Menser;
  5. Another clause regulating Ladakh–Tibet trade;
  6. The arrangement of a fee to the Drukpa lama Mi-'pham dBaṅ-po for his cost in mediating the treaty.

Border delineation

The treaty defined the boundary between Ladakh and Tibet. The border was to be respected by both sides, ensuring peace and stability in the region. [11] [ page needed ] Historian Alastair Lamb described the border delineation from the treaty as imprecise, writing that there are "no means of determining exactly what line of frontier was contemplated in 1684" and that it is "singularly deficient in precise geographical detail". [12]

Trade regulations

The trade regulations provided for Ladakh's exclusive right to trade in pashmina wool produced in Tibet, in exchange for brick-tea from Ladakh. Ladakh was also bound to send periodic missions to Lhasa carrying presents for the Dalai Lama. [13] The treaty allowed for continued trade between Ladakh, Tibet, and surrounding regions, including Kashmir and Central Asia. Ladakh was a critical point along the Silk Road, and the agreement secured Ladakh's position as a trade intermediary, bringing prosperity to the region. [11] [ page needed ]

Tributary status

Ladakh agreed to pay tribute to Tibet in the form of annual offerings, which symbolized Ladakh's subordination to Tibet. However, Ladakh retained significant autonomy in internal matters, including its governance and religious affairs. [11] [ page needed ]

Buddhist Relations

The treaty reaffirmed Ladakh’s right to practice and promote its Tibetan Buddhist traditions, while recognizing the influence of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. This ensured that Ladakh would not face religious persecution or forced conversions to the Gelugpa sect. [11] [ page needed ]

Aftermath

The fee in the sixth clause was later paid by Desi Sangye Gyatso to Mi-'pham dBaii-po in the form of three estates in Tibet sometime between the autumn of 1684 and 1685. [9]

The Treaty of Tingmosgang had a lasting influence on the geopolitics of the Himalayan region. It helped stabilize the relationship between Ladakh and Tibet for over a century and contributed to regional peace. [14]

Related Research Articles

Gartok is made of twin encampment settlements of Gar Günsa and Gar Yarsa in the Gar County in the Ngari Prefecture of Tibet. Gar Gunsa served as the winter encampment and Gar Yarsa as the summer encampment. But in British nomenclature, the name Gartok was applied only to Gar Yarsa and the practice continues to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudok</span> Village in Rutog County, Ngari, Tibet

Rudok, also spelt Rutok and Rutog, more properly Rudok Dzong, is a town that served as the historical capital of the Rudok area in Western Tibet on the frontier with Ladakh. In the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, it is described as being "picturesquely situated" on the side of a hill standing isolated in the plain near the east end of Lake Pangong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Ladakh</span>

Ladakh has a long history with evidence of human settlement from as back as 9000 b.c. It has been a crossroad of high Asia for thousands of years and has seen many cultures, empires and technologies born in its neighbours. As a result of these developments Ladakh has imported many traditions and culture from its neighbours and combining them all gave rise to a unique tradition and culture of its own.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tingmosgang</span> Place in Ladakh, India

Tingmosgang is a fortress in Temisgam village, on the bank of the Indus River in Ladakh, in northwestern India. It is 92 km west of Leh, near Khalatse, and north of the present main road. The town has a palace and the monastery over a hillock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Namgyal dynasty of Ladakh</span> Monarchs of the former Ladakh kingdom

The Namgyal dynasty was a dynasty whose rulers were the monarchs of the former kingdom of Ladakh that lasted from 1460 to 1842 and were titled the Gyalpo of Ladakh. The Namgyal dynasty succeeded the first dynasty of Maryul and had several conflicts with the neighboring Mughal Empire and various dynasties of Tibet, including the Tibet–Ladakh–Mughal War. The dynasty eventually fell to the Sikh Empire and Dogras of Jammu. Most of its known history is written in the Ladakh Chronicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanle (village)</span> Village in Ladakh, India

Hanle is a large historic village in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. The revenue village of Hanle comprises six hamlets — Bhok, Dhado, Punguk, Khuldo, Naga and Tibetan Refugee habitation —within 1100 sq km Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary in Changthang plateau. It is the site of the 17th-century Hanle Monastery (gompa) of the Drukpa Kagyu branch of Tibetan Buddhism. Hanle is located in the Hanle River valley on an old branch of the ancient Ladakh–Tibet trade route. Hanle is the home of Hanle observatory, the tenth highest optical telescope in the world in India

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desi Sangye Gyatso</span> Tibetan regent and scholar (1653–1705)

Desi Sangye Gyatso (1653–1705) was the sixth regent (desi) of the 5th Dalai Lama (1617–1682) in the Ganden Phodrang government. He founded the School of Medicine and Astrology called Men-Tsee-Khang on Chagpori in 1694 and wrote the Blue Beryl treatise. His name is sometimes written as Sangye Gyamtso and Sans-rGyas rGya-mTsho

Demchok (Tibetan: བདེ་མཆོག, Wylie: bde mchog, THL: dem chok, ZYPY: dêmqog), is a Chinese-administered village in the Zhaxigang Township, Ngari Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. India disputes the status and claims it as part of the Demchok sector that it regards as part of Ladakh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minsar</span> Former Indian enclave in Tibet

Minsar or Moincêr or Menshi is a village and the centre of a township in the Ngari Prefecture of the Tibet region of China. Between 1684 and 1950s, it was a treaty enclave of Kingdom of Ladakh, which later in 1846 became princely state of Jammu and Kashmir under British suzerainty. Since late 1950s, it has been administered by Tibet Autonomous Region, China.

Maryul, also called mar-yul of mnga'-ris, was the western-most Tibetan kingdom based in modern-day Ladakh and some parts of Tibet. The kingdom had its capital at Shey.

The Dogra–Tibetan war, also called Sino-Sikh war was fought from May 1841 to August 1842, between the forces of the Dogra Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu, under the suzerainty of the Sikh Empire, and those of Tibet under the protectorate of the Qing dynasty. Gulab Singh's commander was the able general Zorawar Singh Kahluria, who, after the conquest of Ladakh, attempted to extend its boundaries in order to control the trade routes into Ladakh. Zorawar Singh's campaign, suffering from the effects of inclement weather, suffered a defeat at Taklakot (Purang) and Singh was killed. The Tibetans then advanced on Ladakh. Gulab Singh sent reinforcements under the command of his nephew Jawahir Singh. A subsequent battle near Chushul in 1842 led to a Tibetan defeat. A treaty was signed in 1842 maintaining the status quo ante bellum.

The Tibet–Ladakh–Mughal war of 1679–1684 was fought between the Central Tibetan Ganden Phodrang government, with the assistance of Mongol Khoshut Khanate and the Namgyal dynasty of Ladakh with assistance from the Mughal Empire in Kashmir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ganden Phodrang</span> Form of Tibetan government

The Ganden Phodrang or Ganden Podrang was the Tibetan system of government established by the 5th Dalai Lama in 1642, when the Oirat lord Güshi Khan who founded the Khoshut Khanate conferred all spiritual and political power in Tibet to him in a ceremony in Shigatse. During the ceremony, the Dalai Lama "made a proclamation declaring that Lhasa would be the capital of Tibet and the government of would be known as Gaden Phodrang" which eventually became the seat of the Gelug school's leadership authority. The Dalai Lama chose the name of his monastic residence at Drepung Monastery for the new Tibetan government's name: Ganden (དགའ་ལྡན), the Tibetan name for Tushita heaven, which, according to Buddhist cosmology, is where the future Buddha Maitreya resides; and Phodrang (ཕོ་བྲང), a palace, hall, or dwelling. Lhasa's Red Fort again became the capitol building of Tibet, and the Ganden Phodrang operated there and adjacent to the Potala Palace until 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demchok, Ladakh</span> Village in Ladakh, India

Demchok , previously called New Demchok, and called Parigas by the Chinese, is a village and military encampment in the Indian-administered Demchok sector, that is disputed between India and China. It is administered as part of the Nyoma tehsil in the Leh district of Ladakh by India, and claimed by China as part of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Tangtse or Drangtse (Tibetan: བྲང་རྩེ, Wylie: brang rtse, THL: drang tsé) is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. It is located in the Durbuk tehsil. Traditionally, it was regarded as the border between the Nubra region to the north and the Pangong region to the south. It was a key halting place on the trade route between Turkestan and Tibet. It was also a site of wars between Ladakh and Tibet.

The Charding Nullah, traditionally known as the Lhari stream and called Demchok River by China, is a small river that originates near the Charding La pass that is also on the border between the two countries and flows northeast to join the Indus River near a peak called "Demchok Karpo" or "Lhari Karpo". There are villages on both sides of the mouth of the river called by the same name "Demchok", which is presumed to have been a single village originally, and has gotten split into two due to geopolitcal reasons. The river serves as the de facto border between China and India in the southern part of the Demchok sector.

The Demchok sector is a disputed area named after the villages of Demchok in Ladakh and Demchok in Tibet, situated near the confluence of the Charding Nullah and Indus River. It is a part of the greater Sino-Indian border dispute between China and India. Both China and India claim the disputed region, with a Line of Actual Control between the two nations situated along the Charding Nullah.

The Ladakh Chronicles, or La-dvags-rgyal-rabs, is a historical work that covers the history of Ladakh from the beginnings of the first Tibetan dynasty of Ladakh until the end of the Namgyal dynasty. The chronicles were compiled by the Namgyal dynasty, mostly during the 17th century, and are considered the primary written source for Ladakhi history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demchok (historical village)</span> Historical village between Ladakh and Tibet

Demchok, was described by a British boundary commission in 1847 as a village lying on the border between the Kingdom of Ladakh and the Tibet. It was a "hamlet of half a dozen huts and tents", divided into two parts by a rivulet which formed the boundary between the two states. The rivulet, a tributary of the Indus River variously called the Demchok River, Charding Nullah, or the Lhari stream, was set as the boundary between Ladakh and Tibet in the 1684 Treaty of Tingmosgang. By 1904–05, the Tibetan side of the hamlet was said to have had 8 to 9 huts of zamindars (landholders), while the Ladakhi side had two. The area of the former Demchok now straddles the Line of Actual Control, the effective border of the People's Republic of China's Tibet Autonomous Region and the Republic of India's Ladakh Union Territory.

Tashigang (Tibetan: བཀྲ་ཤིས་སྒང་, Wylie: bkra shis sgang, THL: tra shi gang, transl. "auspicious hillock"), with a Chinese spelling Zhaxigang , is a village in the Gar County of the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet. The village forms the central district of the Zhaxigang Township. It houses an ancient monastery dating to the 11th century.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Petech (1977).
  2. Petech (1977), pp. 71–74.
  3. Ahmad (1968) , p. 342: "Sans-rGyas rGya-mTsho (1653-1705), sDe-pa or Prime Minister of Tibet 1679-1705"; Ahmad (1968) , p. 351: "Now, in 1684, the government of Tibet, headed by the sDe-pa Sans-rGyas rGya-mTsho, annexed Gu-ge to Tibet, and fixed the frontier between Ladakh and Tibet at the lHa-ri stream at bDe-mChog."
  4. Petech (1977), pp. 171–172: "bDe-legs-n.g. co-regent (1680-1691)".
  5. Ahmad (1968), pp. 351–353: "We produce now a new translation of the Ladakh Chronicles [...] bDe-legs rNam-rGyal, came to the kingship [of Ladakh] [...] Thereupon, the Government of Tibet, being afraid that the King of Ladakh and his troops might, once again, make war (on Tibet), ordered the 'Brug-pa Mi-'pham dBaii-po that he ought to go (to Ladakh) in order to establish peace. [...] With this exception, the frontier (of Ladakh) was fixed as from the IHa-ri stream at bDe-mChog.".
  6. Howard, Neil (2005). "The Development of the Boundary between the State of Jammu & Kashmir and British India, and its Representation on Maps of the Lingti Plain". In Bray, John (ed.). Ladakhi Histories: Local and Regional Perspectives. Brill's Tibetan Studies Library. Vol. 9. Brill Publishers. p. 218. ISBN   9789004145511.
  7. Lamb (1965) , p. 37: "No text of this agreement between Tibet and Ladakh survives, but there are references to it in chronicles"; Lamb (1965) , p. 38: "There can be no doubt that the 1684 (or 1683) agreement between Ladakh and the authorities then controlling Tibet did in fact take place. Unfortunately, no original text of it has survived and its terms can only be deduced. In its surviving form there seems to be a reference to a boundary point at 'the Lhari stream at Demchok', a stream which would appear to flow into the Indus at Demchok and divide that village into two halves."; Lamb (1965) , p. 40: "The treaty that could have given this information, that of 1684, has not survived in the form of its full text, and we have no means of determining exactly what line of frontier was contemplated in 1684. The chronicles which refer to this treaty are singularly deficient in precise geographical details."
  8. The Sino-Indian Boundary. The Indian Society of Intentional Law. 1962. pp. 1–2.
  9. 1 2 Ahmad (1968), p. 356.
  10. Francke, August Hermann (1926). Thomas, F. W. (ed.). Antiquities of Indian Tibet, Part (Volume) II. pp. 115–118.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Gardner (2021).
  12. Lamb (1965), pp. 38-40: "In its surviving form there seems to be a reference to a boundary point at "the Lhari stream at Demchok", a stream which would appear to flow into the Indus at Demchok and divide that village into two halves. [...] The treaty that could have given this information, that of 1684, has not survived in the form of its full text, and we have no means of determining exactly what line of frontier was contemplated in 1684. The chronicles which refer to this treaty are singularly deficient in precise geographical details.".
  13. Warikoo, K. (2009), "India's gateway to Central Asia: trans-Himalayan trade and cultural movements through Kashmir and Ladakh, 1846–1947", in Warikoo, K. (ed.), Himalayan Frontiers of India: Historical, Geo-Political and Strategic Perspectives, Routledge, p. 4, ISBN   978-1-134-03294-5
  14. Joshi, Arun (15 Jun 2020). "Tingmosgang Treaty can help resolve Ladakh crisis". The Tribune .

Bibliography

Further reading