At different time points in history after the 10th century AD, Guge kingdom conquered a vast area including the south-eastern Zanskar, Upper Kinnaur district, and Spiti Valley. The ruins of the former capital of the Guge kingdom are located at Tsaparang in the Sutlej valley, not far from Mount Kailash and 1,200 miles (1,900 km) westwards from Lhasa.
Tsaparang is 18km west of Zanda, while Tholing Monastery is now merely an adjunct to the town. To visit both, you need to budget at least three days (two solely for getting there and back from Darchen). Both sites are in the valley of the Langchen Tsangpo (Sutlej River), the ‘elephant river,’ which rises west of Mansarovar and continues over the border with India into Ladakh and finally Pakistan.
At different time points in history after the 10th century AD, Guge kingdom conquered a vast area including the south-eastern Zanskar, Upper Kinnaur district, and Spiti Valley. The ruins of the former capital of the Guge kingdom are located at Tsaparang in the Sutlej valley, not far from Mount Kailash and 1,200 miles (1,900 km) westwards from Lhasa.