Pangong Tso

Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake (Tibetan: སྤང་གོང་མཚོ;^[3] Chinese: 班公错; pinyin: Bān gōng cuò; Hindi: पैंगोंग झील, romanized: Paiṅgoṅg jhīl) is an endorheic lake spanning eastern Ladakh and West Tibet situated at an elevation of 4,225 m (13,862 ft). It is 134 km (83 mi) long and divided into five sublakes, called Pangong Tso, Tso Nyak, Rum Tso (twin lakes) and Nyak Tso. Approximately 50% of the length of the overall lake lies within Tibet administered by China, 40% in Indian-administered Ladakh, and the remaining 10% is disputed and is a de facto buffer zone between India and China. The lake is 5 km (3.1 mi) wide at its broadest point. All together it covers almost 700 km². During winter the lake freezes completely, despite being saline water. It has a land-locked basin separated from the Indus River basin by a small elevated ridge, but is believed to have been part of the latter in prehistoric times.^[4]

Pangong Tso
A view of Pangong Tso from space
Pangong Tso Location of Pangong Lake Show map of Ngari Pangong Tso Pangong Tso (Ladakh) Show map of Ladakh
Location	Leh district (Ladakh, India), Rutog County (Tibet, China)
Coordinates	33°43′04.59″N 78°53′48.48″E
Type	Soda lake dimictic lake (east basin)[1] cold monomictic lake (west basin)[citation needed]
Basin countries	China, India
Max. length	134 km (83 mi)
Max. width	5 km (3.1 mi)
Surface area	approx. 700 km2 (270 sq mi)
Max. depth	330 ft. (100 m)
Surface elevation	4,225 metres (13,862 ft)[2]
Frozen	during winter

Pangong Tso
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	班公錯
Simplified Chinese	班公错
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Bāngōng cuò Wade–Giles Pan-kung ts'o
Tibetan name
Tibetan	སྤང་གོང་མཚོ
Transcriptions Wylie spang gong mtsho THL pangongtso Tibetan Pinyin Banggong Co

Tsomo Nganglha Ringpo
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	錯木昂拉仁波
Simplified Chinese	錯木昂拉仁波
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Cuòmù ánglā rénbō
Tibetan name
Tibetan	མཚོ་མོ་ངང་ལྷ་རིང་པོ
Transcriptions Wylie mtsho mo ngang lha ring po THL tsomo nganglha ringpo Tibetan Pinyin Como Nganglharingbo

Names

Historically, the lake is viewed as being made up five sublakes, which are connected through narrow water channels. The name Pangong Tso only applied to the westernmost lake that is mostly in Ladakh. The main lake on the Tibetan side is called Tso Nyak (the "middle lake"). It is followed by two small lakes called Rum Tso. The last lake near Rutog is called Nyak Tso again.^[5][6] The whole lake group was and is still often referred to as Tsomo Nganglha Ringpo (Tibetan: མཚོ་མོ་ངང་ལྷ་རིང་པོ^[3]) in Tibetan.

There are different interpretations of the meanings of both Pangong Tso and Tsomo Nganglha Ringpo. The Ladakh government website says "Pangong Tso" is Tibetan, meaning "high grassland lake",^[7] however travel books say Pangong means "hollow".^[8][9] Tsomo Nganglha Ringpo is Tibetan that is interpreted to mean various different but similar meanings -- "long, narrow, enchanted lake" by Chinese media sources,^[10] "female narrow very long lake" by early European explorers,^[11] and "long-necked swan lake" by other modern sources.^[12]

Geography

See also: Geography of Ladakh and Geography of Tibet

Pangong Tso is surrounded by three mountain ranges: Changchenmo Range to the north, Pangong Range to the west, and Kailash Range (Gangdise Shan range) to the south.^[13][14][15] According to the Britannica, the Changchenmo Range and Pangong Range are sometimes considered easternmost part of the Karakoram Range.^[13] Kailash Range, runs along southern bank of the Pangong Tso, from centre of Pangong Tso at Lukung to the west to Phursook Bay and Mount Kailash.^[14]

Sino-Indian border dispute

Main article: Sino-Indian border dispute

8km
5miles

Bridge

Traditional customary
boundary of China
declared 1960

Ane La
Boundary of China
declared 1960

Changlung
Lungpa

Spangmik

Merak

Traditional customary
boundary of China
declared 1960

Khurnak Fort

Sirijap

Chinese post
at Sirijap

Indian
post

Traditional customary
boundary of China
declared 1960

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

  

Contested LAC near the Pangong Lake^[16][a]
with "fingers" – mountain spurs jutting into the lake^[17]

Pangong Tso is disputed territory. The Line of Actual Control (LAC) passes through the lake. A section of the lake approximately 20 km east from the LAC is controlled by China but claimed by India. To the south is the smaller Spanggur Tso lake. The eastern end of the lake is in Tibet. After the mid-19th century, Pangong Tso was at the southern end of Johnson Line, an early attempt at demarcation between India and China in the Aksai Chin region.

Khurnak Fort lies on the northern bank of the lake, about halfway up Pangong Tso. The dispute over the fort was discussed in a 1924 conference, which remained inconclusive. After the conference, the British government decided that Tibetans had a better case and not only Khurnak Fort but also Dokpo Karpo and Nyagzu were part of Tibet. In 1929, following the protests of Kashmir Durbar, they decided to drop the British claims made in behalf of Kashmir state.^[18] The Chinese established their military presence in the Khurnak Fort by 1958.^[19]

On 20 October 1962, Pangong Tso saw military action during the Sino-Indian War, successful for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).^[20] The area remains a sensitive border point along the LAC.^[21][22] Incursions from the Chinese side are common.^[23]

In August 2017, Indian and Chinese forces near Pangong Tso engaged in a melee involving kicking, punching, rock throwing, and use of makeshift weapons such as sticks and rods.^[24][25] On 11 September 2019, PLA troops confronted Indian troops on the northern bank.^[26][27] On 5–6 May 2020, a face-off between about 250 Indian and Chinese troops near the lake resulted in casualties on both sides.^{[28][24][29][30]}

On 29–30 August 2020, Indian troops occupied many heights on the south bank of Pangong Tso. The heights included Rezang La, Reqin La, Black Top, Hanan, Helmet, Gurung Hill, Gorkha Hill and Magar Hill.^[31] Some of these heights are in the grey zone of the LAC and overlook Chinese camps.^[32] India chose to pull back from these positions as leverage for larger disengagement.^[33] Both the Chinese and Indian militaries have vessels stationed on the lake.^[34][35][36]

Since 2022, China built a bridge across the lake near the Khurnak Fort.^[37][38] The construction of the 400-meter bridge was completed in July 2024.^[39]

Transport & roads

See also: India-China Border Roads, India-China border infrastructure, and Touristic roads in Ladakh

Following roads provide the access within the Indian held area:

• "Phobrang-Marsimik La-Tsogtsalu-Hot Springs Road" (PMTHR) or "Marsimik La Road" (MLR) in Changchenmo Range, via Phobrang & Marsimik La is a motorable black-topped road which runs east of Pangong Tso.^[40] It also provides access to the "Finger-4 Road".

• "Finger-4 Road" (F4R), is a black top motorable road till "Finger-4" on the northern bank of the Pangong Tso, being built by India which will be completed by 2025.^[41]

• "Lukung-Chartse Road" (LC Road), 32 km long road connects the northwest bank of Pangong Tso.^[42]

• "Chushul-Lukung Road" (CC road),^[43] also called the "Surtok-Kakstet-Chushul Road" (CKC road), a motorable black-topped road parallel to the southern bank of Pangong Tso, provides shortest route from Surtok, Spangmik, Man, Merak & Kakshet to Chushul.
  • "Thakung Post Road": is a 5.8 km long spur of "Chushul-Lukung Road" from a T-section and it goes to Thakung Post of Indian Military, constructed under ICBR Phase-III.^[43]

• "Pangong Lakeshore Road" (PL road), is a motorable road along the scenic southern shore of Pangong Tso from Kakset to Chushul via Lukung and Thakung (Indian military post).

Following roads provide the access within the China held area:

• "China National Highway 696": runs along the India China LAC and border along a route which is opposite India held Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) & Burtsa, near Kongka La pass, to Nyagzu and Khurnak Fort, to Recho (opposite India-held Dungti).
• "China National Highway 219" passes by the eastern end of Pangong Tso. The lake can be accessed by driving 12 km from Rutog or 130 km from Shiquanhe. Tourists can rent a boat on the lake, but landing on islands is not allowed, to protecting the avian breeding grounds. There are several restaurants along the shore.^[44] The "Khurnak Bridges" are the twin adjacent bridges over the Pangong Tso, one smaller and a bigger one for the heavier vehicle, built by China to connect Khurnak Fort on the north bank to Rutog in southeast via a new road which will reduce the distance between two locations by 150 km. India claims that this bridge is illegal as it lies in the area claimed by India. It lies 20 km east of the point [Finger 8] which India perceives to be the location of LAC.^[45][46]

Tourism

See also: Tourism in Ladakh

On the Indian side, an Inner Line Permit is required to visit the lake, as it lies on the Sino-Indian Line of Actual Control. For security reasons, India does not permit boating. Groups are permitted, accompanied by an accredited guide.^[47][48] The past few years have seen a remarkable increase in Indian tourists flocking to Pangong Lake. However, this surge has presented environmental challenges due to inadequate infrastructure to accommodate and manage the growing number of visitors.^[49] In 2023, on the Indian side the tourists are allowed to visit only the eastern and southern bank, access to the north bank is not yet open for the tourists.

Flora and fauna

See also: Wildlife of Ladakh

The eastern part of the lake is fresh, with the content of total dissolved solids at 0.68 g/L, while the western part of the lake is saline, with the salinity at 11.02 g/L.^[50] The brackish water^[51] of the lake has very low micro-vegetation. Guides report that there are no fish or other aquatic life on the Indian side of the lake, except for some small crustaceans. On the other hand, visitors see numerous ducks and gulls over and on the lake surface. There are some species of scrub and perennial herbs that grow in the marshes around the lake.

The lake acts as an important breeding ground for a variety of birds including a number of migratory birds. During summer, the bar-headed geese and Brahmini ducks are commonly seen here.^[52] The region around the lake supports a number of species of wildlife including the kiang and the marmot. The lake hosts large quantities of fish, especially Schizopygopsis stoliczkai^[53] and Racoma labiata.^[54] Freshwater snails of the genus Radix also live in the lake.^[55]

Formerly, Pangong Tso had an outlet to the Shyok River, a tributary of the Indus River, but it was closed off by natural damming. Two streams feed the lake from the Indian side, forming marshes and wetlands at the edges.^[56] Strand lines above current lake level reveal a 5 m (16 ft) thick layer of mud and laminated sand, suggesting the lake has shrunken recently on the geological scale.^[51] On the Indian side, no fish have been observed, however in the stream coming from the south-eastern side (Cheshul nalla), three fish species (Schizopygopsis stoliczkae, Tibetan stone loach and Triplophysa gracilis) have been reported (Bhat et al., 2011). The low biodiversity has been reported as being due to high salinity and harsh environmental conditions (Bhat et al., 2011).

Bird Islet is a popular location for bird-watching for tourists in Ngari.^[57]

Climate

Climate data for Pangong Tso
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−5.9 (21.4)	−3.7 (25.3)	0.9 (33.6)	6.9 (44.4)	11.6 (52.9)	17.4 (63.3)	20.5 (68.9)	19.7 (67.5)	15.5 (59.9)	7.9 (46.2)	1.5 (34.7)	−3.3 (26.1)	7.4 (45.4)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−13.3 (8.1)	−10.8 (12.6)	−6.0 (21.2)	−0.5 (31.1)	3.8 (38.8)	9.5 (49.1)	13.1 (55.6)	12.7 (54.9)	7.8 (46.0)	−0.3 (31.5)	−6.8 (19.8)	−11.3 (11.7)	−0.2 (31.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−20.6 (−5.1)	−17.9 (−0.2)	−12.8 (9.0)	−7.8 (18.0)	−3.9 (25.0)	1.6 (34.9)	5.8 (42.4)	5.7 (42.3)	0.2 (32.4)	−8.5 (16.7)	−15.1 (4.8)	−19.3 (−2.7)	−7.7 (18.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	4 (0.2)	2 (0.1)	3 (0.1)	3 (0.1)	4 (0.2)	2 (0.1)	11 (0.4)	15 (0.6)	4 (0.2)	2 (0.1)	2 (0.1)	3 (0.1)	55 (2.3)
Source: Climate-Data.org

Gallery

Pangong Tso

• 
  Frozen, Pangong Tso
• 
  Transparent water
• 
  In July 2018
• 
  During summer
• 
  Birds
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Maps

Edward Weller map of Ladakh and Garhwal, 1863

Map including Pangong Tso (AMS, 1954)^[b]

Map including Pangong Tso / Bangong Co (DMA, 1992)

See also

• Aksai Chin and its locations
• Sirijap
• Rudok
• National Large Solar Telescope
• Spanggur Tso

References

Notes

1. The LAC displayed is that marked by the OpenStreetMap editors, said to reflect the Chinese maps.
2. From map: "THE DELINEATION OF INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARIES ON THIS MAP MUST NOT BE CONSIDERED AUTHORITATIVE"

Citations

1. Wang, M., Hou, J. and Lei, Y., 2014. Classification of Tibetan lakes based on variations in seasonal lake water temperature. Chinese Science Bulletin, 59(34): 4847-4855.
2. Dortch et al., Catastrophic partial drainage of Pangong Tso (2011), p. 111.
3. "Ngari prefecture". Geographical names of Tibet AR (China). Institute of the Estonian Language. 3 June 2018. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
4. "River basins with Major and medium dams & barrages location map in India, WRIS" (Adobe Flash Player version 10.0.0 or greater). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
5. Hedin, Sven Anders (1907). Scientific Results of a Journey in Central Asia 1899-1902: Central and West Tibet. Lithographic institute of the General staff of the Swedish army. p. 521. From Noh to Bal Rawling followed the same route that I did along the northern shore of the Tso-ngombo, which he calls the Tso Mo Gualari, dividing it into the sections: Tso Nyak, the twin lakes Rum Tso and Nyak Tso. He says that it consists of a string of five lakes 120 m. in length, the four most southern of which are fresh, and Pangong, the most northerly, salt. They are joined together by channels about 60 feet in width and 15 feet deep, the current running at nearly 1½ mile an hour.
6. Saward, M. H. (1878). Routes in Asia: Routes in the territories of the Maharaja of Jummoo and Kashmir, and adjacent countries. Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing. pp. 31–33. Only the lower lake (the Pangong Tso proper) lies in Ladak, the middle (Tso Nyak) and upper lakes being in Rudok territory. ... The waters of the western end are much more salt than those of the eastern end near Ot. in the stream connecting the Pangong Tso with Nyak Tso the water becomes drinkable, and rich grass is found on the banks.
7. "Pangong Lake". Union Territory of Ladakh. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020. Pangong Lake, one of the most famous lakes in Leh Ladakh, derives its name from the Tibetan word, "Pangong Tso", which means "high grassland lake".
8. Michelle Coxall; Paul Greenway (1 September 1996). Indian Himalaya: a Lonely Planet travel survival kit. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-0-86442-413-6. The salty Pangong Tso - Pangong means 'hollow' - is the highest lake in Ladakh at about 4300m, and is flanked by massive peaks over 6500m high.
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    The location and terrain features of this traditional customary boundary line are now described as follows in three sectors, western, middle and eastern. ... From Ane Pass southwards, the boundary line runs along the mountain ridge and passes through peak 6,127 (approximately 78° 46' E, 38° 50' N) [sic] and then southwards to the northern bank of the Pangong Lake' (approximately 78° 49' E, 33° 44' N). It crosses this lake and reaches its southern bank at approximately 78° 43' E, 33° 40' N. Then it goes in a south-easterly direction along the watershed dividing the Tongada River and the streams flowing into the Spanggur Lake until it reaches Mount Sajum.
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Bibliography

• Cunningham, Alexander (1854), Ladak: Physical, Statistical, Historical, London: Wm. H. Allen and Co – via archive.org
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Further reading

• Streule, M.J.; Phillips, R.J.; Searle, M.P.; Waters, D.J.; Horstwood, M.S.A. (2009). "Evolution and chronology of the Pangong Metamorphic Complex adjacent to the Karakoram Fault, Ladakh: constraints from thermobarometry, metamorphic modelling and U–Pb geochronology" (PDF). Journal of the Geological Society. 166 (5): 919–932. Bibcode:2009JGSoc.166..919S. doi:10.1144/0016-76492008-117. ISSN 0016-7649. S2CID 6633788.
• Srivastava P, Kumar A, Singh R, Deepak O, Kumar AM, Ray Y, Jayangondaperumal R, Phartiyal B, Chahal P, Sharma P, Ghosh R, Kumar N, Agnihotri R (July 2020). "Rapid lake level fall in Pangong Tso (lake) in Ladakh, NW Himalaya: a response of late Holocene aridity" (PDF). Current Science. 119 (2): 219–231. doi:10.18520/cs/v119/i2/219-231. S2CID 239601454.
• SINO-INDIAN BORDER DEFENSES CHUSHUL AREA (CIA, 1963)