Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
metre markers may change with the upgraded road); the petroglyphs are at around 967.
There are two distinct groups on the rock face right beside the road, just before it crosses a
bridge to travel along a causeway over the marshy valley floor of the Maga Zangbu-chu.
The first and more extensive group also features a number of more recent Buddhist
carvings, some of them carved right over their ancient predecessors. The most impressive
of the rock carvings features four extravagantly antlered deer racing across the rock and
looking back at three leopards in hot pursuit. Also depicted are eagles, yaks, camels, goats,
tigers, wild boars and human figures.
Lurulangkar
About 12km southwest of Rutok, these relatively primitive carvings are right beside the
road, up to a height of 4m above the ground, and show a variety of pre-Buddhist symbols
and animals, including dogs, yaks, eagles, deer and goats. Human figures are shown stand-
ing in isolation or riding on horses. There are a number of hunting scenes showing dogs
chasing deer and hunters shooting at them with bows and arrows.
Old Rutok
VILLAGE
Lovely white-painted traditional Rutok huddles at the base of a splinter of rock, atop
which is
Rutok Monastery
, flanked at both ends of the hill by the crumbling, but still im-
pressive, ruins of
Rutok Dzong
. From here you can see the reservoir below and Pangong-
tso in the distance. The surrounding villages are largely deserted in summer, as herders
move to higher pastures.
The intensely atmospheric main chapel of the monastery has a large statue of Jampa
(Maitreya) and a bronze Garuda to the left. Clearly, at one time the whole eastern face of
the hill was covered in monastic buildings. The monastery was destroyed during the Cul-
tural Revolution and rebuilt in 1983-84; it now has just six monks.
WESTERN NEPAL TO MT KAILASH
Fully organised trekking groups can trek to the Nepal-China border from Humla, a restric-
ted region in the far west of Nepal. You will need a Nepali liaison officer, a specially en-
dorsed Chinese visa and a full trek crew. See Lonely Planet's
Trekking in the Nepal Him-
