| Ngamring County | |
| Settlement Type: | County |
| Pushpin Map: | Tibet#China |
| Pushpin Label: | Ngamring |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the seat in Tibet |
| Coordinates: | 29.2728°N 87.1825°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | China |
| Subdivision Type1: | Autonomous region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Tibet |
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture-level city |
| Subdivision Name2: | Xigazê |
| Seat Type: | County seat |
| Seat: | Kagar |
| Area Total Km2: | 28,205.88 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 55,108 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | China Standard |
| Utc Offset: | +8 |
| Tib: | ངམ་རིང་རྫོང་། |
| Wylie: | ngam ring rdzong |
| Zwpy: | Ngamring Zong |
| Order: | st |
| S: | 昂仁县 |
| T: | 昂仁縣 |
| P: | Ángrén Xiàn |
Ngamring County (;) is a county of Xigazê in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China. "Ngamring County, sometimes referred to as the gateway to Mount Kailash and Far West Tibet, is the barren area which divides the Raga Tsangpo and the Brahmaputra."[2]
The office place of the county is located in Kagar, population 1,700, at an elevation of 4380m (14,370feet).[3] [4]
Ngamring County is divided into 2 towns and 15 townships.
| Name | Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Tibetan | Wylie | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Towns | ||||||
| Gegang Town (Kagar, Kaika) | Chinese: 卡嘎镇 | |||||
| Sangsang Town | Chinese: 桑桑镇 | |||||
| Townships | ||||||
| Darog Township | Chinese: 达若乡 | |||||
| Goin'gyibug Township | Chinese: 贡久布乡 | |||||
| Comë Township | Chinese: 措迈乡 | |||||
| Xungba Township | Chinese: 雄巴乡 | |||||
| Cazê Township | Chinese: 查孜乡 | |||||
| Amxung Township | Chinese: 阿木雄乡 | |||||
| Rusar Township | Chinese: 如萨乡 | |||||
| Kunglung Township | Chinese: 孔隆乡 | |||||
| Nyigo Township | Chinese: 尼果乡 | |||||
| Riwoqê Township | Chinese: 日吾其乡 | |||||
| Dobê Township | Chinese: 多白乡 | |||||
| Kairag Township | Chinese: 切热乡 | |||||
| Qu'og Township | Chinese: 秋窝乡 | |||||
| Dagyu Township | Chinese: 达居乡 | |||||
| Yagmo Township | Chinese: 亚木乡 | |||||
The Chung Riwoche Stupa is located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra. "A narrow iron bridge spans the river here, alongside an original iron-chain footbridge attributed to Tangtong Gyelpo,"[2] the founder of Tibetan opera, who was born in Ngamring County. "Legend has it that the iron chain bridge over the Xiongqoi River ... was built with funds collected by Tongdong Gyaibo through performances."[5] [6]
Another point of interest is the Ralung Chutse hot spring, which has camping and a guest house.[2]
Zangzang Lhadrak Cave in Ngamring County was where Padmasambhava hid the "Northern Treasures," which consisted of "a number of texts and various sacred objects in a maroon leather casket." These texts and objects were removed in 1366 by Vidyadhara Gödem, and became known as the Dzö Nga (mdzod lnga) or Five Treasuries. The "Northern Treasures" were taught at the Dorje Drak Monastery, and include the Künzang Gongpa Zangtha teachings, a collection of Dzogchen instructions.[7]
Ngamring Monastery or Ngamring Chöde (Wylie: ngam ring chos sde[8]) produced many important scholars.[9] It was founded in 1225 as a Sakya monastery when "the Ngamring ruler Drakpa Dar (Grags pa dar), also known as Yöntsun (Yon btsun), invited the Sakya master Shākya Sengé (Shākya seng ge) to Ngamring and founded the monastery there."[10]
It was later expanded by the governor Tai En Namkha Tenpa (Ta'i dben Nam mkha' brtan pa, b. 1316) with the assistance of his teacher, the Omniscient Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (Dol po pa Shes rab rgyal mtshan, 1292-1361).[10]The monastery also followed the Jonang and Bodongpa traditions. It became a Gelugpa monastery at the time of the 5th Dalai Lama. "Tangtong Gyalpo's teacher Ka Ngapa Paljor Sherab (Bka' lnga pa Dpal 'byor shes rab) was the ninth abbot."[10]