Tangste, also known as Tangtse, is a village situated in the union territory of Ladakh, India. Tourists visit this place frequently, as it is located on the Leh-Pangong road. Tangste has a tremendous historical significance being the war site for many wars such as the Mughal-Tibet war and the Dogra Tibet war.
Tangtse Gompa
Lodged on a cliffside in Tangtse, the Tangtse Gompa offers a fantastic view of the Tangtse village and the surrounding mountains. Tourists usually visit this monastery during their trip to Pangong Lake. It is around 300m off the road.
History of Tangste
The 1950s
- During the 1950s, both India and China claimed Tangtse included Aksai Chin and Chang Chenmo as its territory.
- However, the Indian government had sufficient evidence, including documents from the Dogra administration, to prove that Tangste was a part of Ladakh.
Tangtse during the Princely Rule of Jammu and Kashmir
- Tangste used to be a strategic site, and it was the subdistrict headquarter of areas such as Pangong, Aksai Chin plateau, Chang Chenmo Valley, etc.
- Tangste (known as Tankse at that time) was famous with 50 houses and a rest house for the traders.
- It was one of the trade routes to Yarkand, so this place also served as a stopover for the traders passing by.
- Traders used to buy their supplies in Tangtse to continue their journey up to Sanju.
Dogra Empire
- Zorawar Singh included Tangtse in the Dogra empire during his eight-year campaign of Ladakh starting from 1834.
- In 1841 when Zorawar Singh was defeated, Tibetan forces marched forward to capture Ladakh with the help of Ladakhi rebels.
- Tangtse was the military base camp for the Tibetan soldiers during the war with Dogras in 1842.
Geography
| Village | Tangtse |
| Tehsil | Durbuk |
| District headquarter | Leh |
| Union territory | Ladakh |
| Country | India |
| Altitude | 12,500 ft |
| Time Zone | UTC+5:30 |
| Total area | 351 hectares |
| Cropped area | 99 hectares |
| Irrigated area | 99 hectares |
| Irrigation Water source | Stream |
- Tangtse village comes under Durbuk Tehsil.
- Leh is the District headquarter of Tangtse village.
- Pangong lake is towards the south of Tangste at a distance of around 45 km.
Demography
| Population | 681 |
| Male percent | 52% |
| Female percent | 48% |
| Total Literates | 421 |
| Literacy rate | 62% |
| Total households | 126 |
- Tangste village is a sparsely populated area with a population of 681 people with 356 males and 325 females.
- 12% of the population is below six years of age.
- 59% of the population are in working class and 28% of the population are main workers. More than 60% of the workers are cultivators.
- Tangtse village has a literacy rate of 62%, with male literates 261 and female literates 160.
- The total number of households in the Tangtse village is 160.
Best time to visit Tangste
May to September is the best time to visit Tangste village and the Tangste Gompa.
If you are looking forward to a vacation in Ladakh, choose from our Ladakh Tour Packages or contact us for any inquiries.
How to reach Tangste?
The most convenient way to reach Tangste is to arrive at Leh by flight and then hire a taxi from Leh to Tangste. Tourists usually visit Tangste and its Monastery during their tour to Pangong Lake, as it comes on the way to Pangong.
Routes to Tangste
Read this post to know how to reach Leh. Once you reach Leh by air or by road, use the following route to reach Tangste.
Leh to Tangste route
| From | To | Distance | Time |
| Leh | Thiksey | 20 km | 30 min |
| Thiksey | Karu | 15 km | 20 min |
| Karu | Tangste | 76 km | 2 hrs |
Use this route to reach Tangste directly from Ladakh. During the road trip, you can visit places like Thiksey Monastery, Shey, Rambir Pora, Chang La Pass, etc. which comes in the way to Tangste.
Leh to Tangste via Nubra
| From | To | Distance | Time |
| Leh | KhardungLa | 39 km | 70 min |
| Khardung La | Nubra | 77 km | 2 hrs |
| Nubra | Tangste | 122 km | 3 hrs |
If you want to travel to Tangste via Nubra, take this route .