__NOTOC__ The Angsi Glacier or Nangser Glacier () is a

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

located on the northern side of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

in the Purang County in China's

Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China in Southwest China. It was overlayed on the traditional Tibetan regions of � ...

. It is immediately to the east of the Indus-Tsangpo water divide at the eastern edge of the Purang County. One of the

headwaters The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...

of the Tsangpo River (Brahmaputra), called Angsi Chu or Nangser Chu, originates in this glacier. Angsi Chu merges with the Chema-yungdung Chu within a short distance (), and the combined river is called Chema-yungdung Chu. Swami Pranavananda, an Indian ascetic and pilgrim, noted in 1939 that the Tibetan traditions regard the Chema-yungdung glacier as the source of Brahmaputra. He also noted that Kubi Chu, another source stream of Brahmaputra favoured by Sven Hedin, is larger, and that the Angsi Chu gives greater length. As another complication, Angsi Chu merges with another stream called Dangkar Chu flowing from the Tumulung Lake () before its confluence with Chema-yundung Chu (). Pranavananda also noted that the Indian

Bhotiya Bhotiya or Bhot ( ne, भोटिया, ) are groups of ethno-linguistically related Tibetan people living in the Transhimalayan region that divides India from Tibet. The word ''Bhotiya'' comes from the classical Tibetan name for Tibet, , . ...

merchants call the Tumulung Lake as "Brahmakund" and regard it as the source of Brahmaputra. Water residues seen in satellite maps indicate that waters from the Ganglung Glacier, to the west of Angsi Glacier, once flowed into the Tumulung Lake, but now they flow west into Sutlej (). In 2011, Chinese scientists from the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republi ...

declared that the Angsi Glacier is the "true source" of the Tsangpo River and this determination has been accepted by the Indian observers.

Encyclopedia Britannica An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articl ...

continues to regard the Chema-yungdung Glacier as the source of Brahmaputra.Brahmaputra River
Encyclopedia Britannica, retrieved 3 October 2022. "The Brahmaputra’s source is the Chemayungdung Glacier, which covers the slopes of the Himalayas about 60 miles (100 km) southeast of Lake Mapam in southwestern Tibet."

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

Dangkar Chu
(with Angsi Chu as a tributary), OpenStreetMap, retrieved 3 October 2022. Glaciers of China Glaciers of Tibet Glaciers of the Himalayas Brahmaputra River {{Tibet-geo-stub