Gyanema or Gya'nyima
KNAB place name database. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
()
is a large plain at the border between the
Zanda County and
Burang County in western
Tibet, which was once used for an annual market of Indo-Tibetan trade. The border has been sealed and the market shut down since the
Sino-Indian War of 1962. At the present time, there is only a small settlement at the western edge of the plain called Xilanta (),
where China operates a military outpost.
Geography
The Gynema plain lies between two tributaries of Lamchang Chu (), one in the west that rises below the Darma Pass (and called Darma Yankti by the Indians) and another in the east that rises in the hills further east and forms a large lake called Gago Cuo () or Gyanema Lake. At the top of the lake on a hillock there was a fort called Gyanemakhar, which is now in ruins. Lamchang Chu drains into the
Sutlej river
The Sutlej or Satluj River () is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroads region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. The Sutlej River is also known as ''Satadru''. It is the easternmost tributary of the Ind ...
and flows west. Immediately to the south of the Gyanema plain is the basin of the
Karnali River, which flows east. Thus the plain itself may be said to form the water divide between Sutlej and Karnali.
The Gyanema market was accessible from all the three
Bhotiya valleys of
Kumaon. The
Joharis accessed it via the triple passes of Unta Dhura, Jainti and Kungribingri passes. The
Darmiyas could use the Darma Pass. And, the Byansis of
Kuthi Valley could access it via Lympiadhura.
On the Tibetan side, the Gyanema plain was roughly equidistant from the
Daba Town and the
Burang Town (also called Taklakot). Traders would bring their goods for the annual market from their normal residence. The Tibetan goods were salt, borax, wool, skins, cloth and utensils. They exchanged them for silver, wheat, rice, ''satoo'', ''ghur'', candied sugar, pepper, beads, and other Indian manufactures.
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References
Bibliography
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{{coord, 30, 48, N, 80, 42, E, display=title, region:CN_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki
Zanda County
Populated places in Ngari Prefecture