Tibetan and Himalayan Library - THL

II.1. Stelae and accompanying structures: Funerary and non-funerary structures

Dolang NyidrikRdo lang gnyis sgrig

Basic site data

• Site name: Dolang NyidrikRdo lang gnyis sgrig
• English equivalent: Two Standing Stones in a Row
• Site number: C-171
• Site typology: II.1b
• Elevation: 4590 m
• Administrative location (township): LatöLa stod
• Administrative location (county): NyimaNyi ma
• Survey expedition: TILE
• Survey date: February 18, 2006
• Contemporary usage: Light grazing.
• Identifiable Buddhist constructions: None.
• Maps: UTRS VIII, HAS B1
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General site characteristics

Dolang NyidrikRdo lang gnyis sgrig is located just outside the village of PusumSpu gsum on high ground in the Pundri TsangpoPhu ’bri gtsang po/Putö TsangpoSpu stod gtsang po valley. The site is situated on a sandy bench that gently slopes down towards the west, in plain view of Dangra YutsoDang ra g.yu mtsho and the TagoRta rgo range. A ridge to the east partly blocks the view in this direction. Dolang NyidrikRdo lang gnyis sgrig consists of four pillars erected inside a rectangular enclosure. No outlying funerary structures were detected at the site, but they could have been easily engulfed by the sandy terrain. Dolang NyidrikRdo lang gnyis sgrig is one of six walled pillar monuments (C-49, C-50, C-68, C-69, C-71, C-72) in the Pundri TsangpoPhu ’bri gtsang po valley, one of the greatest concentrations of such sites in Upper Tibet. This cluster of funerary pillar sites is probably associated with the chain of residential sites that were located near the shores of Dangra YutsoDang ra g.yu mtsho, as complementary parts of its archaic monumental assemblage.

Oral tradition

The elders of PusumSpu gsum are uncertain as to whether Dolang NyidrikRdo lang gnyis sgrig is an ancient MönMon or Zhang ZhungZhang zhung monument.

Site elements

Enclosure

The enclosure is generally aligned in the cardinal directions, and measures 6.5 m (south wall) by 7 m (north wall) by 5 m (west wall) by 4.5 m (east wall). Parts of all four double-course walls (50 cm to 80 cm thick) are extant. These walls are composed of uncut pieces of gray limestone, 10 cm to 50 cm in length. These stones were laid flat and inserted edgewise into the ground, and are generally level with the surface or project above it to a maximum height of 20 cm. The west/lower side of the enclosure is somewhat elevated in order to compensate for the slope gradient. The interior of the enclosure is entirely open.

Pillars

The four pillars form a somewhat uneven north-south oriented row. These highly eroded, beige to brownish standing stones have a white grain, a well developed patina and orange climax lichen growing on them. As there are no suitable stones in the vicinity, these pillars must have been transported from somewhere else. From south to north, the dimensions and characteristics of the pillars are as follows:

1. Long-stone DR1: four uneven sides, located 1 m from the inner edge of the west wall of the enclosure (1 m [height] by 1 m [basal girth]).
2. Long-stone DR2: tabular, located 1.5 m north of DR1 and 50 cm from the west wall (1.1 m by 1.25 m).
3. Long-stone DR3: three irregular sides, broken tip, situated 50 cm north of DR2 and about 1.2 m from the west wall (75 cm by 85 cm).
4. Long-stone DR4: four-sided, broken top, located 20 cm north of DR3 and about 1.2 m from the west wall (30 cm by 70 cm).