Tsaparang was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Guge in the Garuda Valley, through which the upper Sutlej River flows, in Ngari Prefecture (Western Tibet) near the border of Ladakh. It is 278 km south-southwest of Senggezangbo Town and 26 km west of the 11th-century monastery at Thöling, and not far west of Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. The Tsaparang Dzong was located here. Nearby is the Bon monastery of Gurugem.
Tsaparang is a huge fortress perched on a pyramid-shaped rock rising about 500 to 600 feet (152 to 183 m) at the end of a long narrow spur. It contains numerous tunnels and caves that have been carved out of the rock. At its base was a village where the common people lived. Above them were two public temples - the Lhakhang Marpo (Red Chapel) and the Lhakhang Karpo (White Chapel), and quarters for the monks. Further up, ascending a twisting stone staircase in a tunnel, were the royal quarters, and at the very top, the summer palace.
TV Presenter and historian Michael Wood, in the "Shangri-La" episode of the BBC TV/PBS documentary series In Search of Myths and Heroes, suggested that Tsaparang was the historical origin of the legend of Shangri-La, and that its two great temples were once home to the kings of Guge in modern Tibet.
I can hear a whistle blowing
That's my only way of knowing
Somewhere in the distance
There is probably a train
I can hear a church bell ring
That church bell doesn't mean a thing
What I've been hearing lately
I would like you to explain
The first that I heard and it never occurred
to me what I'd be hearing
The last of me that you're likely to see
You'll see that I am disappearing
I listened now with opened eyes
I heard half hearted alibis
There may have been a few things
That I might have said myself
I could hear the whistle blowing
I wonder where that train is going
I'm sure before it gets to there
That I'll be somewhere else
The first that I heard and it never occurred
to me what I'd be hearing
The last of me that you're likely to see
You'll see that I am disappearing
I've heard all of it all before
The bells the whistles and I'm sure
That it won't be the last time
That I hear the church or train
There's a first for almost everything
Whistles blow and bells will ring
This could be the last time
And I won't be back again
The first that I heard and it never occurred
to me what I'd be hearing
The last of me that you're likely to see
You'll see that I am disappearing
The first that I heard and it never occurred
to me what I'd be hearing
The last of me that you're likely to see