"We reached Tarpoche on a clouded morning. Pradip arrived shortly after, bringing news from Darchen that Brazil would play Germany in the World Cup finals.

'Tarpoche' means a big flagstaff. The flagstaff was first erected here in 1681, to mark the victory of the Fifth Dalai Lama over the Ladakhi kings. After the military expeditions of 1679 to 1681, the three Ngnari khorsum (the three provinces of the west) finally came under the Dalai Lama's administration. This subdued the marauding Muslim warlords from the west and established the practice of their paying tribute to Lhasa. The same year the Fifth Dalai Lama died."

--from Here Be Yaks by Manosi Lahiri

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