Chapter XI (2)

[45] Cf. Hooker, op. cit., i. 250–254. He made the altitude of this pass to be 15,770 feet above sea-level.—(W. R.)

[46] Hok (or og) means “lower,” kong or gong means “upper.”—(W. R.)

[47] See infra, p. 37, note 2.

[48] Purug is rather a poor transcription of the word phrug (pronounced truk), but better known by the Chinese name of pulo. Pulo, though now a Chinese word, is a borrowed term, probably the Tibetan name. Phrug is native Tibetan cloth made in pieces usually nine or ten fathoms (damba in Tibetan) long and about fourteen inches broad.—(W. R.)

[49] Mi, “man;” za, “to eat.”—(W. R.)

[50] Mthong-wa, “seen;” kun, “entire;” grol, “freedom.”—(W. R.)

[51] Also visited by Hooker. He says that it was (in 1848) a miserable collection of 200 to 300 stone huts. Its altitude is about 13,500 feet above sea-level. See Hooker, op. cit., i. 238. On p. 242 of his work is a “diagram of the glacial terraces at the fork of the Yangma valley.”—(W. R.)

[52] Yang-ma, meaning “broad.”—(W. R.)

[53] Rtsa, “grass;” mtsams, “boundary-line, limit.”—(W. R.)

[54] Tara, or tarak, is made of curdled milk slightly cooked and stirred up in the process. It is a favourite dish throughout Tibet and Western Mongolia, in which latter country it is also known as tarak. It is generally eaten just before meals. In Eastern Tibet and the Kokonor it is called djo (pr. sho). It is the same as the yaurt of the Turks and the people of the Balkanic States.—(W. R.)

[55] Shape is the colloquial title given to the ministers of State (Kalon) of the Tale lama. The word is possibly gshags, “justice;” dpe, “model,” though it is now written as in the text. See infra, p. 174.—(W. R.)

[56] Gyagar Khamba means “Indian Khamba,” the same as probably Hooker’s Khumba of Sikkim. See p. 107, note; and Hooker, i. 136.—(W. R.)

[57] Nyingma, or Ngangyur, the old or red-hat sect of lamas. Their chief stronghold is Ulterior Tibet, Sikkim, and Bhutan.—(W. R.)

[58] The famous “six-syllable prayer.” See my ‘Land of the Lamas,’ p. 326 et sqq.—(W. R.)

[59] A small stream emptying into the Taya Tsangpo of our maps.—(W. R.)

[60] Ugyen-gyatso visited in 1883 another rock-cut hermitage in this neighbourhood, at a place called Kyil-khor ta dub, some 10 miles from the She-kar gomba, at the foot of the Lama la. It was about a quarter mile long. Padma Sambhava is said to have lived in it. See ‘Report on Explorations in Bhutan, etc.,’ p. 20, § 20.—(W. R.)

[61] Written phyug-po. Med (from me), “no.”—(W. R.)

[62] Written hbrog, and usually pronounced dru, du, or do. The name dopa or drupa applies equally to all pastoral tribes, and they, when speaking, use it with the acceptation of “house, dwelling, tent, home.”—(W. R.)

[63] Three Tibetan tankas are the equivalent of one rupee. There were four varieties of tankas then current in Tibet, two of Nepalese minting, two made at Lhasa, the best being that known as Gadan tanka, and made at the Castle of Gadan.—(W. R.)

[64] In 1879 Chandra Das crossed the Chorten nyima la, probably 20 to 30 miles south of the village of Tebong (called then by him Thekong). He followed the Chorten nyima river from its source in the mountain of the same name to near its mouth at Tebong, where his route joined the one described in the present narrative.—(W. R.)

[65] Or, more correctly, Drang-lung; for he says, in his diary for 1879, that it means “cold valley.”—(W. R.)

[66] Nabu, or, more correctly, Nabo, means “host, landlord.”—(W. R.)

[67] Called satu by Anglo-Indian writers. This word is also found in Georgi, ‘Alphabetum Tibetanum’ (1762), p. 445: “Hordei farinam in jentaculi, pultisque formam subactam Satù communi vocabulo dicunt.”—(W. R.)

[68] This is the ordinary style of Mongol fur cap, very generally used in Tibet.—(W. R.)

[69] On this organization, see chap. vii. p. 180.

[70] In his journey of 1879, he speaks of Mende as “the pretty village of Mende.... Facing the village is a flower-garden, in which are also dwarf willows, stunted birch and juniper trees.” He also says that Targe (Targye) is on the Yaru-tsang-po (the Taya tsang-po of the maps), probably a local appellation for the upper Arun. Taya tsang-po is probably Targye tsang-po, “the river of the Tar-gye.”—(W. R.)

[71] Probably Khyab-dvang, “all-powerful,” a title in frequent use in Tibet.—(W. R.)

[72] This river is the Che chu (or Chi chu), the great Arun. Kurma, the author tells us in his journal of 1879, is a “Dokpa town containing about six hundred families.... All supplies are brought here from Shigatse.”—(W. R.)

[73] Hence the name phag, “pig;” ra, “goat.” S. C. D. says they roast them alive. This must be a mistake. I never heard of meat being roasted in Tibet. He evidently means that the sheep are cooked without the skin being removed. The Mongols do the same thing, throwing the carcass (some say the live sheep) in boiling water. These carcasses are sold in a frozen state by the Mongols in Peking in winter, and are known as Tang-yang, or “scalded sheep,” in Chinese. Cf. C. R. Markham’s ‘Narrative of the Mission of Geo. Bogle,’ 86.—(W. R.)

[74] It is called Ya-go on the maps. S. C. D. says, in the account of his first journey, that this village is on the boundary-line between Lhasa and Ulterior Tibet, belonging to the former country.—(W. R.)

[75] The Tagmar of our maps. The writer says elsewhere that it has about two hundred houses.—(W. R.)

[76] The Bra-gyin pa gomba of the maps.—(W. R.)

[77] The Ngambu dung la of our maps, altitude 14,800 feet; but in the account of his first journey S. C. D. says it is 13,500 feet high. The descent on the north side, he adds, is very steep.—(W. R.)

[78] Or Luguri jong, as he calls it elsewhere.—(W. R.)

[79] S. C. D. reached this city for the first time on July 7, 1879.

[80] “If the magnificence of the place was to be increased by any external cause, none could more superbly have adorned its numerous gilded canopies and turrets than the sun rising in full splendour directly opposite. It presented a view wonderfully beautiful and brilliant; the effect was little short of magic, and it made an impression which no time will ever efface from my mind.”—Captain Samuel Turner, ‘Embassy to the Court of the Teshu Lama,’ 230.

[81] This word is colloquially used to designate the cook of any dignitary or official.—(W. R.)

[82] Or rather, “Please walk in, Mr. Pundit.”—(W. R.)

[83] Or Nyer-pa (gnyer-pa); this word is generally used to designate the procurator or manager of the temporal affairs of a lamasery.—(W. R.)

[84] Called ma-hua by the Chinese; made of thin strips of dough thrown into boiling grease for a minute or two. They are eaten all over China, Mongolia, and Tibet. I do not know the Tibetan name; Mongols call them by the Chinese term of ma-hua-erh.—(W. R.)

[85] This appears to be the Chinese ping, meaning “cake or pastry.” In North-West China and Szechuan this word designates a thin cake of wheat-flour the size of a plate, cooked on a hot iron or in a shallow dish. In Tibetan it is called palé.—(W. R.)

[86] Kusho is the Tibetan equivalent of “Mr.”; Tung-chen is Drung (yig) chen-po, “chief secretary,” not a name, as one might suppose by the way it is used in this narrative. The minister’s residence, S. C. D. says elsewhere, was at the northern end of the town. It is a stone building three stories high, the exterior painted yellow.—(W. R.)

[87] Farther on (p. 57) our author says 125 pages.

[88] Called in Chinese mien, and nearly the same as the Italian spaghetti. The word is also frequently used for the Chinese kua-mien.—(W. R.)

[89] Or, more correctly, “the cup-bearer, or teapot-bearer.” The Solpon chen-po is one of the great officers of State both at Tashilhunpo and Lhasa.—(W. R.)

[90] Rdo-tsad, an ingot of silver weighing fifty Chinese ounces (taels), and also called yambu (from the Chinese yuan-pao), tarmima (rta-rmig-ma, also pronounced tänpema), or simply do. A do is usually exchanged for Rs. 160. Turner, ‘Embassy,’ p. 345, speaks of masses of pure bullion called Tariema.—(W. R.)

[91] The colloquial name for Chinese in Tibet is Gya. In the official language they are called Gya-nag.—(W. R.)

[92] Or ja-lu (ldug); also called ja lu-sa, “bowl (or place) to pour tea in.” Usually a cup with a metal cover.—(W. R.)

[93] The northern part of Tibet, inhabited by a few pastoral tribes only.—(W. R.)

[94] A torma is a small cone varying in height from a few inches to a foot and more, made of tsamba, butter, sugar, etc. Sometimes the surface is coloured, and some tormas are of great size. They are placed on the front of the altars in rows, and are propitiatory offerings. On the celebration of this feast, cf. J.R.A.S., vol. xxiii. (1891), p. 214.—(W. R.)

[95] Tu-Kham is probably Stod Khams, or “Upper Khamdo”—in all probability Dérgé is meant.—(W. R.)

[96] During his first visit to Tashilhunpo, Chandra Das was received by the Panchen rinpoche. He describes him as follows: “The Grand Lama is twenty-six years of age, of a spare frame and middling stature. He has a remarkably broad forehead and large eyes, slightly oblique. The expression of his face, although highly intelligent, is not engaging, and lacks that sympathy and dignity so conspicuous in the minister’s countenance. The old monks of Tashilhunpo informed me that, unlike his predecessor, the present Grand Lama was more feared than liked, on account of his cold and self-reliant spirit. He is strict in the observance of ceremonies and in the administration of justice, and slow to forgive.” Kun-kyab ling is the name of the residence of the Panchen lama, the great lama of Tashilhunpo.—(W. R.)

[97] Bogle thus describes the ceremony of blessing by the Panchen rinpoche: “Upon the gylongs, or laymen of very high rank, he lays his palm; the nuns (anni) and inferior laymen have a cloth interposed between his hand and their heads; and the lower class of people are touched, as they pass by, with the tassel which he holds in his hands.”—C. R. Markham, ‘Narrative of the Mission of Geo. Bogle,’ p. 85.

[98] For further details on the subject see S. C. D.’s ‘Indian Pundits in the Land of Snow,’ and Waddell, ‘Buddhism of Tibet,’ p. 173.

[99] W. Moorcroft, ‘Travels in the Himalayan Provinces,’ i. 17, describes this feast as witnessed in Kashmir. It is there called Barat, and is celebrated to avert impending evil. Chinese authors say it is celebrated at Lhasa a few days after the New Year. See J.R.A.S., vol. xxiii. (1891), p. 209.

[100] Tibetan cooks have invariably soot-covered faces; this seems as indispensable a part of their make-up as the white cap is to the French chef.—(W. R.)

[101] This idea is common to Chinese, Mongols, and Tibetans, among whom “A worm has bored a hole in my tooth” is equivalent to “I have a cavity in my tooth.” The extraction of the dead nerve confirms them in the idea.—(W. R.)

[102] In the narrative of his first journey, Chandra Das says this is the Panchen rinpoche’s summer residence. There is no image of the Emperor, but an imperial tablet and a throne, or chair of state.—(W. R.)

[103] Such tablets are always carried in official processions in China.—(W. R.)

[104] This is known in China as la chiao, “to drag the chair.” It is rather a mark of respect to the official being carried in the chair than assistance to the bearers. It is a form of corvée throughout the empire. In Tibet the Emperor’s representatives and the Tale lama and Panchen rinpoche alone have the right to be carried in green sedan chairs.—(W. R.)

[105] Spogs-dpon. Spogs (pron. pog) means “salary of officials,” and more especially, “that allowed lamas by Government or the monastic authorities.”—(W. R.)

[106] Chandra Das has given a translation of an extract from this work in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, vol. lv. pp. 201–203, and in part vii. of his ‘Narrative of a Journey round Lake Yamdo’ (Palti), pp. 117–130. Though full of interesting details, it has been thought advisable to omit it from the present work, most of the Tibetan names of places being still unidentified. He says the work is by Lama Tsanpo Nomenkhan, of Amdo.—(W. R.)

[107] Or rather “master-tailor,” Wu-jé (Dwu-rje) tsem-po on Tashi-gyantsa, see infra, p. 67.—(W. R.)

[108] The second Tale lama was known by the name of Gedun-gyatso. Born in 1476.—(W. R.)

[109] Our author says their name is written Rogyo-pa, meaning “corpse-vulture.” According to Jaeschke, the “vulture” is go-vo, while ro means “corpse.” Further on (p. 163) S. C. D. calls them ragyabas, and tells us that their houses (at Lhasa at all events) must have walls made of horns. From the fact that “horn” in Tibetan is ra-cho, we might suppose that the name of this class of people is Ra-cho-pa, “the horny ones.” I have never met with the name in writing.—(W. R.)

[110] I have never seen pottery made in Tibet, but know that no wheel is used. Capt. R. B. Pemberton, in his ‘Report on Bootan’ (in ‘Political Missions to Bootan,’ p. 74), gives a minute description of the mode of making pottery among the Butia. He remarks that “a lump of the compost was placed on a flat board, supported on the top of three sticks, and was kneaded from the centre outwards, until an opening had been effected through the mass; the orifice thus made was gradually enlarged by the person who preserved its circular form by walking round the board on which the mass rested.... The mass thus prepared formed the upper section of the vessel; and the lower half being wrought by a similar process, the two parts were united together, and the vessel completed.” The whole paragraph is very interesting.—(W. R.)

[111] Kwa-tse (or kua-tzŭ) is a Chinese term for a short riding-jacket. The Tibetans of the better class have adopted this article of Chinese clothing, and also their name for it. I have never heard trousers called anything but ma-yo (smad-gyogs).—(W. R.)

[112] Cf. Sam. Turner, op. cit., p. 303.

[113] Or drung-yig, “clerk, secretary.” Khamba Dungyig means “the clerk from Khams” (or Eastern Tibet).—(W. R.)

[114] They are usually called Peurbu in Tibetan, and by the Chinese these people are known as Pe- (or Pieh-) pung-tzu. They are not to be confounded with the Gorkhas, who are called Korhka. Abbé Huc, ‘Souvenirs d’un Voyage, etc.,’ ii. 267, calls them Péboun. Speaking of those of Lhasa, he says, “Les Péboun sont les seuls ouvriers métallurgistes de Lha-Ssa. C’est dans leur quartier qu’il faut aller chercher les forgerons, les chaudronniers, les plombiers, les étameurs, les fondeurs, les orfèvres, les bijoutiers, les mécaniciens, même les physiciens et les chimistes.”—(W. R.) Balpo, or properly Palpa, is the chief district in Western Nepal.

[115] Chos dja. Probably the yellow-pointed cloth hat with flaps, and ending in a point on either side in front, the usual head-cover of lamas outside their monasteries. Inside the lamaseries all go bareheaded.—(W. R.)

[116] In the account of his first journey, he says that these “chaits” are on top of the palace of the Tashi lama.

[117] Elsewhere he says that Shikha means “bailiff.”

[118] The syllable la, here and throughout this narrative, whenever it is a suffix to a name of a person, forms no part of the name, but is only an honorific expletive. It is even used after titles, as Ponbo la, Pundib la, Lhacham la, Kusho la, etc. Chandra Das hardly ever gives the names of the Tibetans he refers to in his narrative, because a person’s name is never used when he or she is addressed, nor is it but rarely mentioned. He probably never heard the names of most of the people of whom he speaks.—(W. R.)

[119] Written grog tsang, or grog-ma tsang.—(W. R.)

[120] Or Eastern (shar) gyatso.—(W. R.)

[121] Kye-na of the map.—(W. R.)

[122] Probably Shornub is shar, “east;” nub, “west.”—(W. R.)

[123] By “Grand Lama” the author means the Panchen Rinpoche or Teshu lama of Tashilhunpo.

[124] Called on the map Gang, Jor-gya, Patshal, Pen jang. Natog does not appear on it. On p. 74 he calls Penagangdo, Penjang, and Pishi, Patal.—(W. R.)

[125] I have never heard of unam; but gonam (sgo snam?) is the name generally given to serges and foreign (Russian) broadcloth.—(W. R.)

[126] A mani lhakhang is usually a chorten around which are, under covered galleries, rows of large prayer-wheels, or rather prayer-barrels. I have never seen any temple attached to such structures; but the chortens are hollow, with an opening at the base by which clay tsa-tsa offerings can be put in the monument.—(W. R.)

[127] Doi of the maps.—(W. R.)

[128] Penam jong of the maps. Cf. Captain Turner, op. cit., 229 (he calls it Painam), and C. R. Markham, op. cit., 78, where Bogle also refers to it as Painam.—(W. R.)

[129] In Tibet a married woman is called chang-ma, or “wine companion.” One of her principal duties is to present wine to her friends and guests. It is to avoid this duty that many women enter monastic life (S. C. D.). I think S. C. D. was misinformed. A wife is called chung-ma, not chang-ma. Chung means “little,” and ma “mother.”—(W. R.)

[130] The metaphysical portion of the Tibetan Buddhist scriptures, called in Sanskrit Abhidharma.—(W. R.)

[131] Or gsol gchig, i.e. “first meal.”—(W. R.)

[132] Pe li of the maps.—(W. R.)

[133] Chog-tse of the maps.—(W. R.)

[134] See J.R.A.S., n.s., vol. xxiii. p. 220. The Dung-khors’ offices are mostly hereditary.—(W. R.)

[135] Nagpa, “enchanters or experts in incantations.” See Waddell, op. cit., 475, 483. ‘Land of the Lamas,’ p. 217.—(W. R.)

[136] Or Norbu khyung hdjin (?), “the precious garuda-holder.” The garuda (khyung) is the king of birds, according to Tibetans.—(W. R.)

[137] Pong kong of the maps.—(W. R.)

[138] Called Tho-man on the maps.—(W. R.)

[139] Ging-gu la, Yá-go, and Tuchung-Jong of the maps.—(W. R.)

[140] Called Shar cho ening on the maps. Shar, “east;” chyog (pyogs), “quarter.”—(W. R.)

[141] Dowa targya of the map.—(W. R.)

[142] The author is slightly mistaken here. The Gyarong is on the west border of Sze-ch’uan and identical with the Chinese Chin-chuan, while Markham is to the west of the River of Golden Sands (Chin sha chiang), in 29° N. lat., with its capital at Gartok (or Chiang-ka), and is one of the easternmost provinces ruled by Lhasa.—(W. R.)

[143] Georgi, ‘Alph. Tibet.,’ p. 450, appears to refer to Dongtse when he says, “Antequam pervenias Kiangse Feudum est Kalonii Prouse, Castellum Vallo minutum, et Aurifodina.”—(W. R.)

[144] Kon-chog sum, i.e. Buddha, the Law and the Brotherhood (Sangha). Protestant missionaries have, very wrongly, I think, used the word Kon-chog as a translation of our word God, which is as untranslatable into Tibetan as it appears to be into Chinese, unless the Mohammedan expression Chen chu, “the real Lord,” be used.—(W. R.)

[145] Or Ngi-hok, an open quadrangle on the roof of a house, enclosed on all sides by walls, in two of which are door-like openings (S. C. D.). Jaeschke explains the word nyi-yol by “any screen or shelter from the sun’s rays: awning, curtain, parasol, pent-house.”

[146] Gnas-brtan bchu-drug, the sixteen highest disciples of the Buddha Gautama.—(W. R.)

[147] Cf. Captain Sam. Turner, op. cit., 236, and Geo. Bogle (in C. R. Markham’s ‘Narrative of the Mission, etc.,’ 97). Bogle there says, “The floor is of a chalky clay, mixed with small pebbles, and formed into a smooth and very beautiful terrace, which, by the labours of a young gylang, who every morning gets his feet upon two woollen cloths, and exercises himself for three or four hours in skating about the room, will, in the course of fifteen or twenty years, acquire a polish equal to the other floors in the palace, which are not inferior to the finest variegated marble.”—(W. R.)

[148] This image is called the Jo-vo. It is in the Lhasa Jokhang, in the centre of the city. See my ‘Land of the Lamas,’ p. 105, note 2. See also chap. vi. p. 151 of the present narrative.—(W. R.)

[149] Called in Tibetan Chos-gyong (skyong), “protectors of the doctrine,” or Ku na gyalbo, “five great kings.” See Emil Schlagintweit, ‘Buddhism in Tibet,’ p. 157.

[150] Dzabs-drung-(pa), lit., “one near the feet of.” The expression ku-drung-pa, “near the body,” is also used.—(W. R.)

[151] Mdah-dpon, “master of the arrow,” is a military officer of about the rank of a general; they are given light-blue buttons (4th class) by the Chinese authorities.—(W. R.)

[152] A Chyan-dso-pa, or Chya-djo-pa (Phyag-mdjod-pa), is a civil officer (of 5th class of Chinese official rank) of the treasury.—(W. R.)

[153] The minister was not correctly informed. So far as I am aware, the Chinese never use this kind of “white board.” It is, however, in general use among the Western Mongols, where paper is quite as rare as in most places in Tibet.—(W. R.)

[154] A Tsipon is an accounting officer, and is assimilated by the Chinese to a 4th class official among them.—(W. R.)

[155] One of these earrings is figured in Hooker’s ‘Himalayan Journals,’ ii. 271. Tibetan men always, I believe, wear their earring in the left ear.—(W. R.)

[156] I think the author means pé-tsé, the usual Tibetan pronunciation of the Chinese pai-ts’ai, and meaning “cabbage.” “Cured in the cold draught” is a culinary preparation unknown to me. White potatoes are used all over Tibet; they were introduced into Bhutan in 1774 by Mr. Bogle (see Markham’s ‘Tibet,’ p. 19). Radishes, or rather turnips (la-pug, from the Chinese lo-po), are usually eaten raw; they are also dried for winter use.—(W. R.)

[157] A. K. calls it Pena Nang Chu river.—(W. R.)

[158] The Tibetans neither kill nor will they eat hares. All wild fowl are equally safe from their guns.—(W. R.)

[159] A. K. says of this place (which he reached on August 21, 1878): “Giangche, a small town on the right bank of the Pena Nang Chu river. The town is situated about two small hills which lie east and west, and are united by a saddle; the western hill is further connected with the chain of mountains to the north. On the eastern hill, which is about 600 feet above the surrounding plain, is a large fort, ... and on the western hill a Gomba inhabited by five hundred Dabas. In this Gomba there is a Chiorten, called Pangon Chiorten, which is considered by the Tibetans a most holy place. Besides the fort and temple, there are about one thousand dwelling-houses on three sides of the double hill. Woollen cloth called Nhambu is manufactured. There is a large market; and traders from Nepal and China reside here.” See ‘Report on the Explorations in Great Tibet,’ by A. K., p. 31.

[160] But women throughout Tibet do most of the selling in the shops and the markets.—(W. R.)

[161] Ta Laoyeh is the honorific appellation claimed by all subordinate Chinese officers in Tibet, from the rank of Pa-tsung (sergeant) to that of Shou-pei, or major. The Chinese officer in command of the post of Gyantse is, I believe, a Chien-tsung, or lieutenant. On the Tibetan military organization, see chap. vii. p. 180.—(W. R.)

[162] The ordinary kang is a measure of land in which about 400 lbs. of seed-grain can be sown. The State tax on each kang is 50 srang (or ounces of silver) a year.—(S. C. D.)

[163] On the pay and allowances of the Chinese troops in Tibet, see J.R.A.S., n.s. xxiii., p. 276–278. In many places along the route between Lhasa and Tachienlu the Chinese soldiers are never paid in cash, but only receive brick-tea, the value of which is arbitrarily fixed by the paymaster, who cheats the poor devils most disgracefully. A srang is an ounce of silver, the Chinese tael.—(W. R.)

[164] Georgi, op. cit., p. 451, says of this town, Kiangse: “Civitas præclara et planire ad radius montium. Ad Urbis, præsidium Arx est inædificata rupi, musis, et fossis aquæ vivæ circumvallata. Cœnobium vero adeo vastum, et magnificum, ut quum millia aliquot Xacaitarum contineat, alterius cujusdam civitatis speciem præreferre videatur.”

[165] Born in A.D. 1595 in S.E. Tibet (see Waddell, op. cit., p. 4).—(W. R.)

[166] Probably an error for Dorje chyak, Vadjrapani.—(W. R.)

[167] In the Lhobrak country lama Ugyen-gyatso visited the celebrated shrine of Seh Guru Chhoi wang, built after the model of the famous monastery of Nalendra, in Magadha. “The shrine ... contains some important relics, among others a stuffed horse of great sanctity (belonging to the Great Guru), which is called Jamling ninkhore, or ‘the horse that can go round the world in a day.’ Observing that the horse was bereft of his left leg, U. G. inquired the cause, and was told how the leg had been stolen by a Khamba pilgrim with a view of enchanting the ponies of Kham.” See ‘Report of Explorations from 1856–86,’ p. 23. Probably the objects seen at Gyantse by our author were originally votive offerings, and now simply curios.—(W. R.)

[168] Probably written Ston ran-pa, “one who may teach; a doctor.” See ‘Indian Pundits in the Land of Snow.’ It is probably the same degree as Ge-she.—(W. R.).

[169] Both Bogle (op. cit., p. 107) and Captain Turner (op. cit., p. 284) mention the fondness of the Tibetans of Shigatse for palmistry.—(W. R.)

[170] All these are Chinese dishes.—(W. R.)

[171] Gong khang means “upper house.”—(W. R.)

[172] Most likely imported into the country by some Chinese. I have never seen a greyhound in Tibet, and they are rare even in China and Mongolia.—(W. R.)

[173] Apparently we should read “husbands,” for the author has told us that this accomplished young woman was the wife of the two sons of the Chyag-dso-pa.—(W. R.)

[174] Jaeschke, ‘Tib.-Engl. Dict.’ s.v. oug-pa, says this word is used to designate a medicinal plant. It usually, however, means “hand.” Soap is known and occasionally used in Tibet, though not manufactured there. It is usually called langle (written “glang-glad”). It is brought there from India or China, the former kind being the best.—(W. R.)

[175] See chap. vii. p. 171.

[176] Shar-li means, literally, “Eastern bell-metal;” and Nub-li, “Western bell-metal.”—(W. R.)

[177] On July 31, 1879, the thirteenth incarnation of the Dalai lama was placed on the throne of Lhasa. Chandra Das speaks of this event in the following terms: “The princely infant, into whose person the spirit of the late Dalai had passed, had been brought up till now in a small palace of Gyal-kup, near Lhasa. Last year the Tashi lama, at the invitation of the Emperor of China and the high officials of Tibet, had gone to Lhasa to examine the infant Dalai, and report if the spirit of the last Dalai had really passed into his person. For several days oracles were consulted, the result being to establish beyond doubt that the infant was the incarnate Shenrazig, the patron of Tibet. On the day when he pronounced the infant’s claim to the pontifical throne to be good and valid, a magnificent rainbow is said to have appeared over the palace of Potala. The Tashi lama had fixed July 31 for the Dalai’s accession to the throne” (see ‘Narrative of a Journey to Tashilhunpo,’ p. 25).

[178] The Khamba are much dreaded throughout Tibet; frequent mentions are made in the narratives of the Indian explorers of their lawless ways. For fuller particulars regarding them and their country, I must refer the reader to my ‘Land of the Lamas’ and to the narrative of A. K.’s journey.—(W. R.)

[179] See supra, p. 75.

[180] De-le of our maps.—(W. R.)

[181] Speaking of the dances of Tibet, our author says elsewhere that Padma Sambhava, in the eighth century, A.D., is the reputed originator of religious dances in Tibet. He introduced the war-dance and the famous masqued dance, or bag chams (hbag hchams), the former being but a modification of the latter. At present the great religious dance of Tibet is the black-hat dance (Dza nag cham), which was introduced in the eleventh century, A.D., to commemorate the assassination of the iconoclast King Langdarma by Lama Lhalun Paldor, the murderer having disguised himself in black when seeking to approach the king. The ordinary dance of Tibet (dzabs bro) is performed by men and women on all or any occasion of rejoicing. Sometimes they dance in pairs, sometimes in a ring, and at others the women hand-in-hand on one side, the men in like fashion on the other. (S. C. D.) Cf. Markham, ‘Tibet,’ p. 92; E. F. Knight, ‘Where Three Empires Meet,’ p. 202 et sqq.; Waddell, ‘Buddhism of Tibet,’ pp. 34, 477, 515 et sqq.

[182] Cf. infra, p. 116.

[183] The office here mentioned is well known in Sikkim. See the Sikhim Gazetteer, p. 304, vi. The amged, as colloquially pronounced, is the active ruler of the monastery, and often a very important person.

[184] This Chinese Buddhist monk (or ho-shang) came to Tibet in the reign of King Srong-btsan gambo (A.D. 629–698). He is usually called Mahadeva, not Dharmatala.—(W. R.)

[185] Geo. Bogle, op. cit., p. 106, witnessed a somewhat similar dance at Tashilhunpo on New Year’s Day. An effigy of the devil was likewise burnt. Tibetans use the word atsara much as the Chinese do yang kuei-tzŭ, or “foreign devils,” though it was originally the name given to learned Indian pilgrims. The word is Sanskrit, acharya.—(W. R.)

[186] See Captain Samuel Turner, ‘Embassy,’ p. 314.

[187] According to Chinese authorities, this, or a similar feast, is celebrated at Lhasa in the second moon of the year. Another analogous festival is held on the 30th day of the sixth moon. See J.R.A.S., xxiii. pp. 212, 213.—(W. R.)

[188] The Chang-tang is not an uninhabited desert, for numerous tribes of Drupa pasture their herds there the year long, and keep up a considerable trade with Lhasa and Shigatse, which they supply with salt. It has been repeatedly crossed by European explorers.—(W. R.)

[189] Cf. the legend of the miraculous tree sprung from the hair of Tsongkhapa, and still growing in the courtyard of Kumbum gomba. ‘The Land of the Lamas,’ pp. 67, 68.

[190] On the new year festivities, see Waddell, op. cit., p. 513.

[191] On lamaist monachism, see Sarat Chandra Das’s ‘Indian Pundits in the Land of Snow,’ and Waddell, op. cit., pp. 169 et sqq.

[192] In the narrative of his journey in 1879 (p. 26), S. C. D. thus describes the headdress of the ladies of wealth and fashion at a festival at Tashilhunpo: “Their headdresses struck me much. The prevailing form consisted of two, or sometimes three, circular bands of plaited hair placed across the head and richly studded with pearls, cat’s-eyes, small rubies, emeralds, diamonds, coral and turquoise beads as large as hens’ eggs, pearl drops, and various sorts of amber and jade encircled their heads, like the halo of light round the heads of goddesses. These circles were attached to a circular headband, from which six or eight short strings of pearls and regularly shaped pieces of turquoise and other precious stones hung down over the forehead.”

[193] Farther on (p. 138), our author tells us that the incarnate goddess Dorje phagmo also wore her hair long.

[194] See my ‘Diary of a Journey through Mongolia and Tibet,’ p. 256, where two such tea-churns are shown.—(W. R.)

[195] I think our author was misinformed. Rampa (Polygonum viviparum, L.) does not grow as described here. Rampa seed is eaten, after being parched and ground, mixed with tsamba. Choma (Potentilla anserina), also eaten all over Tibet wherever it occurs, is dug out of the ground; it is not a grain, however, but a small root. I think Chandra Das must refer to choma, though it is a small tuber not over 1½ inches long.—(W. R.)

[196] Lama Serap gyatsho says there are three different kinds of Lobas, viz. Lo Karpo, Lo Nagpo, and Lo Tawa, or Lo Khabta. The Lo Karpo means “white, and little civilized.” The Lo Nagpo means “black, and little civilized.” The Lo Tawas, or stripped Lobas, meaning “quite barbarous Lobas,” live on the lower part of the Tsangpo, on the east bank. They are said to kill the mother of the bride in performing their marriage ceremony, when they do not find any wild men, and eat her flesh. Report on Explorations, etc., p. 7. See also ibid., pp. 16, 17; and Pundit Nain Singh’s Journey, in Jour. Roy. Geo. Soc., vol. xlvii. p. 120.

[197] Og khang means “lower house,” as opposed to Gong khang, “upper house, or story.”—(W. R.)

[198] Torma offerings are cones made of tsamba, butter, treacle, and sugar, and not unfrequently of cardboard, and sometimes painted red, blue, or green. They are placed in front of the images of malignant gods as propitiatory offerings. See Waddell, op. cit., 297. On the word nyihok, see supra, p. 77.—(W. R.)

[199] One of these libation bowls is represented on p. 90 of ‘Land of the Lamas.’—(W. R.)

[200] Lha-sre is the usual title of sons of very high officials. It means, literally, “son of a god,” but may be conveniently translated by “prince.”—(W. R.)

[201] See note 1, p. 115.

[202] The “presiding deity” was probably Dorje sempa or Vajrasattva. The Kala Chakra mysticism and its standard work in the Tibetan Tanjur, called ‘Dus-gi khorlo,’ which I once tried to read, have remained beyond my comprehension. Emil Schlagintweit, ‘Buddhism in Tibet,’ pp. 46–57, and p. 242 et sqq., gives many details on the subject. See also Waddell, op. cit., 15, 144, 397.—(W. R.)

[203] This official is referred to, p. 94.—(W. R.)

[204] Chandra Das’s experience recalls to my mind the prophecy made me in 1889 by an incarnate lama in the Tsaidam. ‘Land of the Lamas,’ pp. 164, 165.

[205] Rong usually means a fertile valley where cultivation is possible, or which is cultivated.—(W. R.)

[206] Gab zi on the maps. It must be the same as A. K.’s Upsi village, where, he says, there is a large Chinese stage-house.—(W. R.)

[207] Called Shetot on the map.—(W. R.)

[208] A. K. says that there is also at this village a large Chinese post station. These post stations are called tang in Chinese; the building itself is a kung kuan. On the Dugpa sect, see Waddell, op. cit. He says it originated in the XIIth century.—(W. R.)

[209] Also known as Ralung la, according to A. K.—(W. R.)

[210] Jaeschke, Dict., s.v. o-ma., says that this name designates the plain on which Lhasa stands. Georgi, op. cit., p. 451, mentions between Gyantse and Nangartse, Lhomar and Lhamentung. The first place I do not find on any maps at my disposal. The latter, however, corresponds with the Langma of the maps. According to the maps, the Karo la is 16,600 feet high.—(W. R.)

[211] On such religious services, see Waddell, op. cit., 353, 494 et sqq.—(W. R.)

[212] The name is written Bsam-lding, meaning, apparently, “fancy floating.” It was founded, according to Chandra Das’s authorities, by Shon-nu drupa.—(W. R.)

[213] Tibetan, Mongol, and Chinese doctors ask their patients but few, if any, questions. They are supposed to diagnose the disease by the general appearance of the patient and by his pulse and the condition of his urine.—(W. R.)

[214] Khyab-gong and Khyab-gong rinpoche are titles given all the higher incarnate lamas. The word means “protector.”—(W. R.)

[215] Such pills are usually called mani rilbu. On the ceremonies performed in making them, I must refer the reader to my paper on the subject in Proceedings of the American Oriental Society, October, 1888, p. xxii. On the subject of “general teas,” see Huc, ‘Souvenirs,’ vol. ii. p. 122; ‘Land of the Lamas,’ p. 104; and Waddell, ‘Buddhism of Tibet,’ p. 191.—(W. R.)

[216] Sa-ga is the name of the 15th lunar mansion (gyu-kar), and also of a month of the year. Dao is Da-wa, “a month.” On the new moon festivals, see Waddell, op. cit., 501.

[217] This custom prevails in China, where it is called fang sheng, “to let go living creatures.”—(W. R.)

[218] See ‘Land of the Lamas,’ p. 164.

[219] Gurkum is saffron. Chusum may be rhubarb.—(W. R.)

[220] Cf., however, note, p. 131, where he says that the founder of this lamasery was Shon-nu drupa.—(W. R.)

[221] See ‘Land of the Lamas,’ p. 106. On Tamdrin, see Waddell, op. cit., 62 and 364.

[222] Georgi, ‘Alph. Tibet.,’ p. 451 says, “In Australi eorum (montium) latere Monasterium, et Sedes est Magnæ Renatæ Lhamissæ Turcepamò. Eam Indi quoque Nekpallenses, tanquam ipsissimam Deam Bavani venerantur et colunt.” Mr. Geo. Bogle visited her at Tashilhunpo in 1775: “The mother went with me into the apartment of Durjay Paumo, who was attired in a gylong’s dress, her arms bare from the shoulders, and sitting cross-legged upon a low cushion. She is also the daughter of the lama’s brother, but by a different wife. She is about seven and twenty, with small Chinese features, delicate, though not regular, fine eyes and teeth.... She wears her hair—a privilege granted to no other vestal I have seen; it is combed back, without any ornaments, and falls in tresses upon her shoulders.... I never visited her but this time. Mr. Hamilton used to be there almost every day.” Markham, ‘Tibet,’ pp. 105, 108, 109.

[223] Hailo must be the Hang of the maps.—(W. R.)

[224] Georgi, ‘Alph. Tibet.,’ p. 451, speaking of Lake Palti, says, “Palti: Lacus, alias Jamdro aut Jang-so nuncupatus. Maximæ amplitudinis est, quam homo pedibus, uti indigene tradunt, nonnisi octodecim dierum spatio circumire queat. Sic totus ambitus 300. circiter milliariorum esset.” A. K. calls the town Pete Jong, and on the maps it figures as Pe de Jong, or Piahte-Jong. The Chinese call it Pai-ti, but I have been told by Tibetans that the name is Pé-di (written Spe-di).—(W. R.)

[225] The name is also written Sha-ma-lung and Demalung.—(W. R.)

[226] The Khamba barchi of the native explorers. It is also called Kampa lacha.—Khamba chyang tang means “Plain north of Khamba.”—(W. R.)

[227] A. K. thus describes this bridge: “The bridge is formed of two iron chains, one on each side; from the chains thick ropes are suspended to the depth of four yards; by these ropes planks, three feet long and one foot broad, are supported lengthwise, so as only to admit of one person crossing at a time. The chains are stretched very tight, and are fastened around huge blocks of wood buried beneath immense piles of stone; the length of the bridge is about 100 paces.” ‘Report on the Explorations,’ p. 31. This is the usual style of Chinese suspension bridge common throughout Western China and Tibet. This one was in all likelihood built by the Chinese in the eighteenth century. I am not aware that the Tibetans ever build this style of bridge; theirs are usually of wood and of the cantilever description. See my ‘Diary of a Journey,’ p. 304.—(W. R.)

[228] Chinese authors say that convicts used to be confined at this place. See Jour. Roy. As. Soc., 1891, p. 78.—(W. R.)

[229] On the maps this place is called Tsha-bu-na.—(W. R.)

[230] Called Chiang-li by the Chinese.—(W. R.)

[231] The name is also written Nyer-tam. The Chinese call it Yeh-tang. Atisha came from India to Tibet in A.D. 1083. His proper Indian name was Dipankara Srijnana.—(W. R.)

[232] What the Chinese call chan. They are ridiculously short on the high-road between Lhasa and China, and probably elsewhere. This is so as to make the ula less oppressive, and I suspect it has something to do with the allowances of the Chinese officers who have to travel over it, and which are regulated by stages, not by miles travelled.—(W. R.)

[233] I have always heard policemen called sa sung (srung) pa by Tibetans. The word used by our author seems to be khor che (byed) pa, which would correspond to “patrol-men.” Huc says that Lhasa is about two leagues in circumference, and A. K. that it is about six miles.—(W. R.)

[234] Doring (or rdo ring) means “ancient stone,” or “stone from long ago.” On the inscription here referred to, see Jour. Roy. As. Soc. (new series), vol. xii. 486 et sqq.; and vol. xxiii. p. 264. Yu-tog zamba means “blue roofed bridge.”—(W. R.)

[235] Better known by its popular name of Cho or Jo khang, or Lhasa Jo-wo khang. A. K. calls it Jhio. He also mentions Azimabad (Patna) merchants as having shops in Lhasa.—‘Report on the Explorations,’ p. 32. See also Waddell, op. cit., 300 et sqq.

[236] These “fringes” are cotton strips on which are printed charms (mantras). Usually the figure of a horse occupies the middle of the strip. They are called lung-ta, or “wind-horse.” E. Schlagintweit, ‘Buddhism in Tibet,’ p. 253, and plate xi. The “inscribed banners” belong to the same class of objects, and have also prayers or passages from the scriptures printed on them. Georgi, ‘Alph. Tibet.,’ p. 509, refers to these “flag-poles” as being called Tarpo che (tar-pai shing?), “Arbor salutaris, depulsoria mali.” See also Waddell, op. cit., 468 et sqq.

[237] Mutton fat is a common substitute for butter in tea among the Tibetans, and is not always used as a pis aller, but in preference to butter.—(W. R.)

[238] A dzo is a tenth of an ounce (sang), or about two-thirds of a rupee in weight. In India its equivalent is a tola.—(W. R.)

[239] The Buddha’s death is said to have occurred on the 15th of the 4th month, which only occasionally falls on June 1.—(W. R.)

[240] “Outside the gate (of the Jo khang) there is a stone pillar in a poor state of preservation: it is the tablet containing the alliance of Tang Te-tsung with his nephew. On either side of the pillar are old willows, whose aged trunks are bent and twisted like writhing dragons. It is said that they date from the Tang period.” Jour. Roy. As. Soc. (new series), vol. xxiii. p. 264. This inscription bears date A.D. 783.—(W. R.)

[241] See I. J. Schmidt, ‘Geschichte der Ost-Mongolen von Ssanang Ssetsen,’ p. 35. According to Tibetan historians, this same princess (or Kung chu, her name was Chin-Cheng), the wife of King Srong-btsan gambo, introduced into Tibet, among other things, the art of pottery, grist-mills, looms, etc. Emil Schlagintweit, ‘Die Könige von Tibet,’ p. 49. Chinese authors (see Jour. Roy. As. Soc., vol. xxiii. p. 191) attribute to her influence the first use of winepresses, paper, ink, the Chinese almanac, and the introduction of the silkworm. This princess was not a daughter of the Emperor Tai-tsung, but a member of his family. She appears to have travelled from China to Lhasa by the Hsi-ning road, which passes by the sources of the Yellow River.—(W. R.)

[242] On the various celebrated images of the Buddha, see ‘Land of the Lamas,’ p. 105, note 2. Kunyer is the “keeper of images.”—(W. R.)

[243] Maitreya (Chyamba, in Tibetan) is the Buddha to come in the last period of this cycle, and Dipankara (Mar-me dzad) is the Buddha of the first period. The historical Buddha, or Sachya tubpa, is the Buddha of the present era.—(W. R.)

[244] Our author calls it “a fossil rock ... discovered in a rock cavern in Tibet.” I can offer no explanation of the nature of this relic.—(W. R.)

[245] A river of Magadha famous in early Buddhist history, and in which the Buddha is said to have bathed after attaining omniscience.—(W. R.)

[246] This king reigned over Tibet at the end of the ninth century, A.D. He appears to have been a fervent follower of the Bonbo religion. He was murdered in 900 by a lama who had disguised himself so as to be able to approach the king, and went through clownish tricks and dances. The murder of the king is still fêted by dances, in which the participants wear costumes resembling those of the murderer of the iconoclast. See supra, p. 114.—(S. C. D.)

[247] Presumably Chyi (phyi), “outside;” and ra-wa, “an enclosure.”

[248] I suppose this name means “innumerable beings; legions of beings (gro-vo); a host in himself.” The title To-wo or, “Angry,” applies to a whole class of deities of the Protector (or Chos-gyong) class.—(W. R.)

[249] A wandering lama and saint who lived in Southern Tibet in the eleventh century, and who taught by parables and songs, some of which have considerable literary merit. The two principal works ascribed to him are an autobiography, or ‘Nam-tar,’ and a collection of tracts called ‘Lu bum,’ or “the myriad songs.” They are still among the most popular books in Tibet. See Nineteenth Century, Oct., 1899, pp. 613–632.—(W. R.)

[250] Though I have not a copy of Milarapa’s ‘Lu bum’ with me, I feel sure that this anecdote is taken from it.—(W. R.)

[251] Ramoche means “a large enclosure”; it was probably the name of the locality on which the famous temple was built, and not the original name of that structure.—(W. R.)

[252] A. K. (op. cit., p. 33) mentions this chorten which he calls Giang Bimmoche, “erected in honour of a Tibetan hero who is said to have killed 100,000 of his enemies (Chinese) on the spot.”—(W. R.)

[253] The princess is said to have been buried in this temple.—(W. R.)

[254] Georgi, ‘Alph. Tibet.,’ p. 242, says, “Magiæ Doctores Nga Rambà dicti, diabolicæ hujus sapientiæ mysteriis initiantur, Magica Laurea solemniter ornantur in duobus Lhassæ Cœnobiis Ramoie Chintopà & Morù Chinpà nuncupatis.... Oracula sunt tum publica tum domestica, quæ Populi, quæ Cives, quæ sacri ac profani Magistratus adeant responsa capturi.”

[255] Or Ta-chien-lu, on the border of Sze-chuen.—(W. R.)

[256] Pomda appears to be Pungde, a little post-station two days’ ride from Chamdo, and south-east of that town. It is called by the Chinese Pao-tun. See my ‘Diary of a Journey,’ p. 316.—(W. R.)

[257] Amdo is that portion of the western border-land of the Chinese province of Kansu and Sze-chuen which is occupied by Tibetan tribes. This anecdote is also found in Ugyen-gyatso’s relation of his exploration, ‘Report on Explorations from 1856 to 1886,’ p. 31.

[258] Cf. Huc, ‘Souvenirs d’un voyage dans la Tartarie et le Thibet,’ vol. ii. p. 258; and ‘Land of the Lamas,’ p. 214.

[259] Georgi, op. cit., p. 406 et sqq., describes very fully and accurately this famous temple, of which he also gives a ground plan. He calls it the Lahpranga Lhassensi. This description agrees very closely with that of our author, and is highly interesting, as the analogies between its style of architecture and that of Christian churches are discussed.—(W. R.).

[260] Phagpa was given the government of Tibet by the Emperor Kublai in A.D. 1260. The first of the Phagmodu kings was Nyakri btsan-po, who is said to have ascended the throne of Tibet (then a little principality south of the Tsangpo, in the Yarlung valley) B.C. 313. See I. J. Schmidt, op. sup. cit., p. 23; and Emil Schlagintweit, ‘Die Könige von Tibet,’ pp. 39–41. From B.C. 313 to A.D. 1260 is such a long period of time, that we are hardly able to say that the date of the introduction of tea into Tibet has been fixed. It is probable that the Tibetans did not use tea before the eighth century, at the earliest, and its use only became common in recent times. No mention, I believe, is made of tea in the works of Milarapa (eleventh century), nor in any of the older books known to us in the Tibetan language.—(W. R.)

[261] According to Chinese authors, the selection of incarnate lamas by the drawing of lots from a golden vase dates from 1793. See Jour. Roy. As. Soc., vol. xxiii.; ‘Land of the Lamas,’ p. 290; Waddell, op. cit., 245 et sqq. and 279, note 2; also Huc, op. cit., vol. ii. p. 348. François Bernier, in his ‘Voyages’ (1723), vol. ii. p. 310, gives some interesting details about the reincarnation of the Grand Lama, as told him by an attaché to a mission from the King of Little Tibet to Aureng-Zeb.—(W. R.)

[262] Among the strange events which occur on the birth of a reincarnation of the Tale lama may be mentioned “the blossoming, in the immediate vicinity of the birthplace, of fruit-trees some months before their usual season; the casting of two or more young by animals which as a rule do not cast so many at a birth; and the sudden recovery from fatal illnesses of persons coming in contact with the newborn child.” See ‘Report on Explorations,’ made by A. K., p. 32.—(W. R.)

[263] See Waddell, op. cit., p. 478. He calls him “the Necromancer-in-Ordinary to the Government.” He was first brought to Tibet by Padma-sambhava, the founder of Lamaism in the middle of the eighth century.—(W. R.)

[264] A small and fertile district a little to the east of Lhasa. The chief town in this district is usually called Kong-po gyamda. Explorer K. P. visited it in 1883 (?). He says that “there are about twenty Nepalese shops and fifteen shops of Tibetans at this place.” See ‘Report of Explorations in Butan and Tibet,’ p. 15.—(W. R.)

[265] Cf. Ugyen-gyatso’s account of this discovery in ‘Report on the Explorations,’ p. 31. The place of his birth was “Paruchude, near Nam Jong, in Takpo,” according to the explorer K. P., op. sup. cit., p. 8.—(W. R.)

[266] I.e. “foreigners;” literally, “outside-country.” The word has no connection, as was once supposed, with Feranghi or Franks.—(W. R.)

[267] Our author tells us further on (p. 216) of a woman married to two men not related. Elsewhere he makes mention of a lamasery in which monks and nuns cohabit, and bring up their children in their profession. Polygamy also obtains among the wealthier Tibetans, who have probably adopted it from the Chinese, and monogamy has a few votaries. See ‘Land of the Lamas,’ p. 211 et sqq.

[268] Meaning, literally, “pillars of southern wood.” The “southern wood” is probably the same as the nan mu or teak of the Chinese.—(W. R.)

[269] The term yang-yig usually means “musical score,” the lamas using sometimes a descriptive score to teach chanting.—(W. R.) Lu kang means “Snakehouse.”

[270] A medicinal plant.—(S. C. D.)

[271] See Jour. Roy. Asiat. Soc., xxiii. p. 70, and Huc, op. cit., ii. p. 194.—(W. R.)

[272] “In the faubourgs there is a quarter where the houses are built entirely with horns of oxen and sheep. These curious buildings are extremely solid, and present a rather pleasing aspect. The ox-horns being smooth and whitish, and the sheep-horns, on the contrary, black and rough, these strange building materials lend themselves marvellously well to endless combinations, and form on the walls designs of infinite variety; the spaces between the horns are filled with mortar. These houses are the only ones which are not whitewashed.” Huc, ‘Souvenirs d’un voyage,’ vol. ii. p. 254.

[273] The Kung-chu came to Tibet A.D. 639 (see I. J. Schmidt, op. cit., p. 341). He there says (translating from the Bodhimur) that when the princess reached the spot where the Ramoche temple now stands, the cart on which was the image of the Buddha (Jo-vo) stopped of itself, and could not be made to move forward.—(W. R.)

[274] Dolma, or Drolma (Sanskrit Tara). The two wives of King Srong-btsan gambo are worshipped under this name. The Chinese princess is called Dol-kar, or “the white Dolma,” and the Nepalese princess Dol-jang, or “the green Dolma.” The latter is prayed to by women for fecundity. On the worship of Dolma, see Waddell, op. cit., p. 435 et sqq.

[275] The god of eternal life; in Sanskrit, Amitāyus.

[276] The Ka-dro (mkah-hgro) are nymphs or fairies, all friendly to man. In Sanskrit they are called Dakini. See Waddell, op. cit., p. 366.

[277] Mumen, “a precious stone of dark blue, but inferior to the azure stone, occasionally used for rosaries.” Mention is also made of mumen dmar-po (“red mumen”). Jaeschke, ‘Tib.-Engl. Dict.,’ s.v. mu-men.

[278] From what the author says a little later, it would appear that, on the contrary, the Tale lama is very accessible. Manning called repeatedly on him in 1811, and Huc tells us there was no difficulty about being admitted to his presence.—(W. R.)

[279] Cf. Jour. Roy. Asiat. Soc., xxiii. p. 285.

[280] The earliest name of Mount Potala was Marpo ri, “the red hill.” King Srong-btsan gambo is said to have built a palace on its summit, and it was occupied by the kings of Tibet down to the time of the fifth Tale lama, who built about the middle of the seventeenth century the present palace. See Emil Schlagintweit, ‘Die Könige von Tibet,’ p. 49. Our author says the palace was built “by the fifth Dalai lama and his illustrious Regent Desi Sangye-gyatso.” In connection with our author’s audience of the Grand Lama, it is interesting to read Manning’s account, which agrees with it very closely.—(W. R.)