The travels of Bengalis in the past
Sumana Dam
(Continued from the last part)
The writer felt as though he was on some rough road in India when he arrived at the Gyanste and Lhasa highways. In some places, it was 20 feet wide, while in others, it was very narrow. The Tibetan government hardly spends on roads; there are no vehicles with wheels throughout Tibet.
After passing through many small and large villages, the writer reached the village of Ring-la and fell seriously ill. In his ill state, he had to ride a horse to Samding Gompa because there was a doctor there. After recovering from the Tibetan doctor's treatment, the writer departed from Samding to Lhasa on horseback on November 27. After traveling some distance, he saw wild goats, wild sheep, and a few musk deer grazing. Hunting wild animals is prohibited in the Yamdo district.
After passing through the town of Nangartse, they reached the shore of Yamdo Lake. At one point, following his companions' advice, the writer had to dismount from his horse, light incense, and pay respect to the spirit. The next day, they walked along the shore of the Palti Lake and reached the base of Khamba-la. The climb to this mountain was relatively easy. Along the road, there were images of Buddha and Bodhisattvas painted on stones at intervals.
From the top of Khamba-la, one could see one of the best views of Tibet. The Sangpo River valley was now before the writer. By midday, they descended to the opposite foothill. Two women working in a barley field asked the writer for money, offering him a bundle of barley. This practice is common throughout Tibet. Then, they saw women making bricks, which were dried and then transported by donkey and mule. They saw the Palchen Chubri Monastery and the suspension bridge over the Sangpo River, which was built in the 15th century.
They crossed the river on a boat with horses. Afterward, the Sangpo River merged with the Lhasa River. Carelessness could result in falling into the river from above or getting stuck in the marshes, leading to a potential death. After a difficult three-mile journey, the writer arrived at the famous Netang village, where Atisha Dipankar had passed away.
On the morning of May 30, the writer set off and passed through several villages before reaching a large sculpture of Buddha’s face carved from the mountain. At that moment, the writer realized that his long-awaited Lhasa was near. Entering through the western gate of the city with a spear in hand, the writer, along with his horse and Furchung, was stopped by the guards. The guards noticed that they were newcomers but did not speak a word. Exhaustion had caused his eyes to swell. With his black glasses and turban, he looked like a Ladakhi. Some people on the road mistook him for a smallpox patient. The guards were checking the belongings of others under the orders of a Lama, but they did not check the writer.
On both sides of the street were Tibetan and Chinese shops. At the front of each shop, there was a pyramid-like container with juniper branches and dry leaves burning to appease the gods. There were also shops selling silk, porcelain, tea, etc., run by Nepali and Kashmiri people. The writer was accommodated at the house where the Lama and officials of the Tashilhunpo Monastery stayed when they were in Lhasa.
On June 1, on the sacred day of Buddha's Nirvana, incense was lit on the mountain top, in monasteries, temples, and every home. In front of the main Buddhist temple, Sang-Khang, there was a long flagpole adorned with the tail hair of a yak, and horns from yaks and sheep. The Buddha statue in the monastery was made of five metals. It was supposedly crafted in Magadha, and besides this, there were statues of Maitreya Buddha, Dipankar Buddha, and twelve of Buddha's chief disciples. There was also a statue of the great reformer Sang-Khapa. The famous stone Amulungka was also visible, which had been used by Buddha's disciple, Moggallana. They also saw the most famous statue, Avalokiteshvara, with eleven faces. There were more statues on the second and third floors of the monastery.
The next day, the writer visited the Ramoche Gompa. From Lhasa, he traveled to Gyantse, where he spent some time at the Tashilhunpo Monastery before starting his journey to India on October 21, 1882. His guide's name was Gopan. Initially, they took the high road to reach Ring-la and then passed through beautiful pasturelands and mountain forests of junipers and cedars, arriving at Talun, a village famous for horse breeding. They then visited the Chong-Khor Monastery and arrived at the Sari village. At the shore of Yamdo Lake, they noticed a large prayer wheel in the village. An old man was tasked with turning the prayer wheel.
The next day, they crossed a small hill called Kabu-la and passed through the villages of Melung, Khamdo, and Ling. In the village of Karmoling, they saw hundreds of horses being ridden. These areas had few human settlements and mostly served as pastures for horses, donkeys, and yaks. They then reached the Tib-la mountain, the border of Yamdo and Lokha districts. The stunning view from the top of the mountain was unlike anything the writer had ever seen. The descent from the mountain was tough, especially with the strong wind. That night, they spent the night in the small village of Tib, listening to sweet songs from the local people.
The next day, they traveled along the path beside the Tib-Chu River, which was surrounded by thick juniper and fir trees. They spent the night in the old fort city of Khedeso, where there were flower gardens in every house.
The next day, they walked for two miles on soft sand and reached the Sangpo River. They crossed the half-mile wide river by boat, with their horses. Afterward, they traveled along the riverbank over hills and rocky terrain, requiring careful movement. They arrived at a large village called Sankar, and the path from there to Samye was sandy.
From the mountain above, the golden spire of the Samye Monastery sparkled in the sunlight. Upon arriving at Samye, the writer inquired about the library, where Atisha Dipankar had once seen many valuable manuscripts. However, he learned that the library had been destroyed long ago, and the books there were all new. The throne of the Dalai Lama was placed in the religious assembly hall.
While touring Samye village, the writer learned that the nearby mountain ranges were home to many wild goats, sheep, deer, and snow leopards. The village was slowly sinking into the sands of the Sangpo River. The writer heard that Guru Padmasambhava had made prophecies about this.
On November 2, the writer set off for Yarlung. Traveling along a sandy road, he passed many small and large villages. He saw the ruins of an ancient royal palace called Tagkar-sho. The ancient Buddhist monastery he saw in one of the villages resembled a house in Bengal. After crossing the river by boat, they reached Se-Tang, the capital of Yarlung, where there were some Nepali, Chinese, and Kashmiri shops.
From there, they toured the Yarlung Valley and saw the ruins of the ancient royal palace at Ne-Dong-Jong. This was the most ancient palace of the seventh century Tibetan kings. The architecture of the Tan-dub Temple was built in the architectural style of Indian influence.
They then visited the most ancient city of Tibet, Fodag Jong. The kings who had established dynasties here were called Chos-Gyal. Yarlung Valley is one of Tibet's most prosperous areas. The people here are gentle and peaceful. Afterward, on November 10, they left Yarlung and began their journey back to Tashilhunpo. They arrived at Tashilhunpo on November 24.
The writer then began preparing to travel to Shakya. With the help of a minister, he obtained his passport. On November 30, he bid farewell to Tashilhunpo and set off with Furchung and Gopan. From there, they traveled over the Khamba-Jong and Kogra Lamo passes to reach Darjeeling.
Traveling along the path of the Ri-Chu River, they stayed for a night at a house in Samdong. The house owner had two husbands, and they were not brothers. They then traveled along the banks of the Shab Chu River.
Shakya, located on the banks of the Tomchu River, was a beautiful city. The temples, libraries, and houses in the city were painted red, with black and blue streaks, giving the city a distinct look compared to other Tibetan cities. The monks here kept long hair, which they braided and wore earrings that covered their ears, extending almost to their shoulders. These earrings were made of gold and embedded with emeralds and turquoise. The library here was vast, with several scriptures written in golden letters. The pages of these scriptures were six feet long and one and a half feet wide, bound with iron. These were created on the orders of Emperor Kublai Khan (1215-1294).
On December 5, 1882, the writer left Shakya and traveled through the Choskhorr Ihunpo Monastery, crossing the Lona village and the Yahug River, climbing Dongla Mountain. From the peak, he saw the majestic Mount Everest (Chomo Kangkar) to the west. The Dongla Mountain is the origin of the Koshi River.
The path then led through a vast, rough valley surrounded by towering peaks. After passing through Map-ya and Donkar, they traveled along the route of the Sang-Chu River towards Shan-Pa-La. The writer noticed many burrowing rodents, disturbing the horse’s footing. Crossing the Shon-Pa mountain, they reached the Chib-Lung Valley. They then crossed the Dopta-Lachen-La pass, from where a view of many parts of Tibet, Nepal, and Sikkim's Himalayas was visible. After passing more villages and valleys, they arrived at Khamba, where they showed their permit to the Lamas. The Lamas approved it, offering the writer rice, sheepskin, and blankets with hopes of meeting again next year.
After bidding farewell to his guide Gopan, the writer rented two new horses and a tent made of yak hair with Furchug and continued his journey. Along the way, they saw many wild sheep and some jackals. They arrived at the Kogra Lamo pass, a beautiful and wild place with no human settlement. Here, they used their yak hair tent to protect themselves from the bitter cold wind. Furchung kept a fire burning all night.
The next day, on December 10, the writer reached Gen-Gang, the border of Tibet, Sikkim, and India. Then, traveling through Sikkim on the usual route for tourists, he returned to Darjeeling on December 27, 1882, after more than a year.
Based on the knowledge and books he collected from Tibet, Sarat Chandra Das wrote several valuable works, including a Tibetan language dictionary.
In 1885, when the administrator Colman Macaulay went to Beijing to seek approval for sending a mission to Tibet, Sarat Chandra Das accompanied him. However, he did not write anything about this journey, so details are unknown.
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