国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

THE SACRED LAKE AND ITS FOUR RIVERS.

47

considerable elevation he finds probable from the circumstance of four of the longest rivers in India taking their rise in that quarter.

These four rivers are: the Satlej, the Indus, the Brahmaputra and the Gogra. The Sind or Indus is called Singe Choo or Singzhing-Khampa and ',has its source to the northward of the Kylas Mountain, and some of its fountains come from the foot of it». The first part of this sentence contains the truth about the source of the Indus. Gerard also heard of one of the tributaries which he thinks must be the same as the Shayook of Lieutenant i\Iacartney, which was said to run west of the road between Leh and Yarkand.

The third river was said to be larger than the Indus, and called Tamjoo,

Damchoo, or Erechumboo; I that is, the Brahmapootra. »One stream, which is reckoned the principal, rises south-east of Mansurowur, and there are others from the eastward; this agrees very well with the accounts of the Lamas, who describe the Brahmapootra as issuing from the eastern side of Mont Kentaise, undoubtedly a topographical error for Kenlaise (Kylas), which those people must have well known, since it is the duty of Lamas to perform the circuit of that mountain.' They make the Brahmapootra rise south-east of Conghe Lake, which the Koonawurees call Koongeoo or Goongeoo; there must, however, be many heads to this river; so I look upon the accounts of the Lamas as pretty correct.

He is perfectly right in saying the principal stream of the Tamchok-kamba is situated S.E. of the Manasarovar. In improving Kentaise to Kenlaise or Kailas he is less fortunate. Other views of Gerard regarding the source of the Brahmaputra we will consider in connection with the history of the knowledge of the upper Tsangpo.

The fourth river is the Gogra or Soorjoo. He quotes Tieffenthaler's belief of its beginning from Lanka Dhe, but adds that the Father did not visit the upper part of the river personally.

He also heard some vague reports of a fifth large river, said to flow to the

N.E. some i 2 days east or E.N.E. of Gartok. This he thinks may be the Yangtsechiang and finds it probable that this river rises from the snow and not from the sandy desert far to the east. If it came from the neigbourhood of the Manasarovar he thinks it would be little less than the Amazonas! So little was known of the interior of Tibet in his days.

The sacred lake itself had, however, the greatest attraction for him. He heard

it was four days or 5o miles in circumference and thinks Putee Ram's estimate in Fraser's book, where it is made 6 or 8 days round, must be exaggerated. He rather depends upon the accounts he received from some Lamas. And he argues with Fraser who prefers Putee Ram to Captain Hearsay.

Gerard was told there was plenty of fish in the Manasarovar which is sacred and not eaten, whereas the natives eat the fish of Rakas-tal. There was a great

z Yeru-tsangpo.

2 The Lamas do not know this name. They call the mountain, Kang-rinpoche.