MY JOURNEY TO THE SOURCE OF THE INDUS. 2 13
The Munjam-chu is the next tributary to the Singi-kamba; it also comes from the S.E. and is parallel to the Lungdep. It is said to have its source in a region called Jömö-membär; there is also a pass called Jömö-la, which the guide reported as situated N.N.E. of the Manasarovar. On the other side of Jömö-la one is said to descend to Aong-tsangpo. Not far from Jömö-la, somewhere between Tseti-lachen-la and Surnge-la, must therefore exist a triple water-parting, viz. between the Indus, Nganglaring-tso and the Satlej. From the Munjam junction only low mountains with very little snow are seen to the south and S.E. All the valleys in this part of the Transhimalaya, especially those directed northward from the water-parting, carry very little water. Farther east the north-going rivers are much stronger.
The rise of the main valley is extremely slow, hardly noticeable to the naked eye. Singi-yüra is a rock to the north with a curious effect of weathering, namely, a hole straight through. Singi-chava is a dominating though rather low peak south of the valley.
Above the Munjam junction the Indus has not more than I/3cub.m. of water left. The source of the Singi-kamba is situated at a short distance north of the road and at a height of 5,165m. (16,941 feet) at Camp 236. It is called, as often mentioned above, Singi-kabab, or the »Lion's Mouth». The water issues in the form of several small springs from below a terrace of white, porous limestone, falling 3° to the S. I o°E. Above this terrace the detritus scree rises immediately and very slowly to the foot of the mountains above. The springs are said to pour constantly, winter and summer; the water forms some small basins full of algae. The temperatures in different branches of these springs were 9.2, 9.5, 9.8 and 10.2° C. on September loth.
At this point, the situation of which had been discussed and searched for during some 2000 years, the famous Singi-kamba or Indus is born. But the infant river, which is a mere brook, is much shorter than both the Lungdep and the Munjam. Continuing north-eastwards one still remains for a considerable distance within the drainage area of the Indus, for in fact and strictly hydrographically the Singi-kamba is only a right or northern tributary to the Bokar-tsangpo, which, itself, is only a very insignificant brook. Compared with the latter, both Lungdep and Munjam have a greater quantity of water and may be somewhat longer than the Bokar, though all of them are very short. From a hydrographical point of view it may be said to be a matter of taste which of these different brooks should be regarded as the principal source of the Indus. The question is of no great consequence, for, whichever branch should be chosen, its source is situated at a short day's march from Singi-kabab. The problem cannot be settled in any more satisfactory way than to accept the Tibetan view and regard the Singi-kabab as the source of the Indus, in spite of its being the shortest and one of the smallest of the several source branches. Any attempt to persuade the Tibetans that Singikabab were not the real source would fail, for it has tradition in its favour, it is a sacred place adorned with maul pyramids and prayer-stones, and it is one of the four famous kababs. And, after all, the Tibetans may perhaps be right even
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