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 TRANSHIMALAYAN PASS CHANG-LA-POD-LA.

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it is partly on the left, partly on the right side. Generally the river keeps to the left or northern side where the mountains are steep; the southern hills are rounded and afford excellent pasture grounds in summer. At a place called Nira, where the road crosses the river, the rock consists of pegmatite and mica schist. Karcha-samba is a bridge in ruins. Above this place the erosion terraces are in four stories, the highest some fifty metres above the bottom of the valley.

The next section of the road, from Chomo-sumdo to Sha-oktsang, takes us over

the Chang-la-Pod-la. We have found the rise up the Mü-chu valley rather gradual, although the ascent becomes somewhat steeper from stage to stage. But only close to the crest of this water-parting range of Pabla does the slope become really steep. The ascent from Chomo-sumdo to Chang-la-Pod-la or half a day's march, is more considerable, 777 m, than the ascent the whole way up from Lingö, to Chomo-sumdo or 725 m, eight days' journey. On the Chang-tang or northern side of the pass we have four days' journey to reach a place where the altitude is about the same as that of Chomo-sumdo, or 4 795 m. This gives an idea of the elevation and flatness of the Chang-tang as compared with the southern side of the system, where the running water has cut clown the deep peripheric valleys.

From Chomo-sumdo to the pass the left or northern tributaries are: Yagelung

and Kemolung, Shalung, Tori and Kongmo, which comes from a pass not far N.E. of Chang-la-Pod-la and in the same range; Tugelung is the last tributary, quite small and with a flat, black mountain in its background. The right tributaries are: Shubru with the high mountain Kaso in its upper part; near its mouth the solid rock consists of marble. Pelung is a small valley; Tsak is a little larger and comes from rocky mountains to the south.

The main valley up to the pass is full of gravel; the terraces become more

irregular and smaller. At a place called Chomo-taka there are hermits' grottos in the very steep rocks of quartzitic mica schist. Near the junction with the Kongmo the living rock consists of quartzitic sandstone. Finally the valley opens out and the relative heights diminish. The pass has a height of 5 572 m., and forms a large slightly rounded plateau. It is also called Chang-la-Pö-la, Pod and Pö being different pronunciations of the same word, meaning Tibet Proper, or southern Tibet, inhabited by a settled population, in contrast to Chang-tang or the northern plains, where only nomads live. Sometimes the pass is also called Chomo-la. The view

is limited; only to the east is a confusion of ridges and flat peaks seen, separated from each other by innumerable small valleys.

On Chang-la-Pod-la we leave the system of Mü-chu. We have found it to consist of a very deep cut main valley with two great tributaries, Bup-chu and Ragatsangpo, several moderate valleys and a great number of small tributaries. Combining the first and second crossings, we get a fuller understanding of the topography of the system, although every detail remains in darkness regarding the country between my first crossing and the valley of Ta-nakpo-chu. The country west of the Mü-