National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

XVI. The Services of General Tshul-khrims-rdo-rje according to the account of King Bde-skyoin-rnam-rgyal

INTRODUCTION

The original of this document was discovered by Joseph Tshe-brtan at Leh, in 1915, and sold to Sir John Marshall, together with a number of other documents of more or less importance. It is No. 45 of Joseph Tshe-brtan's Second Collection of Tibetan decrees.

The document contains a grant of land by the king to his faithful general. The second part, therefore, contains a list of sites given to the general. The first part is that which interests us here. In it king Bde-skyon-rnam-rgyal gives a tale of the general's services under several kings of Ladakh. As the general was engaged in more than one expedition against Baltistan, and as the names of several Balti chiefs are mentioned, the document is of importance in regard to Balti history. Concerning this history we have not yet come to know much beyond the genealogies of chieftains collected by Cunningham and published in his Ladák. Down to the present time it has not been proved that any of the names found in them are historical. It is through the publication of the present document that at least some of the later Balti chieftains given in Cunningham's list can be proved to have been known to the Ladakhis.

The narrative would have us believe that the Ladakhi kings were the suzerains of the Baltis. But from other documents it appears that on the whole the Balti chiefs did as they pleased. They may have bowed before the Ladakhis whenever the Ladakhi armies were at the gates of their capitals. Otherwise they were apparently rather independent.

TEXT

riaTi'R-21319.T'z'y.B9'793qtli'vk'p;q' g)_y'-41-V°)   i'r2N3.1'C_á?i'z7c r`'~'R5~'`)~' 5ti'4;1' a'X1Slaq'

ZIT er21) ~7I'5't67gVrilS'a'a'aq   ' °z1'   ' a;‘'   OE-11q'v~';157Val I 711r;'a~'~3q'~z1

f4a4q•i'k•r2,•;'27•a~•~z71•71•,aq•aii--);43q'T,1)'-za';';41.1'fq'.Tr17'1)'Tiq I laq'r2;?)213q'b.31-271.;4.pl•.91.

• ~•   •- • • ~' •   •~•   i~ •\ i c   ~ • ~ • • •~ •   •   •~   • •   i   •   •
  ~~~~~~~,~~,~~a~v I ~~~l~~v~ I ~~~~~~~~~v I ~~~a~~C~J~a~I ~~~~1~~

-~ 117I'-(7) I U'I'~''4)'z1'§;'4")S' I

~~'~~I' i~•~v• j~•~•~,~•wa.~~•~aJ~t•~•~a~•~•~~~1•~3~1'~'áa~•~~t•~~•j~aa~• ~~ • 271S• ~~•ar~~•~•~~•

17 -fgri•ga••-is•T.1 1 ))•a4&)Tv -ii-..)'-'-. ~79'7.429'trai'74)'zi'sq'~s' 11