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

Reproducing the important map communicated by father Gaubil (Pl. LIII),
Anquetil du Perron gives it the title: Fausse Source du Gange. And still this map
contains the prototype of the reality. There is, however, the same great mistake
as in the Lamas' map of d'Anville and on Rennell's map: the Ganges instead of
the Satlej. Or rather: two big rivers, parallel with each other, flowing towards
the west. The northern one is the Indus, the southern one the Satlej. But the
further fate of these two rivers was enveloped in darkness, for the authors of the
map, who believed them to be the feeders of the Ganges, had them to join west of
Ladak and then let the joint river turn east again and appear as the Ganges. The
northern branch has its source on the north-western side of Mont Cantès (Kailas,
Kentaisse, Kang Tise). So this must be the north-eastern branch of the Indus.
Further west we find two well-known names on this river: Tschasirking and Latac,
or Tashigang and Ladak, although the first mentioned place is on the right instead
of the left bank of the river.

The southern river is regarded as the real source of the Ganges and at its
head our special interest is concentrated. The eastern lake is called Lac Lapama
and it is situated south of Mont Cantès and is surrounded by mountains to the east
and south as well. Three small and short rivers enter the lake from the east. The
northern of these is obviously meant to be the joint Pa-chung and Pa-chen or one
or the other of them; the middle one is the Samo-tsangpo of Tokchen; and the
southern one is Tage-tsangpo. On Gaubil's map all three are called Sources du
Gange, so as to indicate that the river has really three heads.

The water of these three rivers is streaming from Lac Lapama as a short and
strong river to Lac Lanka, situated direct west of Lapama. And from Lanka (Langak-tso)
the river continues to the west, passing Kouké (Guge), Tseprong (Tsaparang), and
Tschoumourti (Chumurti), all places or districts well known to be situated on the Satlej.

If we regard only the upper course of this river to a point a little west of
Tschoumourti, we must confess that, if only the name »Gange« were changed into
Satlej, the upper part of the hydrographical system would be represented in a per-
fectly correct way. The explorers from China who drew this map had a clearer
view of physical geography than many geographers of our own day. The only
point, except the name, in which the native explorers have been uncertain, is:
which of the three feeders to the Manasarovar should be regarded as the real
source, and therefore they have called all three the sources of the Ganges. To
settle this question one has only to measure the volume and carefully study the
other characteristics of the three feeders, as I did in 1907.

The channel of communication between the lakes, which was rediscovered by
the Stracheys in 1846 and 1848, is marked on Gaubil's map as clearly as ever
can be desired.¹ So 200 years ago there was not a shadow of doubt as to its