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

those that drink its water . . . Nowadays the pilgrims and devotees of Gangs-ri designate the
snowy mountain mentioned in Mngon-mdsod and other sacred books by the name of Kang
Tesi, and the lake Mtsho ma-dros-pa by the name of Mtsho Maphan. The commentators of
Mngon-mdsod describe the four great rivers of Upper Tibet as issuing from rocks, which
respectively have the appearances of an elephant, an eagle, a horse and a lion. According to
other writers the rocks have the appearances of the head of a bull, a horse, a peacock and a
lion, from which spring Ganga, Lohita, Pakshu and Sindhu. Each of these great rivers is said
to flow into one of the four oceans, after receiving more than five hundred tributaries. The
great lake Mtshoma-dros-pa is mentioned as extending over an area of 80 leagues. These
accounts vary very much when compared with what is now seen. This may be attributed to
the difference of moral merit in the different generations of mankind. It is probably owing to
the smallness of moral merit in us, that we do not see these sacred places in their original state
as our ancestors saw them. There is no other explanation except this why great things should
look small. The mighty river Sindhu, issuing from a glacier on the western slopes of Kang
Tesi, flows westward through Balti and afterwards in a southwestern direction through Kapistan,
Jalandhra, and Panchanad, till joined by the rivers Satadru, etc. . . . On account of there
existing numerous snowy mountains in the countries of Panchanad, Kashmir, Ushmaparanta,
Kabela and Jalandhra, which send their water into it, the river Sindhu is very powerful, and in
fact it is the greatest of the four rivers mentioned above. — The river Pakshu springing from
the glaciers on the north-western slopes of Kang Tesi, and flowing through the country of
Tho-kar in a westerly direction, and Balag Bhokar and Hiva, and also through the steppes
peopled by the Turushka hordes, discharges its contents into the great lake Manasarovar (!) —
The river Sita, issuing from the glaciers of the Tesi mountains on their eastern side, flows through
the country of Yar-khan and Thokar to empty itself into the lake Tsha-mtsho. Tradition says
that formerly this river, flowing through the centre of the Hor country, discharged itself into
the eastern ocean' but on account of its being drained by means of aqueducts, cut from it to
irrigate both Chinese and Thokar countries, its progress to the sea was arrested . . . Confronting
the sacred mountain, at a short distance is situated the famous lake Mtsho-mapham, to the west
of which there is another but smaller lake, called Lagran-mtsho . . . — From Pal Sakya (the
famous monastery) if you go northward for a full day's march, you arrive at Khahu Tag
Jong . . . To the north of Khahu Jong there is a very lofty snowy range on the back of which
is the district inhabited by a tribe of Hors called Toi Hor, said to be descended from Srinpo
(cannibal hobgoblins) . . . This mountain is extremely high. Beyond these snowy mountains
exist many Dok tribes. These Lalo (Mohammedan people) are subject to Kashgar . . . To the
north of the famous monastery of Pal Sakya flows the river Tsangpo, on the bank of which
stand Lha-rtse, Ngam-ring and Phun tshogs-ling Jong, which all now belong to the Government
of Tsang.