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

course underground water is streaming under this bed, and that this water at some
places shows itself at the surface. There can be no doubt that during periods of
strong rains the whole above-mentioned bed may be filled with water which joins
the Rakas-tal with the Satlej-source at Dalju.¹

So far I have proved that the Satlej comes from the Rakas-tal, even if the
present period marks a depression in the hydrographical curve. The next question
is: from where does the water come to Rakas-tal? One river, flowing west of Parka,
comes from Tseti-la and Tseti-lachen-la in Transhimalaya and receives a tributary
from the Tse-lung valley east of Kailas. Another, periodical as the outflow from
Rakas-tal comes from the Manasarovar. The first is 26 miles as the crow flies, the
latter 47 miles. As shall be proved lower down, it would be absurd to call the
Parka-river the source and head of the Satlej, and the Ganga or channel from the
Manasarovar a tributary. For if we admitted the Parka river to be the head river,
and then ask the Tibetans to show us the Langchen-kabab or Elephant's mouth, we
should, at any rate, not be brought to the Tseti-la or Tseti-lachen-la.

Already the Lama surveyors represented the river Lanctchou, which lower down
passes Tchoumourti (Chumurti), as flowing through the Manasarovar. So did Father
Gaubil (Vol. I, Pl. LIII), and Father Tieffenthaler (Vol. I, Pl. LII), though he had
unreliable references or misunderstood the information given to him. The two Fathers
had never been at the place, but the Lamas had.

Having followed up the river so far, the next question will be: As the Satlej
flows through the Manasarovar, where is its upper course, or which of the affluents to
the lake will have to be regarded as the origin of the Ganga channel?

The Mansarovar is a valley lake as it is fed from north, east and south. Amongst
all these affluents the Tibetans and Lama surveyors have selected one, which they
have called the source of the Satlej. Regarding the Satlej as coming out of the
Manasarovar, the most correct way would, perhaps, be to say that the Satlej has
as many sources as the Manasarovar has affluents. But then, under all circumstances,
we shall be allowed to call one of these sources the principal source of the Satlej.

Then the next question is: which of the affluents should be selected? Obviously
the one which brings the greatest volume of water to the lake, and which contrib-
utes in the greatest extent to fill the lake basin, although the lake is perhaps
filled more from under ground than superficially. Tage-tsangpo is nearly four times
as big as any one of the other affluents. Tage-tsangpo is, further, the longest of
all and it is fed by glaciers and eternal snow. And, as I found long before I had
ever thought of the Satlej problem, about half-way between the source and the
mouth of the Tage-tsangpo there is a spring which is regarded as sacred, and which
is called Langchen-kamba, a word that means Satlej, the river from the Elephant's