Southern Tibet : vol.3 / Page 206 (Color Image)

0206	Southern Tibet : vol.3

level. This range runs southward and culminates in some enormous peaks known
by the name of Tárgot Lhá, from which extends eastward a snowy range, numerous
peaks in which were fixed by the Pundit, along a length of 180 miles up to where
the range terminates in a mass of peaks called Gyákharma, which also lie to the
south of and very near the Pundit's road. The highest of these Gyákharma peaks
was ascertained by measurement to be 22 800¹ feet above sea-level, and the Pundit
estimates that the highest of the Tárgot peaks is at least 2 500 feet higher than the
highest of the Gyákharma group. Tárgot Lhá was seen from the Chapta Pass
at a distance of over one hundred miles, and is believed by the Pundit to be
the highest mountain seen by him on his journey. — This range is probably not
the watershed between the basin of the Brahmaputra and the lake country of Hor,
for the Pundit was informed that to the south of the range, running parallel to it,
is a large river, the Dumphu, or Hota Sangpo, which ultimately changes its course
and flows north-wards into the Kyáring Lake.»

This section of Nain Sing's journey is, so far as I can see, the most important
of all discoveries he made during his long and brilliant work in Tibet. On d'An-
ville's map Dangra-yum-tso is called Tankin Yamso L and on the Ta-Ch'ing map
L Tang la you mtso, and between Dangra-yum-tso and Tengri-nor there is, on
d'Anvilles map, 140 years earlier, a series of four lakes, corresponding to Mokieu
Cho, Bul Cho and the Ring Cho Lakes on the Pundit's map, although not specially
mentioned in his text. D'Anville has a Tarcou MM, and the Ta-Ch'ing, on the
same place a Mt Tarkou, both, of course identical with Nain Sing's Targot Lha.
The Chinese spelling is so far more correct that the name should be written without
a t at the end. When Nain Sing found that from Tárgot Lhá »extends eastward a
snowy range», one may observe that such a range, with or without snow, is also
to be found on d'Anville's map. These details were, more or less changed according to
every mapmaker's personal taste, upon European maps during the first three quarters
of the last century. Such is for instance the case with Berghaus' map of Asia
where the lake is called Dhwang la yu mtso, whereas Tarcou MM has no name.
All this is, of course, taken from Chinese maps.

Then comes, not very long ago, a period when every bit of Chinese geog-
raphy is abolished from our maps and blanks left instead. But even if this had
not been the case, it would have been mean to diminish the merit of Nain Sing.
For if we were to be scrupulous to an extreme, we should say nor did the Chinese
discover Dangra-yum-tso and Targo-gangri, as both were very well known to the
Tibetans hundreds of years back. From a serious geographer's point of view Nain
Sing will always and with absolute right be called the discoverer both of the chain

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

Citation Information

OCR Text

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