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

As could be expected the morphology on the southern side of Transhimalaya
is much more accentuated than on the northern side. Already through the opening
of Sele-nang one sees a confusion of ranges, ridges and more or less rugged peaks,
nothing rising above a certain maximum height, just as the waves of a sea.
The road goes steep down to the S.E., and already at Camp 117 the height
is 5 225, or 281 m below Sela-la. North of the pass the road rose regularly
through the valley of Tagrak-Naong-tsangpo; south of the pass it crosses a series
of secondary passes between many rivers, most of them tributaries to the Mü-chu-
tsangpo, which is left to the west of the road.
From Sela-la the Sele-nang goes S.E., but soon turns south, receiving several
small tributaries from short and steep valleys. Its bottom is full of gravel and ice.
Tumsang is a more considerable side valley from the left. In its background, to the
N.E., the eastern continuation of the Pabla is clearly seen. A valley from the right
is called Shinglung. All tributaries contain frozen brooks. Near the valley Ting-
ring from the right the rocks consist in breccia of quartz-porphyry. Horyu is a
valley from the left side. The Sele-nang is well defined, rather broad than narrow,
not very winding, and with double, sharply developed terraces at both sides. At
Selin-do, Camp 118, the height is 4 832 m, which means a very considerable fall
from the crest of Transhimalaya.
A little lower down the road leaves the valley of Sele-nang and goes up the
left tributary, Porung, to the S.E. So far as can be seen the Sele-nang continues
to the S. 58° W., probably turning gradually more to the S.W. Sangra-palhé joins
it. The joint river is a right tributary to the Bup-chu, which falls into the Mü-chu-
tsangpo. To the S.W. the country is a hopeless confusion of mountains. At the
junction of Sele-nang and Porung the rock looks like sandstone, but is probably
originally porphyry. Here some hot springs rise from the gravelly ground; one of
them has a temperature of 53,28° C.; the water is sulphurous, but contains algæ,
and the place is called Tsaka-chusän or the »salt, hot water«. The hot springs
appear along a line in the valley at least 100 m long.
The first right tributary to the Porung is Chagsa, rather deep cut. The
mountains on the left side of the Porung are high, partly snow-covered, and consist
of mica-schist. Pomo-nesang is a left tributary full of ice. From the N.E. or right
side enters a great valley, Terkung-rung, with road to a region called Chingdu, and
receiving some small tributaries: Kela, Kerme, Noker, Melung, and Dra. Bara-sumna
and Terkungma are left tributaries in its lowest part; up the latter is also a road
to Chingdu and to Shagar, Letung and Karpo, probably pasture-grounds to the east.
The Terkung is surrounded by comparatively high mountains. Between Porung and
Terkung-rung a dominating mountain is called Marchem. The two valleys join on a
little plain, well watered, and receiving two small valleys, Dakchung and Kunglung.
Higher up the Porung is bounded by low rounded hills; the bottom of the
valley is quite filled with ice, and forces the road to keep to the left hill side.