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

Sam are small villages; Gompa-song a miniature nunnery; Shaï or Gilung-shatse, a
village. Then comes Sirchung, above which there are innumerable *manis* and *chortens*.
Then follow Nesar, Dungtang, Tsa, Ngangtse, Sangöng and Gyäbra. Dechän-toksar
is on the left side of Yamo; then follow Lungmar, Samo-gompa, Kating, where 7
tents were pitched and quite a hundred Tibetans appeared. Then come Rungdo
and Tonggyang; Döle-gompa is a small nunnery. The villages Dokang, Gaok and
Poo on a right tributary, were not visible from the road. Munkang is a compara-
tively large village at the mouth of Bup-chu. Then comes Linga-kok below the
terrace of Linga-gompa. In the Bup-chu valley the following villages are said to
be situated: Damoshar, Dela, Lingya and Ling. Above Linga is Kipuk-nima, and
in the Niense valley, Niense and Chugudo. Melung has only one hut, now un-
inhabited. Then come Donglung and Langmar. Above Linga the *manis* become
rarer. Sometimes a single hut without a special name is passed. Geju has two
huts. The distances between the villages become greater, and we approach regions
where the absolute altitude dictates the conditions of a nomadic life. The village
of Ke or Ker is not visible from the road. Govo is the last village on this road.
It consists of 7 huts; only barley is cultivated and the harvest is uncertain; the in-
habitants, therefore, are more nomads than settled and own great flocks of sheep,
goats and yaks.

At Shubra, Leynang and Aynang near Chang-la-Pod-la there were in all 6
tents. As a rule, it was only very seldom that one or two tents were seen along the
road to Dangra-yum-tso. But when it was known that my caravan was approaching,
the nomads gathered from the neighbouring valleys; thus at Kyangdam 50 or 60
nomads appeared. At Bumnak there were 3 tents and great flocks of yaks and
sheep. West of Ting-la 3 tents were seen. At the eastern foot of Targo-gangri
two places, Gyamtso and Dembun, were inhabited by nomads.

It is very difficult to obtain any reliable information about the administrative
boundaries. The whole way up to Camp 150 seems to be the province of Tsang
or, as it is usually called, Labrang, that is to say: under the jurisdiction of Tashi-
lunpo. Kyamdam was said to be the first place in the district of Largäp, which also
belongs to Labrang. The frontier between Labrang and Naktsang territory was
shown as situated a short distance below Camp 150, and this seems likely, as I had
freedom to move about on Labrang territory, but not in Naktsang, which is directly
under *Devashung* in Lhasa. Therefore I was not allowed to approach Dangra-
yum-tso as being situated in Naktsang. Largäp is, like all Tibetan provinces and
districts, subdivided into a number of districts, each under a chief called *Gova*.
The Largäp territory stretches some days' journey south-westwards from Kyangdam;
the *Bombo* or governor, Jäpa Deva, was said to have his office at Togmo near Ye.

The road from Chaga up through the Dok-chu and Mü-chu valleys is much
worn by traffic, and one sees nearly as many passengers and caravans as in the
Tsangpo-valley itself, between Ye and Chaga. Especially above and below the Tokcha