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

was believed to be that of Padma-sambhava who lived two and a half centuries
earlier.¹

Opposite the present town, on the other shore of the little lake of Nako, there are
the extensive ruins of the ancient town, with the Jo's (chief's) fort above it. This
ancient town is said to have been destroyed by the Ladakhis, probably on one of their
punitive expeditions against their vassal kings of Guge. Where the present village
stands, there used to be only stables in earlier days, as was also the case in Li. The
chiefs of Nako are still in existence, and a votive tablet by one of their ladies was found
and copied in the temple of Lo-tsa-bai-lha-khang. All the mani walls round about Nako
are of recent date, like those of Li, the most ancient names mentioned on them being
that of Metar (Mahindar) Singh of Bashahr.

North-west of Nako, there are a number of deserted villages which show that
in former days the cultivated area about Nako was larger than it is at present. I
gathered the following names as those of the now deserted settlements: Khartag,
Jadong, Gulbug, Bemgrol and Therang thangka. Most of them were deserted a long
time back, but one of them only six years ago. Two or three people had lost their lives
when the water course was mended, which was considered a sufficient reason for
giving up the settlement altogether. Let me add that Nako was one of the places
visited by Csoma de Körös.

We reached the village of Chang on the 24th July, after a march through a moun-
tain desert without any special interest. The locally famous monastery of Tra-shi-tong-
yang (bKra-shis-mthong-dbyangs) is situated on the opposite bank of the brook of Chang,
on a rock, in the middle of a deserted village. We were not in a position to visit the
temple, as its key had been taken to Tibet by the lama in charge. The monastery is
asserted to have been founded by Padma-sambhava, and to contain his image. The lamas
belong to the 'aBrugpa order.

Here again, in former days, all the peasants had to live on the rock around the
monastery and castle, where there are many ruined houses. In the middle of the present
village of Chang, there is a life-size stone statue of Avalokiteśvara half buried in a
mani wall. It is a very rude and ugly image. The small figure of Amitābha can be
plainly seen in his headdress. The statue has only two arms and is painted white. The
legend which is connected with this image, is of some interest, because it is a version of a
tale connected with Langdarma's persecution of Buddhism.² The Chang legend runs as
follows:—Many centuries ago, the image was carried down from some higher place by a
flood. The Chang people found it, and tried to carry it up to the Tra-shi-tong-yang