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

INTRODUCTION   11

ancestors. A MS., S MS., and L MS. are probably such biographies of Sen-ge-rnain-

rgyal, furnished with the most elaborate groundwork. The text of this chapter is

based on A MS. ; but C MS., S. MS., B MS., and L MS. have been adduced for

comparison. Foreign historical works contain only occasional references to the events

told in this chapter.

Part VIII : The Last Independent Kings of Ladakh. This chapter, which is

not furnished with a Tibetan title, is found in B MS. and C MS. S MS. and

L MS. supply only a few additions to the text. Foreign historical works contain

only occasional references to the events told in this chapter. The following text is

based on B MS. ; but C MS. and in a lesser degree S MS. and L MS. have been

adduced for comparison.

Part IX : The History of the Dogra War. Its Tibetan title is ` History of

the War waged by Maharaja Guláb Sing's Soldiers against Ladakh and Tibet'.

It is found in Ca MS., Cb MS., and Cc MS. The same events are described by

Tshe-brtan of Khalatse . and Bast-Ram. The text of this chapter is based on

Cc MS. ; but a few additions were made from Ca MS.

Part X : Ladakh after the Dogra War (1842-86 A.D. ). This chapter was written

by Munshi Tshe-rin-dpal-rgyas of Leh, and his text was copied for the present

publication by Joseph Tshe-brtan of Leh.

In an eleventh part Munshi Tshe-rin-dpal-rgyas' Chronological and Taxation

Tables will be found published.

The aim of the present publication is not to bring out a critical edition of

a Tibetan work on history, but to present in a connected text all the historical facts

contained in the various MSS. of the West Tibetan chronicles.

As after 1600 A.D. the various MSS. do not correspond with regard to their texts,

it would be advisable on some later occasion to publish the texts of the different MSS

in full.

Where does the truth begin ? I am convinced that all the early groups of kings

(see Part IV) have nothing to do with history. They belong to Bon-po mythology.

The first historical king is Sron-btsan-sgam-po (600-50 A.D.). The Tibetan art of

writing history begins with him. But, as the Tibetans probably could remember his

forefathers up to his great-great-grandfather, the Kings Khri-span-bzuii-btsan,

Hbron-span-lde-ru, Stag-ri-snan-gzigs, and Gnam-ri-sron-btsan may also be historical

personages. Thus the first possibly historical king, Khri-span-bzun-btsan, may have lived about 120 years before Sron-btsan-sgam-po, c. 480 A.D.

Let me now examine the general features of Ladakh historiography. The character

of the chronicles is not the same during the different periods which they describe.

The first three and a half chapters contain only legendary matter, taken from Buddhist

as well as Bon-po mythology. Then follow one and a half chapters of real history

(Part IV, second half, and Part V). They tell the tale of the empire of Great

Tibet. Then we hear the tale of the West Tibetan empire, which in its most

ancient parts (Part VI) can hardly be called a history ; nor was it apparently meant