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Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

CH. X]   THE CHRONICLES OF LADAKH : TRANSLATION   139

From Cunningham's ` Other Information ' (p. 355) we learn that ` in the autumn of 1846, during the rebellion of Shaikh Imám-ud Din in Kashmir, there was a slight disturbance in Zaus-dkar, which was promptly repressed by the Wázir Basti-Ram, who is now " one of the confidential servants of Maharaja Guláb Singh ". Since then the whole country has been quiet ; and the passive Tibetans have yielded to a power which they

find it unsafe to resist.'   D 2.?fl

á   I

When his son, Mah&radza Rámbir-Sin, reigned (c. 1857-83 A.D.), all the Ladakhi

villages and peasants' [estates] which had suffered during the time of the former

Dewans (during the Dogra war) were re-established. The village taxes were removed,

and the custom-house fees of La-dvags were abolished. The register of peasants

which had been previously drawn up by the Thanad&r Magna and the Prime Minister

Rig-hdzin and which had remained [in force] till Basti-Ram's time was abolished. In the

Bi-kir-mi (Vikrama) year 1922 (1865 A.D.) Meta Mangal-Sin, the son of Meta Basti-Ram,

drew up a new list of peasants. The taxes on a full [share of] fields and houses were

fixed at 7 Rs. 11 As. ; on half [a share] 3 Rs. 5 As. 3 Pais& ; on a further half (half of p.

half = one quarter) [share] 1 R. 15 As. 3 Pais&. A full share of victuals [to be paid as

taxes] was fixed at one bushel and 20 bre of wheat ; 5 ser of butter ; 2 sran of

wood of roots, and 20 ser of wood of Tar. (As this is wood brought from [the village

of] Tar in Gsam, having to bé paid annually as a kind of tax, it was called Tar wood.)

Things remained as stated above for twenty-one years, down to the Hindu Bi-kir-mi

year 1941 (1884 A.D.). This king ruled in great happiness and power ; his dominions

spread and flourished ; the harvests and the years were good ; the water even became

soft (or abundant ?) ; and not a hand's breadth of ground remained unploughed.

He made a law-[book] called Kanun. All the soldiers were forbidden to take anything

except their proper wages from anyone in the country, be he strong or weak ! During

the reign of this king the salt mine of La-dvags (tshva-kha), borax, soda, iron ore,

and a gold mine were discovered. Water was led [in canals] to the [dry] plains ; and

Meta Mangal-Sin founded Rámbirpur (the town of R&mbir-Sin) ; R&mpur (the town

of Ram-Sin. at Chu-sod) ; [the garden] Maiigal-Bag (the garden of Mangal-Sin near

Can-ga) ; and Part&bpur (the town of Partab-Sin in Ldum-ra). Great numbers of

merchants came from all the frontiers, and cheats abounded ; valuables arrived from

the great cities, a vast store. People became clever and sharp ; [they learnt] Persian

and Drug-ra (Dogra, Sanskrit) grammar and arithmetic ; they became haughty and

bad in many respects. In Pal-dar a mine (treasure) of i'n, is-nila (sapphire) was

discovered. With regard thereto that [event] Bla-ma Bkra-sis-bstan-hphel of the

Stag-sna monastery of La-dvags in the year 1938 (1881 A.D.), or in the ninth month of

the Tibetan earth-snake year (1869 A.D. ± 12 = 1881), made a petition. He was

equal in character to the teachers of old. He wished to meet with the great Sri-

Mah&rádza and on the occasion of accompanying the high government (the Maharaja)

out of Kashmir, in 1938, when [leaving] P&mpur of Kashmir, he told [the Maharaja],

without letting it become known to anyone of the nobility ( ? )—I myself (Munshi

Tshe-rin-dpal-rgyas) was travelling from P&mpur with the great lama. The lama was

sent to Pal-dar, and by way of clever tricks and prayers to the Jewels (dkon-mchog,

54.