MINOR CHRONICLES : III. THE KINGS OF GU-GE 171
This genealogical tree differs from that of the Bodhimör (compare Schlagintweit's tables) in the following points :—(1) Bha-lde and Nágadeba are, according to the Bodhimör, one and the same person. (2) The Bodhimör inserts a king, A-rog-lde, between Grags-pa-lde and 'A-so (A-sog)-1de. (3) According to the Bodhimör, San-gharmal and ßdzin-dar-rmal are brothers. (4) Pra-ti-rmal is called in the Bodhimör Prite-rmal. Several other names are also slightly different. Let me add that the Indian name of Gu-ge is Goggade3a (Jonarája's Rcijatarangini, v. 1106) ; for Gogga, or Gugga, see Cunningham in JASB., xiv, p. 80 ; xvii, p. 159.
Of King Btsan-phyug-lde it is stated that he went to Ya-tshe, a place which I have not yet succeeded in tracing on any map. This statement may mean either a change of capital or a jump to a minor branch of the line. Btsan-phyug-lde was possibly a younger brother of a king and received the town of Ya-tshe as his portion, whilst the principal line continued to reign at Mtho-ldin. Thus we learn from the above account that another line of kings of the Me dynasty (probably also the descendants of some younger brother of a Gu-ge king) reigned in Pu-hraiis. As the kings of Ya-tshe made valuable offerings to the Buddhist cause, they may have been in great favour with the lamas and their chroniclers. Therefore their pedigree was preserved, whilst that of the kings of the principal line was allowed to drop into oblivion. As the names of the later Ya-tshe kings would suggest, the dynasty became more and more Hinduized. As the syllable rural frequently occurs in the names of the kings of Ya-tshe, we may call this dynasty the Rmal dynasty. The word rmal probably corresponds to the Indian malla. Malla dynasties are known to have existed in Nepal and neighbouring countries from early times. Their fame may have induced the Ya-tshe kings to adopt their name.
When the line of the Ya-tshe kings came to an end, a prince of Pu-hrans was invited to become king of Ya-tshe, and he also received a Hindu name.
As we know from d'Andrada's account (L'India Orientale . . . descritta da Michelangelo Lualdi Romano, Rome, 1653, pp. 364-6), a king [of Gu-ge ?] reigned at Tsa-pa-ran in 1624 A.D. His name was possibly KhriBkra-Sis-grags-pa-lde, as suggested by the Tabo inscription. This name is a combination of the names of two early Ya-tshe kings, and thus speaks in favour of a close family connexion between the Ya-tshe and Tsa-pa-ran
My thanks are due to Dr. F. W. Thomas for his translation of several difficult passages.
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