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Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

IV. The Chronicles of Cig-tan

When I travelled in the territory of the old principality of Cig-tan in Ladakh, in

1906, I was told that the present ex-chief of Cig-tan was in possession of a chronicle.

The ex-chief, who then resided at Dkar-dkyil, asserted, however, that the original copy of

the chronicle had disappeared. As, nevertheless, his father had compelled him in

former years to learn the chronicle by heart, he was ready to dictate it to my munshi,

Ye-ses-rig-hdzin of Kha-la-rtse. The latter wrote down the tale afresh, and from his

copy the following text is taken.

The principality is situated on a small tributary of the Indus, which falls into this

river opposite to the village of Mdah. The valley stretches from south to north,

and in its best days the principality may have extended over about 50 kilometres in

the valley.

In the Chronicles of Ladakh the principality is mentioned for the first time under

Hj am-dbyans-rnam-rgyal in the sixteenth century. There the name of the country is

given as Pu-rig (Bu-rig). At that time the chief of Pu-rig (Cig-tan) had embraced

Muhammadanism, and he was involved in a war between the Ladakhis and Baltis.

In the seventeenth century the principality was again involved in a war between the

Ladakhis under Bde-ldan-rnarn-rgyal and the Khri-Sultan of Dkar-rtse. Since then

it is not again mentioned in the Ladakhi Chronicles.

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