国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

ancestors. A MS., S MS., and L MS. are probably such biographies of Señ-ge-rnam-
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 Mahārāja Gulāb Siṅg'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 Basti-Rām. 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-riṅ-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-riṅ-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 Sroṅ-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-sñan-bzuṅ-btsan,
Hbroṅ-sñan-lde-ru, Stag-ri-sñan-gzigs, and Gnam-ri-sroṅ-btsan may also be historical
personages. Thus the first possibly historical king, Khri-sñan-bzuṅ-btsan, may have
lived about 120 years before Sroṅ-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