Page:Narratives of the mission of George Bogle to Tibet.djvu/32

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Intr.
VALLEY OF THE UPPER BRAHMAPUTRA.
xxvii

INTE.]

xxvu Southern chains, but the towns and principal monasteries, where are the centres of population, are chiefly in the valley of the Brahmaputra, and its tributaries from the north and south. Except as regards the region round Teshu Lumbo, and the route to Lhasa, which were visited by Bogle, Turner, and Man- ning, our modern knowledge of the upper valley of the Brah- maputra or Tsanpu is derived entirely from the accounts given by the Pundit despatched by Colonel Montgomerie in 1866, and the young Tibetan sent in 1872. The Tsanpu rises, in longitude 82° 28' E., at the Mariam-la pass,^ 15,500 feet above the sea, and flows, in its upper course,^ over an elevated series of plains, where sheep, goats, and yaks abound, with many large glaciers belonging to the Central Chain of the Himalaya in sight to the south. It receives two large rivers on the left bank, flowing from the Northern Eange, called Chachu Tsanpu, and Charta Tsanpu ;^ and at Janglache,^ a fort and large monastery, in longitude 87° 38' E., 13,580 feet above the sea, the river, here called the Narichu, becomes navigable. It thus descends 2000 feet in a course of about 350 miles. A few miles below Janglache, another river, called the Eaha Tsanpu, after a parallel course on the northern side, empties itself into the main stream. From Janglache, people and goods are frequently transported down the river in boats to Shigatze,^ a distance of 85 miles. Shigatze, with its neigh- bouring palace-monastery of Teshu Lumbo, the residence of the Teshu Lama, is the principal place in the Tsang province. It is in 89° 7' E. longitude, 29° 4' 20" N. latitude, and 11,800 feet above the sea.

  • The Mariam-la pass is 60 miles

east of Lake Mansarowar, tlie source of the Sutlej, the interval beiug partly occupied by another lake. "^ The Pundit says that the river here has three names, Tamgan Khamba, Machang, and Narichu Sangpo. On D'Anville's map the upper course is called Yarou Tsaiipou. 3 The Naouc Tsanpu and Sanki Tsanpu of D'Anville. '^ Tchanglase of D'Anville ; and Dzianglodze-dzoung of Klaprotli. The French Dz is equivalent to our J. 5 The Jikse of D'Anville, and Jika-

dze (mountain pass) of Klaproth.