HISTORY OF SIKHIM AND ITS RULERS. 



His son was Nam-ri-Sron-tsan, who introduced the knowledge of 

 arithmetic and medicine from China, and also discovered the great 

 salt mines of Chyan-gi-tshva. 



His son Sron-tsan-Gampo was born A.D. 600-627.* \Jp to his time 

 there was no written language in Tibet, but this monarch, seeing how- 

 essential a written language was both for religious and moral good 

 government, sent his minister, Sambhota, with sixteen companions to 

 Kasi (Benares) to study carefully the Sanskrit language and the sacred 

 literature of the Indian Buddhists. In particular they were instructed 

 to devise a written language for Tibet by adopting the Sanskrit alpha- 

 bet to the phonetic peculiarities of the Tibetan dialect. On their 

 return they framed the present two-fold system of Tibetan characters, 

 viz., the "U-chan" or headed or capital letters, and the "U-med" or 

 headless or running hand; the former adopted from Devanagari, and 

 the latter from the Wartu. Thus was introduced a coj^ious system of 

 written language intoTibet. This same monarch married two princesses 

 from China and Nepal, then two great centres of Buddhism, and thus 

 great influence was brought to bear for the propagation of Buddhism: 

 practically his two wives converted him to Buddhism : he also founded 

 the city of Lhassa and made it his capital. 



His great-great-grandson was Thi-Sron-De-Tsan, the most illustri- 

 ous king of Tibet, born about 730 A.D.t In his reign the Indian 

 sage S'dnta Rakshita and Pandit Padma Sambhava from Udyayana 

 came to Tibet and founded the great monastery of Samye. He left 

 three sons, one of whom migrated eastwards and became Gyalpo:}: (or 

 princelet) of Kham§-Miiiag-Andong, one of the eighteen quasi-Tibetan 

 principalities that were seized by China about 1732. This place is 

 situated to the west of Ta-tsien-loo, between Litang and Dirghe. 



Twenty-five generations later there was born a prince, who went 

 with his five sons westwards on a pilgrimage to the Guru Chooi-wang 

 at Lho-brag: owing to this visit he received his first ajDpellation Zhal- 

 nga-Guru-Tashe. He next went to Lhassa, where Jo-vo-Rimpoche 

 Sakya Mooni|| foretold to him that he should proceed south-west, where 

 he would find a country Demo-shong. He accordingly went to Sakya. 

 In this place the hierarch was then engaged in building the great 



* Cs. 627 A.D. 



t Cs. 728 A.D. 



J It is said that one of liis descendants summoned the Salcya Penchen Rimboohe 

 hGromgon hPhags-pa to Kham Minag, and by his worship and intercession with Guru Tha- 

 mar-Yese-Kan-bar obtained a miraculous seal, set on one side witli a ruby, engraved with a 

 nine-horned scorpion. This mark of divine favour made him so famous that he became King 

 of China and of Shci-ser as well as Kham. 



§ Man Nya. See Kockbill's " The Land of the Lamas," pp. 218 and 345i where it is said 

 this State was from 1864 to 1889 part of the Kingdom of Lhassa. 



II Image brought by the Chinese princess, wife of Sron-tsan-Gampo, 



