44 NOMENCLATURE OF PLACES. 



The reason for these names is very obscure. 



In mountains and passes we have such names as Kanehinjingna 

 =Kang-chhen, "great snow," mDzod, "treasury," and lila, "five." 

 The legend has it there are five treasures to be found in the mountain, 

 but it may have reference to the five peaks forminf( the mountain. 



Kanchinjhau, the bearded Kanchin (rGyau, the beard), perhaps 

 so called from the way the lower ice and snow slip down from its 

 southern face. The flat near it is Giaogong (properly rGyau-gong), 

 "the bearded hill." 



Gipmochi, properly Gye-mo-chhen, the trijunction of the boun- 

 daries of Tibet, Sikliim, and Bhutan. 



Chumulhari (properly Jo-mo-lha-rl), "the hill of our lady- 

 goddess." 



Chomiomo (properly Jo-mo-Yiim-mo), "the mount of our lady- 

 mother," and said to be the wife of the neighbouring Kanchinjhau : 

 a small peak between the two is pointed out as their cliild. 



Cho-la (properly kTso-la), "the principal pass," being the 

 main pass between Lower Sikhim and Clmmbi. Chomnaga should be 

 kTso-nao-s-go, "the head of the great forest," a place at the foot of 

 the Chola pass. 



Yak-la, tlie pass used by yak-graziers. 



Gnatui-la (properly rNa-thos-la), "the pass of the listening ear." 



Jelep-la, "the easy, level pass," a very appropriate name, if this 

 pass is compared with others. 



Pembyringo is usually called gDong-lam, "the road of the face," 

 also very appropriate if it means one's face is terribly cut up by the 

 winds, that make this otherwise easy pass inconvenient for several 

 months in the year. 



Gnatong is spelt in Tibetan iS'ags-thang and not Nag-thang: the 

 former means the "forest-meadow," as it is situated close to large 

 pine forests ; the latter "black-meadow," which has no local signifi- 

 cance, unless it refers to the black pine trees. 



The British Fort Graham or Fort Gnatong is not really situated 

 at Gnatong, but at Dulpong. The meaning of this word is " the place 

 of victory or the subduing," very prophetic of the two crushing 

 defeats of the Tibetans on the 22nd May and the 23rd September 

 1888. The word for victory is spelt " hDul." There is another word 

 rDul, meaning "dust' or "dung," also appropriate, as the place was 

 crowded with yak and cattle stations. 



Lingtu=Lung-thur, "the descent into the valley." 



Phadenchen, "the pigs' wallowing place," from its being damp 

 and muddy. 



Sedongchen, " full of Sd-trees (sDong)," a tree whose leaves cause 

 great itching and even blisters. 



