1848.] Narrative of a Journey to Cho Lagan, fyc. 175 



south side of the Himalaya, but more carefully built than any I have 

 seen in Kumaon. Probable elevation of the bridge (200 feet below 

 Toiyon) 14,300 feet. 



The right bank of the river rises abruptly to the height of two or 

 three hundred feet ; above the bridge in cliffs of conglomerated earth 

 and shingle, with Lama caves in them, overhanging the river ; and 

 close below in steep slopes and landslips up which we ascended. The 

 top was some. 2 50 feet above the river, and for a mile in length an open 

 level with higher ground rising on our right (westward). Here on the 

 roadside occurred a line of Choktan wall and towers, remarkable chiefly 

 for its extreme length, which was not short of a furlong I suppose, and 

 exceeding any I had yet met with. At the end of this elevated level 

 we crossed a very deep ravine connected with the bed of the Karnali, 

 beyond that a ridge of high ground, and half a mile further on a se- 

 cond ravine like the first, ascending from which we wound over the 

 shoulder of a steep rounded hill which sloped down to the river on our 

 left (eastward) to the depth of 250 feet below the road, rising as much 

 above it on our right (westward). The hill side was here and there 

 broken into small cliffs and prominences ; the top was studded with a 

 moderate assemblage of houses like those of Toi'yon. This is Takla- 

 khar, by the Hindustanis called Takla-kot, which is a fair equivalent, 

 as " Khar" signifies a fortress : the fort however was not visible to us. 

 Half a mile from the last ravine brought us to the south side of the 

 hill, which is formed by the Tidya-Chu, a very deep and wide ravine 

 with a river coming from the westward out of the mountainous base of 

 the Byans Himalaya. On the northern corner of its confluence with 

 the Karnali, is the village of Beli, whence the inhabitants of Takla- 

 khar have to fetch their water, the hill above being destitute of it. The 

 south side of the hill is very steep and ruinous, being little better than 

 a great landslip strewed with fallen masses of the conglomerate (earth 

 aud shingle) that forms the more solid parts of the soil. We descend- 

 ed by this and forded the Tidya-Chu, a very considerable stream not far 

 inferior I suppose to the main branch of the Karnali. 



Ascending the right bank, which was steep and some 200 feet in 

 height, we found a pretty extensive level on the top, entirely occupied 

 by fields, like those of Toiyon, quite fallow and scored all over with 

 channels for irrigation. These marks of irrigation point to the fact of 



2 A 



