1853.] Notes upon a Tour in the Sikkim Himalayali Mountains. 633 



The view from Pemionchi, 7,000 feet, commands a fine view of the 

 snowy range and of the greater part of Sikkim. Numerous G-oompas 

 perched upon mountains are seen to the east ; the Eungeet river is 

 seen 6,000 feet below and Darjeeling to the south — Tassiding Groom- 

 pa appeared at our feet. 



A great portion of the eastern end of the Pemionchi mountain 

 was once encircled with a stone wall, the remains of which are still 

 seen and was the capital of Sikkim. This place was sacked by the 

 Goorkas, and the valuable library burnt in 1787, a. d. when the 

 Goorkas descended the Tumbok pass (Islumbo of Hooker) and 

 ravished the whole of Sikkim. 



The summit of Pemionchi mountain is composed of mica schist 

 of great brilliancy, shining in the sun like the nacre of a pearl oyster. 

 The schist is not horizontal, but carved and distorted, presenting in 

 the separation of its strata, huge conchoidal pearl-like surfaces. 



Left Pemionchi at 2 p. M. passing several chaitans and descended 

 2,000 feet on the southern face to the great Gay zing Mendong, 

 which is 615 feet in length, about ten in height, and as many broad ; 

 it is highly ornamented with well-carved slabs, the word " Om 

 mane pemi horn" predominating. At the north end there stands a 

 chaitan ; and at the south end a tall flat slab of stone nine feet in 

 height and covered with inscriptions, has been erected in a bed of 

 masonry. The slab has had its head snapped off and just below the 

 fracture, the writing commences. I am sorry I did not secure an 

 impression of the inscription, but great fatigue had prostrated my 

 strength, and I was fit for nothing. 



Dr. Campbell in his journal of a trip to Sikkim — see Asiatic Socie- 

 ty's Journal for May, 1849 — mentions that this Mendong is the 

 largest in Sikkim — the labour that has been expended upon this 

 wall is immense, there being no less than 708 stone slabs all elabo- 

 rately carved with letters five and six inches in length, some of the 

 legends are arranged in circles ornamented with flowers and contain 

 other words than the usual " Om mane pemi hom ;" one stone written 

 in the Outza (Tibetan) character had the words " Om, a, hum, tiim- 

 phi" arranged in a circle. These phrases appear to have some hid- 

 den meaning, but unknown to the generality of the Lamas ; however, 

 they say that they all apply to God, each syllable bearing its own 



