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S. C. Das— Travels on the Shores of Lake Yamdo-Croft. [No. 3, 
An Account of Travels on the Shores of Lake Yamdo-Croft.—By Sarat 
Chandra Das, C.I.E., Rai Bahadur. 
[Read February, 1897.] 
I.—INTRODUCTION. 
1. Early accounts of Lake Palti. 
In 1730, Orazio Della Penna, a Capucliin missionary, visited this 
great lake of Tibet and described it as follows :— 
“ The easternmost place is called Kambala, which is the name of a 
great mountain, on the slopes of which are many places, and in the 
plain at the foot to the south is a great lake called Iandro, which is 
eighteen days’ journey round, according to those who have made the 
circuit, but within are some hilly islands. The same lake has no outlet 
that I know of, and during a day and a half’s march round it, I can 
vouch that I saw none; while as regards the remaining portion, I have 
the authority of those who have made its circuit.” 
This was the famous ring-like lake of Palti, which has appeared in 
all maps since the days of D’Anville. The peculiar lake of Palti, 
Piate, or Yam-dok-chu, with its great central island, like a large ring, 
first appeared on the map prepared by D’Anville, from the survey of 
the Lamas, under Jesuit instruction, which was published by Du-ELalde 
in 1735. It has been repeated on all subsequent general maps. Giorgi, 
in his ‘ Alphabetum Tibetanum ’ (1762) says, that Palte lake, other¬ 
wise called Jang-so or Yam-dso, according to native report is of very 
great size, so that a man could not journey round it under eighteen days. 
It is three days’ journey from Lhasa. From the middle of the lake 
rises a continuous chain of hills and islands. On the southern side is a 
monastery, the abode of a great queen, who is born a second time, 
called Torcepano. She is honoured as a real goddess by the Indians 
and Nepalese, who worship her under the name of Bovani. The 
Tibetans believe a certain holy spirit is reborn in its divine essence in 
this hideous female, just as in the Grand Lama. Whenever she issues 
