JOURNAL 
OF THE 
ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL 
Part I.—HISTORY, LITERATURE, &e. 
No. I.—1887. 
A brief account of Tibet from “ Dsam Ling Gyeshe ,” the well-known geo¬ 
graphical work of Lama Tsanpo Nomankhan of Amdo—Translated 
by Sarat Chandra Das, C. I. E. 
In the sacred Buddhist scriptures called Chhos mngon-par mdsod 
(Abhidharma kosha) occurs the following :— 
“ Hence northward there lie black mountains nine, 
11 Which passed, the lofty snow-clad peaks appear, 
“ Beyond which extend Himavat, the realm of snow/’ 
This alludes to the long ranges of both low and lofty mountains 
which intervene between Uddayana (Afghanistan) and the Chinese 
province of Yunan. The great country of Himavat, which is the chosen 
land of Arya Chanrassig (Avalokiteshvara) for the propagation of Bud¬ 
dhism, and which stands aloof from the rest of the world on account of 
the lofty snow barriers which surround it, is known by the general name 
of Po. That country is to a great extent higher than the surrounding 
countries. The Hor country of Kapistan (Yarkand and Kashgar) 
touches it on the north-west, and the great province of Tsongkha in 
Amdo, well known for its being the birthplace of the illustrious Tsong- 
khapa, separates it from China on the north-east. 
Possessing a temperate climate, it enjoys immunity from the op¬ 
pressive effects of the extremes of heat and cold. It is to a great extent 
# [This paper is a reprint from a report to the Government. In the absence 
of the author from India, it was not thought advisable to mako any alterations in 
it. Ed.] 
A 
