10 
[No. 1, 
Sarat Cliandra Das —brief account of Tibet 
Phuntsholing Jong was the seat of DoZgon Phagpa, the spiritual guide of 
the Emperor Kuhlai. The subjects under the jurisdiction of Pliun-tsho- 
ling Jong and some of the subjects under Shikha Samdub-tse (Shiga-tse) 
became devoted to the Jonang school, and followed its ritual. The 
Jonangpa school having flourished, the reformed school was to some 
extent eclipsed by it, when great calamities befell the Government of the 
Grand Lama. During the hierarchv of the immediate successors of the 
Ngag-wang Lossang Gya-tsho, and particularly at the time of Buddha 
dhara and other Buddhists, great injury was being done by the followers 
of the Jonang school. Now-a-days the Gelugpa school is making rapid 
progress there. 
To the south-east of these monasteries (Pliuntsholing, Ngamring, 
Ac.), in lower Tsang, lies the great monastery of Tashi-Ihunpo, founded 
by GyaZ-wa Gedundub. There Buddha Amitabha in human garb, hold¬ 
ing the designation of Panchlien Tham-che Khanpa, has been residing 
for a series of generations. Numerous and most wonderful and sacred 
objects, collected and constructed with gems of the first water by the 
immaculate incarnations of the Panchlien, exist in the monastery of 
Tashi-Ihunpo, which also contains the gilt tombs of the successive Pan- 
clihen, the religious robes of the former saints of India, China and Tibet, 
with their ornaments, dresses, the six sacred letters “ oni ma ni pa me- 
hum ” carved out and written by Gedun-dub, Ac., the value of which 
in the eyes of believers is immense. In the vicinity of Tashi-Ihunpo, to 
the north-east, lies the newly-built palace of Kun-khvab-ling (erected 
by Pan-chhen Tanpai Nima). In the same direction, in the suburbs, lio 
the fort called Samdub-tse, erected by Deba Tsangpa in the first part of 
the 17th century A. D., and the town of Shiga-tse, which is a place of 
much trade. In the neighbourhood of Tashi-llmnpo there are several 
petty religious establishments, hermitages, and cells for recluses on tho 
hills, together with groups of populous villages. To the west of Tashi- 
Ihunpo (half a day’s march) lies the monastery of Narthang, anciently 
tho seat of many sages and learned men. Now-a-days it is decaying, and 
the number of its monks is on tho decrease. 
Narthang contains the block-prints for Buddhist scriptures, such as 
Kahgyur and Tangyur, besides several other objects of sanctity. To tho 
east of Tashi-Ihunpo, at a distance of half a day’s ride, is situated tho 
fort of Lliundub-tse in tho 1 ’anain district, within the jurisdietion of which 
falls the groat monastery of Slmilu, also called Serki Tsng-la killing 
(golden shrine), built in former timcs after tlie Ghinose fashion. It con¬ 
tains numerous objects of religious sanctity, such as symbols, religious 
writ ings, chaityas and images called tavsum. In its neighbourhood are 
several hermitages. Tho interior of I’anam Jong is said to contain the 
