36 Sarat Chandra Das —Contributions on Tibet. [No. 1, 
China. The letter was written on a gold tablet, and inclosed was a pearl rosary. 
After compliments and enumeration of various titles, the emperor continued 
“ Most precious Panchhen Erteni, I beg thee to honour me with a visit. 
I long to see thy face.” The Panchhen in reply wrote thus, “ I too long to 
gratify myself by the sight of the golden face of your Imperial Majesty. 
Accordingly I have resolved to start for Pekin.” On the receipt of this, the 
Emperor in the course of a few months sent three letters one after another, 
thanking His Holiness for the promised visit. On the 17tli of the 6th lunar 
month, on a Friday, at noon, His Holiness left Tasi-lhunpo for Pekin, little 
thinking that he would never return to his own country. At Yah pa-chen 
great preparations were made for his reception. Here the Dalai Lama, the 
king of Tibet Thi-chhen Erteni Noman Khan, the two Ampan, the four 
ministers of State, the Lamas, princes, nobles and householders of the 
realm assembled together to welcome His Holiness and pay him farewell 
honours. They all approached him with their parting offerings which 
consisted of gold, silver, blankets, ecclesiastical vestments, ponies, mules, 
yaks, jo, 58 and countless other things. The Dalai accompanied him to a 
distance of 8 days’ journey, after which he returned to Lhasa from a place 
called Tasi-thah. 
He met 59 with his messengers on their way back from Pekin at Lhun- 
dubphug, a place on the west of Chha-dan-La in the Kham country. Here 
he made a halt of tfrree days which he occupied in conversation with the 
messengers. The emperor, in making inquiries, is said to-have observed 
“ How is the health of Panchhen Erteni ? How is that of the Dalai Lama ? 
Is the Dalai Lama making fair progress in gaining accomplishments ? 
Request him, in my name, not to fail to honour me with a visit next year, 
by which time a great temple, like that of Potala, will have been erected 
here in China. This year, also, I have raised a monastery like that of Tasi 
lhunpo for him. 
‘*'My mind is eagerly waiting for the day when the Panchhen Ereteni’s 
advent will sanctify this place. I am occupied with that thought alone. 
"When His Holiness arrives in the vicinity, I shall send Wang and the 
chief ministers of state to escort him hither. My heart will overflow with 
joy, when he will arrive hereto converse with me. The very sight 
of his thrice-sacred face will increase my moral merits ten thousand¬ 
fold.” 
So saying he handed over to them his portrait to be presented to the 
Panchhen as a token of his deep respect for him. When the letter with the 
enclosures and the portrait were laid before the Panchhen, he was trans- 
58 A cross breed between a yak and a cow. 
69 2 8th of the 7th lunar months 41 days after starting from Tasi-lhinpo. 
