42 
Sarat Chandra Das —Contributions on Tibet. 
[No. 1, 
He was always merry when in the company of Chankye Binpochhe and 
the Emperor’s fifth son. Outwardly, there were no traces of indisposition, 
but it was apparent that his usual temper and appearance had undergone 
some change, and his friends and servants when they saw that he could 
take no food at all became very uneasy at heart. Once, Sopon Chhenpo, 
drawing up his sleeves, saw an eruption resembling small-pox on his arms. 
He at once showed it to the Jasag Lama. 
Being informed of this, the Emperor immediately sent his best physi¬ 
cians to attend his Holiness. Examining the pulse, they found nothing 
ominous, but could not mistake the eruption as other than that of small¬ 
pox. They gave him some medicines, but to no effect. He soon succumbed. 
On the 1st of the 11th month, he sent for the two Indian Pandits who 
had accompanied him in all his travels from Tasi-lhunpo, one of whom 
happened to be absent, but the other, named Purnagir, came. Seeing Pur- 
nagir’s face, his Holiness’s became cheerful, and his last words were ad¬ 
dressed to Purnagir in the Arya language. In the afternoon, sitting up 
in a cross-legged posture like Buddha Amitabha, he passed away from this 
world. A few minutes after, his person, still retaining its former brightness, 
contracted to the size of a boy. During this portentous interval there 
appeared many auspicious omens and sights. This melancholy event 
cast the whole of Pekin into mourning. The Emperor overwhelmed 
with sorrow, did not come out of his chamber for many days. The Sopon 
Chhenpo, Jasag Lama, Chankya Binpochhe were the chief mourners. The 
Emperor preserved the corpse in a coffin of gold and made offerings to it 
for 100 days. The Emperor and the government of Tsan distributed 
immense alms to the mendicants and the destitute for the benefit of the 
departed. Offerings were sent to all the monasteries and religious establish¬ 
ments of China, Amdo, Tibet and Hor for the increase of the moral merit 
of the deeply lamented Panchhen, which cost 32 millions of Bupees. The 
Emperor constructed a chhorten of gold at a cost of 42,000 Bupees or 7,000 
gold son in which the coffin was placed. On the 12th of the 2nd month, in 
the following year he sent up this massive tomb to Tasi-lhunpo, engaging 
500 conveyors. The Chankya Binpochhe and the Gth prince accompanied 
the remains as far as three days’ journey. Great honours were paid to the 
remains of this deeply lamented and illustrious guest by all classes of men of 
the celestial Empire. The arrangements for the reception of the remains 
were equal to what were made for the Panchhen during his journey. At the 
command of the Emperor the Ampan and many of the generals accompanied 
the remains to Tasi-lhunpo. Immense offerings were made to the coffin 
on the way. Headed by the Dalai Lama, all the Lamas of l T and 
Tsan came to make obeisance to their late beloved spiritual guide and 
sovereign whose remains reached Tasi-lhunpo on the 21st of the 6th month. 
