25 
Sarat Chandra Das —A brief account of Tibet [No. 1, 
end of Mihag, in the vicinity of Horkhog, lies Thar thang, once the 
temporary residence of the Dalai Lama. Mihag belongs to Lhasa. To 
the east of Mihag lies GyaZmo Rong, which formerly was ruled by 18 
chiefs, but at present it is divided into 13 chieftainships. They are Chagla, 
Wasi, Thokyab, Somang, Dsongag, Chog-tse, Tampa, Hoslii, Doli, Dati, 
Pabam, Gesi-tsha, Hwa Hwa, Len tsa, Rabtan, Tsanla, GyaZ kha, and 
Donbu. The people of these places are very strong and stalwart. 
They are prone to depredatory pursuits, and are professional brigands and 
robbers roving over the whole of Tibet and the North Himalayan states, 
and are wild in their habits. The people of Mihag, GyaZmo rong, Mili, 
though they speak a corrupt form of the Tibetan language, possess very few 
virtues of the Tibetans. In GyaZmo Rong there is a very lofty range of 
mountains called Gyalmo mordo, and the cavern where the great Loch- 
ava Yairochana practised meditation, and which contains his hand and 
foot-marks. 
To the smith-east of Ngagcbhu lies Nagsho, inhabited by a Dokpa 
tribe. To the east of Ngagchhu lie Atag, Dsamar and Sogde, Dokpa 
tribes. To the east of these lie Gegye Dongpa, Dorshui Ling toima, 
(upper Ling), Perikhugah, Yoishni, Rogshni, Tagrang, Hothog, Gohu- 
tsha Longulchin, Na-tsho, Gehtse, and numerous Dokpa lands inhabited 
by various Dokpa tribes. To the south of these, and north of Chhabdo 
(Chhamdo) and Tagyab and Bah, lie the territories of the largest of 
Kham principalities, called Dege or Kham Dege. The Kham people 
arrogate to themselves a high position among the kingdoms of the 
north. According to them Tibet, divided into 13 divisions called Thikor 
chusum, and Kham, divided into 13 principalities called Phodancr 
chusum, and China (containing 13 provinces), are most important 
among the great countries of North Asia. Within the principality of 
Kham Dege there are many monasteries belonging to the Kahgvu, 
Sakyapa, and Ningma schools, such as Ja Dsogchhenpu (Gonpa) monas¬ 
tery, Shichhen (Gonpa), Payul Katbogpa (Gonpa), Situi Gonpn, and 
the monastery of Dege King, but there is no Gelugpa monastery in 
Kham Dege. Outside of Dege, but in its neighbourhood, there are 
several tribes, such as Dan, Khog, Ga Khog, Lingbarma, Rating, Rased, 
in which there are many Gelugpa monasteries, such as Chhoi Khorling 
&o. To the east of Dege lies the district of Honknog, where there are 
live petty states, namely Khangsar, Massi, Taggo, Piri, and Tiho; be¬ 
sides there are the monasteries of llorgantso Gonpa, Taggo Gonpa, Tareo 
Kaisho Gonpa, Ja Gonsar, and others containing large Gelugpa establish¬ 
ments. 
To the cast of Ilonkhog lies I lie petty slate of Tongkor, after passing 
which you arrive lit the province of Dome A onto. The Kham people 
are straightforward in nature, very strong, martial, and loyal to their 
