Indian Antiquary Vol 59

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 57

MAROH, 1930)
NOTES ON KHOTAN AND LADAKH
leaving Nubra, is so bad that hardly anybody can venture to travel on it: it is hardly ever used nowadays. In spite of this difficulty of communication between Nubra and Khapulu proper, Muhammadanism has ventured on another raid into Nubra, and has been successful in one respect. It has conquered the lowest castes of inhabitants of Nubra, viz., the castes of the blacksmiths and musicians. They have become adherents of the Shia sect. These people dress quite differently from the rest of the population of Nubra. The hair of the men is no longer plaited into a long pigtail, but allowed to hang down over the ears at half length, similar to the modern custom of European ladies. Also the cap worn by the musicians is that of the Baltis. As Nubra has got this little touch of Muhammadanism, Khapulu bas also preserved a few relics of its former Buddhism. Let me mention first of all the telescopic trumpets, which are found in all Lamaistic monasteries. They were not abandoned in Khapulu, when the state became Muhammadan, but were kept up and used at every festivity of whatever character. Then when Dr. de Filippi visited this country, be found there the ruins of stoves for burning the dead. This custom also was given up on the change of religion, for the Muhammadans bury their dead. It is very probable that on proper search several inscriptions of the Lamaistic formula Om-mani-padme-hum will be found in Khapulu, as have actually come to light at the neighbouring town of Khar.man : but up to the present nobody has searched the country properly.
A still further attack of the Muhammadans on Nubra was made at a later date, viz., during the reign of king Seu-ge-rnam-rgyal, in the first part of the sixteenth century. The mother of this king, the daughter of the Balti chief 'Ali Mic Sher Khan, who had married 'aJam-dbyans-rnam-rgyal, remained Muhammadan all her lifetime. She is credited with the erection of three mosques: (1) one in Leh, (2) one in Tin-mo-sgan and (3) one in Saun-dar (Hundar) in Nubra. This queen died when on a visit to Nubra, and was buried in front of her own mosque. The peasant who had to look after the grave became a Buddhist in later years. This did not hinder him from performing his duties, and he regularly lighted the lamp inside the mosque. But after his death decay set in, and the mosque soon became & head of ruins, when suddenly in 1918, the Muhammadans of Saun-dar (the musicians) woke up to their duty, and rebuilt the mosque.
When I travelled through the Nubra valley in 1914, I found no antiquities of importance until I entered the side valley of mKhar-gsar ('new castle'), below mKhar-rdzon. (All the insoriptions mentioned above 'had already been traced by some of my Tibetan friends on former visits to the valley.) This place (mKhar-gsar) is situated on & little brook, a tributary of the Shayog, and consists of four farms nowadays. As the site round about the houses is filled up with extensive ruins of atapas, visitors are led to believe that here must be the site of a former Buddhist establishment of some importance. Besides the stupas, there were several graves, and we noticed that many of the stúpas were filled with Buddhist clay tablets inscribed with an ancient type of Indian characters, which date from early mediæval times. As stated above, these tablets may point to the period of emigration of Buddhist monks from Turkestan, Kashmir and India. My companion, Dr. Körber, took several photos of this interesting site. I never heard of the fate of these pictures, and was higbly astonished to find them as illustrations in Laufer's Milaraspa, published in the Folkwang Verlag.
One local name found in Nubra, and mentioned above, is of historical importance; it is the name of the town of Snun-dar (Hundar). The word anun-dar or snon-dar is found in the report of the introduction of Buddhism into Tibet. There it is stated that the times from Sron-btsan-sgam-po to Glad-dar-ma, viz., 600-830 A.D., are called srun-dar or 'first spread' of Buddhism. Then follows a period of downfall and persecution. After the year 1000 A.D., when Atisa visited Tibet, follows a period called phyi-dar or later spread' (of Buddhism). The local name of Snun-dar, found in Nubra, seems to testify to the fact that Buddhism was introduced here during the times of the first spread of Buddhism.
(To be continued.)