Indian Antiquary Vol 62

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

Page 102

90
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ MAY, 1933
to south, and over a mile across. Ridges rising about 2000—3000 feet higher, and then still under snow, enclose it on all sides except to the north-east, where a broad gap gives access over a scarcely perceptible watershed to the head of the Tangi-tar valley. On a small knoll in the centre of the plateau I discovered the foundations of a square enclosure, solidly built and manifestly of early date. The plan of quarters within showed it clearly to have served as a sarai for wayfarers. The spot is held sacred in Muhammadan eyes, deco yed graves within the enclosure attesting here, as so often elsewhere in Chinese Turkistân, con. tinuity of local wership’ since Buddhist times.
Froin the Chichiklik plateau three different tracks lead to the valley drained by the Tangi-tar river. Two of them lie across the easterly mountain spur by the Yangi-dawan and Yambulak passes respectively. But these passes imply & considerable ascent and are liable to become closed by snow early in the autumn. Hence the usual route leads across the previously mentioned gap into the Tarbâshi valley, which is frequented by Kirghiz as a grazing-ground, and thence descends in an extremely confined gorge, appropriately known as Tangi-tar, to the river of the same name. The passage of this gorge is distinctly difficult for laden animals and in places dangerous for the baggage, as for about two miles deep pools of tossing water and big slippery boulders have to be negotiated between high and precipitous cliffs.23 The gorge is altogether impassable during the summer months, when the flocd from the melting snows fills its bottom, and traffic is then diverted to the two passes of Yangi-dawân and Yambulak. In spite of an unusually late spring I found the passage of the Tangi-tar garge already very troublesome on the 5th Jupe 1906.
An adventure recorded in Heüan-tsang's biography proves that it was the track down this gorge which he followed when on his way towards Yangi-hisar and Kashgar,24 We are told there how the Master of the Law on the fifth day from the capital of Chieh-p'an-t'o (Sarîkol) "encountered a troop of robbers. The traders accompanying him were seized with fear and clambered up the sides of the mountains. Several elephants, obstinately pursued, fell into the water and perished. After the robbers had been passed, Hsüan-tsang slowly advanced with the traders, descended the heights to the east and, braving a rigorous cold, continued his journey amidst a thousand dangers. After having thus covered 8C0 li, he passed out of the Ts'ung-ling mountains and arrived in the kingdom of Wusha (Yangihisar and Yarkand]."
The time occupied in the journey from Tash-kurghan, and the exceptional facilities offered by the Tangi-tar gorge for such an attack, clearly point to its scene having lain there. In the late autumn, the time of Hsuan-tsang's passage, no other stream on the route could have held sufficient water to be dangerous to elephants, except that of Tangi-tar, which retains deep pools of water even in the winter. The eight hundred li, or eight marches, are a quite correct reckoning for the journey of a caravan from the gorge to Yangi-hisar. There can be no doubt about Hsüan-tsang having done it by the regular route across the Tor-art pass to Chihil-gumbaz, where the road to Yårkand branches off, and thence across the loess-covered spur of Kashka-su into the valley debouching into the plains above Ighizyår.
When I struggled across the bleak plateau of Chichiklik, still snow-covered early in June 1906, and again in a snow-storm on the 28th September 1930, I felt duly impressed by the recollection of the trials which Benedict Goëz, the brave Jesuit, had experienced here on his journey to Yarkand in the late autumn of 1603.25 After crossing the Pamirs--by
23 For a description, see Ruins of Desert Cathay, i, pp. 99 sq.; also Serindia, i, Fig. 29. 24 See Julien, Histoire de la vie de Hiouen-Theang, pp. 274 sq. Boal, Life of Hiuen Tsiang, p. 200.
25 For Sir Henry Yule's translation of Goéz' record, put together by Ricci from such notes as could be recovered after the devoted Portuguese lay brother 'Beking Cathay had found Heaven' at Su-chou, sve Yule, Cathay and the Way Thither, 2nd ed., iv, pp. 214-215.