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Journey to Lhasa and central Tibet. By Sarat Chandra Das ... Edited by the Hon. W.W. Rockhill. 1904 [Leather Bound]
Leather Binding on Spine and Corners with Golden Leaf Printing on round Spine (extra customization on request like complete leather, Golden Screen printing in Front, Color Leather, Colored book etc.) Reprinted in 2018 with the help of original edition published long back [1904]. This book is printed in black & white, sewing binding for longer life, Printed on high quality Paper, re-sized as per Current standards, professionally processed without changing its contents. As these are old books, we processed each page manually and make them readable but in some cases some pages which are blur or missing or black spots. If it is multi volume set, then it is only single volume, if you wish to order a specific or all the volumes you may contact us. We expect that you will understand our compulsion in these books. We found this book important for the readers who want to know more about our old treasure so we brought it back to the shelves. Hope you will like it and give your comments and suggestions. - English, Pages 326. EXTRA 10 DAYS APART FROM THE NORMAL SHIPPING PERIOD WILL BE REQUIRED FOR LEATHER BOUND BOOKS. COMPLETE LEATHER WILL COST YOU EXTRA US$ 25 APART FROM THE LEATHER BOUND BOOKS. {FOLIO EDITION IS ALSO AVAILABLE.} Complete Journey to Lhasa and central Tibet. By Sarat Chandra Das ... Edited by the Hon. W.W. Rockhill. 1904 Das, Sarat Chandra, rai bahadur, -.
326 pages, Leather Bound
First published January 1, 1902
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108 people want to read
About the author
Sarat Chandra Das
29 books5 followersSarat Chandra Das (18 July 1849 – 5 January 1917) was an Indian scholar of Tibetan language and culture most noted for his two journeys to Tibet in 1879 and in 1881–1882.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 12, 2023
At 4 p.m we passed Kunduling, the residence of the regent, and entered the city by the western gate called the Pargo kaling chorten, and my heart leaped with exultation as I now reached the goal of my journey - the far-famed city of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.
Journey to Lhasa and Central Tibet by Sarat Chandra Das
Journey to Lhasa and Central Tibet starts with very little introduction. It's a travelogue written in the late 19th century depicting the journey of Sarat Chandra Das from India to Tibet. Through his journey, he observed many political and cultural Tibetan phenomena. The details in this book are exquisite almost to a fault (although only faulty if you feel overwhelmed by the facts, and information Sarat provides). It's wonderful in its own right, considering not many have traveled to Tibet even today. The awareness to Tibetan culture and steep learning curve of its ancient people proved a challenge Sarat gladly accepted. Overall a wonder insight into the lifestyle of not only a great explorer and physician, but of all of Tibet itself.
Journey to Lhasa and Central Tibet by Sarat Chandra Das
Journey to Lhasa and Central Tibet starts with very little introduction. It's a travelogue written in the late 19th century depicting the journey of Sarat Chandra Das from India to Tibet. Through his journey, he observed many political and cultural Tibetan phenomena. The details in this book are exquisite almost to a fault (although only faulty if you feel overwhelmed by the facts, and information Sarat provides). It's wonderful in its own right, considering not many have traveled to Tibet even today. The awareness to Tibetan culture and steep learning curve of its ancient people proved a challenge Sarat gladly accepted. Overall a wonder insight into the lifestyle of not only a great explorer and physician, but of all of Tibet itself.
May 2, 2018
This book describes a journey performed by the author in 1882 i.e. about 135 years ago and provides an insight into life in Tibet back then.The text is diary entries of the author and it is obviously boring for a lot of readers.Also,if one is not from Sikkim,Bhutan or Tibet,many things described in the book are not understood.The terminology and other customs have been described in the last chapter which made no sense to me.
So I would say,give it a pass if you are not interested in Tibet.
So I would say,give it a pass if you are not interested in Tibet.
June 26, 2019
“Journey to Lhasa: The Diary of a Spy” by Sarat Chandra Das, Speaking Tiger. Pages 265. Price: Rs 350.
The 19th century was the age of the great game, played out with British India at the centre and the rival powers of Russia and China at the peripheries. The British, always careful to guard their precious Indian empire from any possible threat, regularly monitored the neighbouring regions. Soon Tibet too became an area of concern and to know more about this forbidding, jealously guarded land, British officials in Calcutta recruited Indians willing to risk the arduous journey there.
The problem was that Tibet had closed its borders to all foreigners and the only people allowed in were Buddhist monks. “The British began to exploit this chink”, writes Parimal Bhattacharya in the book’s introduction. “They sent spies into Tibet disguised as Buddhist monks in secret and dangerous missions. These spies were called Pundits.”
Sarat Chandra Das, an English educated school teacher based in Darjeeling, was among the handful of “Indian Pundits” recruited and sent into Tibet. Not only was he a trained civil engineer but also a Tibetan scholar with a consuming interest in Buddhism. He was a natural choice for such a mission and was sent in twice - first in 1879 for four months and then in 1881 for somewhat over a year. His second, more extended visit, forms the basis of the book.
One problem with this travelogue is that the author has not deemed it necessary to provide a larger topographical account of his travels. He plunges straight ahead from his point of origin (Darjeeling) to the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Tibet and finally to Lhasa. To a lay reader unfamiliar with the geography of the region, the places, valleys, rivers, mountain passes and so on mentioned would remain a mere succession of foreign-sounding names, many of which are unknown even to Google maps.
It would have been extremely useful if the author had begun with a broader account of his travels and the region. But this obviously was not his aim. He was writing a meticulous report for his masters who were more interested in the details than in the broad picture. However, one would have assumed he would mention the distances travelled between each point in the form of a route map. But this too is absent.
One has to refer to maps to realise the extent of the author’s remarkable journey from the mountains of Darjeeling in north Bengal, across the Valleys and passes of Sikkim along the western side of the Kanchenjunga range before finally entering Tibet through the Kangla chen pass in eastern Nepal. The author travelled roughly north till the Tibet border and then turned north east towards the monastery at Tashilhunpo.
This monastery, unfamiliar to most in India, is the seat of the Panchen Lama and located at Tibet’s second largest city, Shigatse. The author has visited this place earlier and knew several important people there. These connections were used to obtain permission to his further excursions to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Some of his detailed descriptions of the monastery are remarkable:
“In the evening the monks of Tashilhunpo busied themselves illuminating their chapels. Hundreds of butter-lamps were tastefully placed in rows on the roof of every building in the lamasery. The Government supplies butter to every house in the town and to every resident monk, to enable them to contribute towards the illumination. From the roof of my house I saw the illuminations to great advantage. The fantastic roofs of the four tombs (gyophig) of the Tashi lamas were beautifully lit up. The mitre-shaped spires, the upturned eaves of the temple looked most gorgeous, and resembled the illuminated tajiahs in a Mohurum procession in India. The great monastery of Tashilhunpo, situated as it is at the foot of a hill, presented a magnificent appearance. For an hour the illumination was beautiful, but towards 7.30 o'clock the wind began to blow a gale, and had soon extinguished all the lights and driven me into my house shivering with cold.”
One significant part of the author’s account of Tashilhunpo and the Shigatse town, is the Tibetans’ relations with their overbearing Chinese superiors. He recounts an incident where the Amban or Chinese high official misuses his position to extract travel money from local Tibetans and when the people protest, “the Chinese soldiery, by various oppressive means, tried to squeeze out of them.” This further infuriated the locals who rioted. Instead of punishing the Chinese official responsible for the trouble, the Tibetan authorities punished the local officials (Djongpon) by demoting them and decreed “furthermore, each of them should receive two hundred blows with the bamboo.”
This incident illustrates the power of the Chinese emperor over Tibet and how oppressive suzerainty to Beijing had always proved to be. “The punishment of the Djongpon had filled the people with fear of the Chinese”, writes Das. “They apprehended new insults at the hands of the Chinese swaggering about the streets of Shigatse. People who had come to the market from a distance to sell their goods were packing them up to hurry off home. No provisions could be had, no purchases could be made.”
From Tashilhunpo, the author went on to Lhasa where he saw the amazing Potala Palace and met the then Dalai Lama who was only a child of eight at that time. The author presented the Grand Lama with a tola of gold and a scarf. He and others given audience were made to drink tea and eat rice consecrated by the child Lama.
In Lhasa, Das discovered that the “Amban, or Imperial Resident of China in Tibet, is the head of the Tibetan Army” and has virtually become political master of Tibet. “The political relations between Tibet and China are now so intimate that the Imperial residency established at Lhasa in the first quarter of the last century has converted Tibet from a protected state into a dependency of China,” the author observes, adding that the “Ambans are the terror of the Tibetans, who abhor them from the depth of hearts.”
These and numerous other observations formed the basis of a fascinating report on the inner workings of Tibet. The journey from Darjeeling to Lhasa and back spanned more than an entire year. Reading the book, one can only express admiration for the sheer grit, physical endurance and courage of Sarat Chandra Das, the intrepid nineteenth century Bengali schoolteacher. His journey remains a magnificent example of the indomitable spirit of explorers of a previous age
Indranil Banerjie
June 2019
The 19th century was the age of the great game, played out with British India at the centre and the rival powers of Russia and China at the peripheries. The British, always careful to guard their precious Indian empire from any possible threat, regularly monitored the neighbouring regions. Soon Tibet too became an area of concern and to know more about this forbidding, jealously guarded land, British officials in Calcutta recruited Indians willing to risk the arduous journey there.
The problem was that Tibet had closed its borders to all foreigners and the only people allowed in were Buddhist monks. “The British began to exploit this chink”, writes Parimal Bhattacharya in the book’s introduction. “They sent spies into Tibet disguised as Buddhist monks in secret and dangerous missions. These spies were called Pundits.”
Sarat Chandra Das, an English educated school teacher based in Darjeeling, was among the handful of “Indian Pundits” recruited and sent into Tibet. Not only was he a trained civil engineer but also a Tibetan scholar with a consuming interest in Buddhism. He was a natural choice for such a mission and was sent in twice - first in 1879 for four months and then in 1881 for somewhat over a year. His second, more extended visit, forms the basis of the book.
One problem with this travelogue is that the author has not deemed it necessary to provide a larger topographical account of his travels. He plunges straight ahead from his point of origin (Darjeeling) to the Tashilhunpo Monastery in Tibet and finally to Lhasa. To a lay reader unfamiliar with the geography of the region, the places, valleys, rivers, mountain passes and so on mentioned would remain a mere succession of foreign-sounding names, many of which are unknown even to Google maps.
It would have been extremely useful if the author had begun with a broader account of his travels and the region. But this obviously was not his aim. He was writing a meticulous report for his masters who were more interested in the details than in the broad picture. However, one would have assumed he would mention the distances travelled between each point in the form of a route map. But this too is absent.
One has to refer to maps to realise the extent of the author’s remarkable journey from the mountains of Darjeeling in north Bengal, across the Valleys and passes of Sikkim along the western side of the Kanchenjunga range before finally entering Tibet through the Kangla chen pass in eastern Nepal. The author travelled roughly north till the Tibet border and then turned north east towards the monastery at Tashilhunpo.
This monastery, unfamiliar to most in India, is the seat of the Panchen Lama and located at Tibet’s second largest city, Shigatse. The author has visited this place earlier and knew several important people there. These connections were used to obtain permission to his further excursions to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Some of his detailed descriptions of the monastery are remarkable:
“In the evening the monks of Tashilhunpo busied themselves illuminating their chapels. Hundreds of butter-lamps were tastefully placed in rows on the roof of every building in the lamasery. The Government supplies butter to every house in the town and to every resident monk, to enable them to contribute towards the illumination. From the roof of my house I saw the illuminations to great advantage. The fantastic roofs of the four tombs (gyophig) of the Tashi lamas were beautifully lit up. The mitre-shaped spires, the upturned eaves of the temple looked most gorgeous, and resembled the illuminated tajiahs in a Mohurum procession in India. The great monastery of Tashilhunpo, situated as it is at the foot of a hill, presented a magnificent appearance. For an hour the illumination was beautiful, but towards 7.30 o'clock the wind began to blow a gale, and had soon extinguished all the lights and driven me into my house shivering with cold.”
One significant part of the author’s account of Tashilhunpo and the Shigatse town, is the Tibetans’ relations with their overbearing Chinese superiors. He recounts an incident where the Amban or Chinese high official misuses his position to extract travel money from local Tibetans and when the people protest, “the Chinese soldiery, by various oppressive means, tried to squeeze out of them.” This further infuriated the locals who rioted. Instead of punishing the Chinese official responsible for the trouble, the Tibetan authorities punished the local officials (Djongpon) by demoting them and decreed “furthermore, each of them should receive two hundred blows with the bamboo.”
This incident illustrates the power of the Chinese emperor over Tibet and how oppressive suzerainty to Beijing had always proved to be. “The punishment of the Djongpon had filled the people with fear of the Chinese”, writes Das. “They apprehended new insults at the hands of the Chinese swaggering about the streets of Shigatse. People who had come to the market from a distance to sell their goods were packing them up to hurry off home. No provisions could be had, no purchases could be made.”
From Tashilhunpo, the author went on to Lhasa where he saw the amazing Potala Palace and met the then Dalai Lama who was only a child of eight at that time. The author presented the Grand Lama with a tola of gold and a scarf. He and others given audience were made to drink tea and eat rice consecrated by the child Lama.
In Lhasa, Das discovered that the “Amban, or Imperial Resident of China in Tibet, is the head of the Tibetan Army” and has virtually become political master of Tibet. “The political relations between Tibet and China are now so intimate that the Imperial residency established at Lhasa in the first quarter of the last century has converted Tibet from a protected state into a dependency of China,” the author observes, adding that the “Ambans are the terror of the Tibetans, who abhor them from the depth of hearts.”
These and numerous other observations formed the basis of a fascinating report on the inner workings of Tibet. The journey from Darjeeling to Lhasa and back spanned more than an entire year. Reading the book, one can only express admiration for the sheer grit, physical endurance and courage of Sarat Chandra Das, the intrepid nineteenth century Bengali schoolteacher. His journey remains a magnificent example of the indomitable spirit of explorers of a previous age
Indranil Banerjie
June 2019
May 30, 2021
For the ones who are confused about the exact genre of the book, this book is basically a travelogue written by the author Sarat Chandra Sen in the late 1800s when he decided to take a huge journey from India to the enchanting and mysterious land of Tibet.
The book starts with his journey from North Bengal and his preparations that he had to make prior to his travel. The book might not be appealing for many readers who are not used to reading travelogues as in many parts of the book the author goes into a lot of detail. The book will basically be taking you on a journey through the mountain passes of the Himalayas, villages, small settlements along the entire Himalayas, this might be boring for many readers, but for mountain lovers, it would a lovely journey, almost the same as if they're going for a trek.
For adventure seekers, this does tell you what t was exactly like traveling under the guise of pandit through the various checkpoints that came along the journey. The traditions that the people used to follow, the uncountable use of the "khatag" ( the shawl ) among the people to show respect to the person. The workings of the government, the bureaucracy, the military, the police, the bazaar, and everything that you could think of. the author doesn't leave any stone unturned in describing the lives and practices of the locals not only in Tibet but also the other tribes that he comes across along his journey. It's an amazing read for those who are interested in the culture of ancient Tibet and the connections between Kashmiris, Ladakhis, Sikkimese, and the Tibetans, it keeps you hooked. The comparison of the caste systems, the medicinal practices, and all the cultural practices one can think of.
It would definitely be a worthwhile read for all-mountain lovers as it will be taking them on a trek and for those who are interested in knowing and understanding the cultures of different tribes across the worls.
The book starts with his journey from North Bengal and his preparations that he had to make prior to his travel. The book might not be appealing for many readers who are not used to reading travelogues as in many parts of the book the author goes into a lot of detail. The book will basically be taking you on a journey through the mountain passes of the Himalayas, villages, small settlements along the entire Himalayas, this might be boring for many readers, but for mountain lovers, it would a lovely journey, almost the same as if they're going for a trek.
For adventure seekers, this does tell you what t was exactly like traveling under the guise of pandit through the various checkpoints that came along the journey. The traditions that the people used to follow, the uncountable use of the "khatag" ( the shawl ) among the people to show respect to the person. The workings of the government, the bureaucracy, the military, the police, the bazaar, and everything that you could think of. the author doesn't leave any stone unturned in describing the lives and practices of the locals not only in Tibet but also the other tribes that he comes across along his journey. It's an amazing read for those who are interested in the culture of ancient Tibet and the connections between Kashmiris, Ladakhis, Sikkimese, and the Tibetans, it keeps you hooked. The comparison of the caste systems, the medicinal practices, and all the cultural practices one can think of.
It would definitely be a worthwhile read for all-mountain lovers as it will be taking them on a trek and for those who are interested in knowing and understanding the cultures of different tribes across the worls.
December 29, 2021
A clarification: if you're reading, unfortunately, the Speaking Tiger paperback edition, you'll be highly disappointed. DO NOT BUY THAT EDITION. Find the original leather-bound edition or its PDF edition. It has footnotes and explanations on every page unlike the paperback. The people at Speaking Tiger should have had some common sense. They omitted all the footnotes and detailed explanations that SCD & WR gave.
January 13, 2020
Almost all of us are familiar with the story of Christopher Columbus's journey to America, Vasco Da Gama's journey to India, Marco Polo's journey to Asia and numerous other European travelers. But very few Indian Explorers and travelers have received such recognition. Sarat Chandra Das is one of them.
Employed by the then British government in India, Sarat, a young Civil Engineer from Bengal posted in Darjeeling was tasked with the job of producing a proper geographical map of Tibet in the 19th century.
Tibet had maintained a policy of solitude and aloofness from the rest of the world till the Chinese occupation in mid 20th century as they feared foreign occupation and degradation of their religion and culture, especially from the then powerful British Empire. Sarat who was well versed in Tibetan Language and their culture visited Tibet disguised as a monk.
This book is an account of not only his journey but also the detailed explanations of the then Tibetan culture and their way of life. This book can be considered as a priceless book to Tibetologists.
Employed by the then British government in India, Sarat, a young Civil Engineer from Bengal posted in Darjeeling was tasked with the job of producing a proper geographical map of Tibet in the 19th century.
Tibet had maintained a policy of solitude and aloofness from the rest of the world till the Chinese occupation in mid 20th century as they feared foreign occupation and degradation of their religion and culture, especially from the then powerful British Empire. Sarat who was well versed in Tibetan Language and their culture visited Tibet disguised as a monk.
This book is an account of not only his journey but also the detailed explanations of the then Tibetan culture and their way of life. This book can be considered as a priceless book to Tibetologists.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews