[41] The Kung-chu came to Tibet A.D. 639 (see I. J. Schmidt, op. cit., p. 341). He there says (translating from the Bodhimur) that when the princess reached the spot where the Ramoche temple now stands, the cart on which was the image of the Buddha (Jo-vo) stopped of itself, and could not be made to move forward.—(W. R.) [↑]
[42] Dolma, or Drolma (Sanskrit Tara). The two wives of King Srong-btsan gambo are worshipped under this name. The Chinese princess is called Dol-kar, or “the white Dolma,” and the Nepalese princess Dol-jang, or “the green Dolma.” The latter is prayed to by women for fecundity. On the worship of Dolma, see Waddell, op. cit., p. 435 et sqq. [↑]
[43] The god of eternal life; in Sanskrit, Amitāyus. [↑]
[44] The Ka-dro (mkah-hgro) are nymphs or fairies, all friendly to man. In Sanskrit they are called Dakini. See Waddell, op. cit., p. 366. [↑]
[45] Mumen, “a precious stone of dark blue, but inferior to the azure stone, occasionally used for rosaries.” Mention is also made of mumen dmar-po (“red mumen”). Jaeschke, ‘Tib.-Engl. Dict.,’ s.v. mu-men. [↑]
[46] From what the author says a little later, it would appear that, on the contrary, the Tale lama is very accessible. Manning called repeatedly on him in 1811, and Huc tells us there was no difficulty about being admitted to his presence.—(W. R.) [↑]
[47] Cf. Jour. Roy. Asiat. Soc., xxiii. p. 285. [↑]
[48] The earliest name of Mount Potala was Marpo ri, “the red hill.” King Srong-btsan gambo is said to have built a palace on its summit, and it was occupied by the kings of Tibet down to the time of the fifth Tale lama, who built about the middle of the seventeenth century the present palace. See Emil Schlagintweit, ‘Die Könige von Tibet,’ p. 49. Our author says the palace was built “by the fifth Dalai lama and his illustrious Regent Desi Sangye-gyatso.” In connection with our author’s audience of the Grand Lama, it is interesting to read Manning’s account, which agrees with it very closely.—(W. R.) [↑]
[49] Manning says of the then Tale lama (Lozang lung-tog-gyatso by name), “The lama’s beautiful and interesting face and manner engrossed almost all my attention. He was at that time about seven years old; had the simple and unaffected manners of a well-educated princely child. His face was, I thought, poetically and affectingly beautiful.… I was extremely affected by this interview with the lama. I could have wept through strangeness of sensation.” See Markham, op, cit., pp. 265, 266. I am sorry I have not now access to Nain Singh’s report of his interview with the Tale lama in 1866; but, if I remember rightly, it contains some interesting details on his audience with the Dalai lama Trin-las-gyatso.—(W. R.) [↑]
[50] Water used for oblations in Tibet is usually coloured (or perfumed?) with saffron. See Waddell, op. cit., p. 298.—(W. R.) [↑]