A Bengali schoolmaster from Darjeeling who had mastered Tibetan, Das crossed into Tibet in the late 1870s and early 1880s when it was closed to outsiders. He describes the passes from Sikkim, long residence at the great monastery of Tashilhunpo, a journey past the lake of Yamdo to Samding, and his stay in Lhasa, recording ceremonies, officials, prayers to mountain gods and daily life.
One of the rare first-hand accounts of Lhasa before the twentieth century. Download the free EPUB.