An Account of The Kingdom of Nepal: And of the Territories Annexed to this Dominion by the House of GorkhaHamilton, Francis
History
An Account of The Kingdom of Nepal: And of the Territories Annexed to this Dominion by the House of Gorkha
Hamilton, Francis
Nepal -- Description and travel; Nepal -- History
Parbat or Malebum is a very elevated cold country, one-fourth of the
whole being occupied by mountains covered with perpetual snow. It
contains the remarkable hot springs of Muktanath, with mines of sulphur,
cinnabar, iron, and copper, and some allege of zinc, (Dasta,) although by
others this is denied. The mines of copper are said to be twenty-five in
number, and produce a great revenue, besides what is used in the country
and Thibet, sending large quantities to the plains of India. It also has
three mines of Abrac or mica, and several places abound in rock crystal,
(Phatik.) The crystals are said to be sometimes found as thick as a
man’s thigh, but their usual size is five or six inches in length. Gold
also is found in the sands of several rivers, especially in the Krishna
Gandaki or Narayani, the Bakhugar or Bathugar, the Modi, and the
Mayangdi.
The upper part of the river, which in the plains of India is called the
Gandaki, is called Kali, and, rising near a place called Damodur kund,
runs through the territories of a Bhotiya chief, called the Mastang Raja,
who is, or at least when I saw him in 1802, was tributary to Gorkha; but
there is reason to think, that since that time the Chinese have compelled
the Raja of Gorkha to cede both Mastang and Kerung. On passing the
highest peaks of Emodus, the Kali enters Malebum, and receives from the
east a small stream called the Narayani, which rises near the perennial
snow from the warm sources of Muktanath, a very celebrated place of
pilgrimage. The usual love of fable multiplies the number of these
sources to 1000; but Sadhu Ram, who has visited the place, reduces the
number to seven, and the most remarkable is the Agnikund or spring of
fire, which is in a temple. The spring is not remarkably copious, but is
perennial, and issues from among stones, accompanied by a flame, which
rises a few inches. The water falls immediately into a well (Kund) or
cistern, which is about two feet wide. On the whole, so far as I can
understand the description, it entirely resembles the Sitakunda near
Chitagang, that is, the water has no connexion with a subterraneous fire,
and the flame is occasioned by the burning of an inflammable air, that
issues from the crevices of a rock, over which the water has been
artificially conducted. The streams of the Kali and Narayani unite at
Kagakoti, take the name of Narayani, and are also called Krishna,
Gandaki, and Salagrami, from the number of stones of that kind, which the
channel contains.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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