XIX. From Saga Dzong to Sikkim

Trails to the Inmost Asia

April 20, 1928. The treasurer of the dzong did not arrive and we had to remain at Saga dzong until his arrival. Everyone rested after the strenuous journey of the past ten days. Our camp was pitched close to the trade route Ladak-Nga-ri-Saga dzong-Lhasa and from early morning we could hear the melodious jingling of bells on the horses and mules of passing travelers. Saga dzong is a governmental relay station on the trade route and the administrative center of a vast district, which borders to the north on the territories of Nag-tshang and Nga-ri; to the south and east on the district governed by Dzong-kha, a fort situated on the Nepal border.

The population of the Saga district consists exclusively of nomads, who breed yaks and sheep. The annual tax is paid in produce, chiefly butter, wool, and hides. The headmen of the district assemble yearly in the ninth month of the Tibetan year (about October-November), to pay the annual tribute collected by officials from Lhasa. Saga dzong has about thirty half-ruined stone and brick hovels. The official residence of the Governors, or the dzong proper, is in the center of the village. The place was visited by the British Gartok Mission under Captains Ryder and Rawling in 1904 and by Dr. Sven Hedin in 1908.

During our stay in Saga, both Governors of the fort were in Lhasa and the district was administered by several deputies and the nyer-wa of the dzong, assisted by a deputy from among the local headmen. The dzong had a garrison of thirty soldiers under a she-ngo or non-commissioned officer, whose duty it was to police the district and enforce governmental orders. The soldiers wore no uniforms to distinguish them from the local population except for ammunition belts and a strip of cloth on their right shoulders with the number of their company (mag-khang). The garrison of Saga is supplied by the battalion of infantry stationed at Tingri on the Nepal border. The armament consisted of Lee-Enfield rifles of an old pattern, all of which were in a very bad condition.

Near the dzong there are numerous mani-walls and in the village itself there is a small temple with a huge prayer wheel inside. The place is visited during the summer by traders from the central provinces of Tibet and Nepalese merchants coming by way of Dzong-kha and Nye-lam. The nomads chiefly trade in the local produce, salt, wool, and hides. This year because of the exceptional snowfall, the trade routes were blocked and most of the cattle perished from want of fodder during the winter. The population was unable to obtain the necessary supplies of food and many families starved. During our stay at the dzong, the village was full of beggars, who were in such a desperate condition that they ate the carcasses of animals. The authorities were unable to maintain the required number of relay horses on the stages along the route and to send the annual tax to Lhasa. A petition was therefore presented to the Government, requesting the Precious Protector to exempt the people of Saga dzong from taxes and relay duty for the next year.

In the early morning the officials of the dzong paid us a visit and brought the draft of a letter announcing our passage, to be sent by special messenger to Tingri. The authorities intended to send us to Tingri by a desert route and to make us cross the Yaru tsang-po at a place above Kya-kya where two hide boats carried passengers and goods across the river. They admitted that the boats were in bad condition and needed repair. We resolutely protested against this plan and stated that we should be allowed to proceed to Yanju and cross the river at Sharu. They finally agreed to this and sent the messenger to Yanju but insisted that we should attach our personal seal in red sealing wax to the document, for according to them, the peasants seeing only the official seal of the dzong, would think that it was one of the annual levies of caravan animals for the private use of the dzong and would refuse to comply promptly with the order. Strange as it was, these local officials were deadly afraid of their own people and gladly hid behind the backs of strangers. We pointed out to them that they would be held responsible for any delay and detention at Saga, and that our passport ordered all local authorities to supply us with all the necessities. They replied that they were ready to give us a letter stating the causes of the delay and their inability to supply us with adequate provisions.