Ladakh Chronicles
The Ladakh Chronicles, or La-dvags-rgyal-rabs (), is a historical work that covers the history of Ladakh from the beginnings of the first Tibetan dynasty of Ladakh until the end of the Namgyal dynasty. The chronicles were compiled by the Namgyal dynasty, mostly during the 17th century, and are considered to be the main written source for Ladakhi history. It remains one of only two surviving pre-19th century literary sources from Ladakh. Only seven original manuscripts of the chronicles are known to have existed, of which two survive to the modern day. Background. Until the early 19th  century, European historians believed that there were no written histories from Ladakh. After reports to the contrary, Alexander Cunningham found the first known manuscript of the chronicles ("Ms. Cunningham") during his stay in Ladakh in 1847. The origin, intent, and time of the authorship of the "Ladakh Chronicles" remains unknown to modern historians. It remains one of only two surviving pre-19th century literary sources from Ladakh. Manuscripts. There are seven extant manuscripts of the "Ladakh Chronicles": Combined edition and scholarship. In 1926, Tibetologist August Herman Francke published a non-critical translation of the chronicle, in what was the first detailed  history of Ladakh. His edition was based on five manuscripts ("Ms.S", "Ms.A", "Ms.B", "Ms.C", "Ms.L"). Francke's edition would become the standard edition for all future studies on the pre-Dogra Ladakh. In the later part of the 20th century, research on the "Ladakh Chronicles" were complemented by further studies by Joseph Gergan, Luciano Petech, and Zahiruddin Ahmad. Petech, in a comparative study with other texts, notes an abundance of omissions and mistakes; he warns against trusting the chronicle blindly. Other scholars have also warned about gaps in the chronicles' treatment of the period before  the 17th century. Contents. The "Ladakh Chronicles" were split into three main sections: the first two sections are about the history of central Tibet; the third section is specifically about Ladakh. The principal chronicle is the "Royal Genealogy of Ladakh". The chronicles refers to several dynasties of kings, mentioning that some were descended from the mythological Tibetan hero Gesar. Tibetans controlled the area from 663, and it was controlled by the Tibetan Empire until 842, after which the area was described by the chronicles as splintering into several principalities plagued by warfare and raiding. The chronicles then describe the establishment  of Maryul by descendants of the central Tibetan monarchy in the 10th century. The chronicles describe the period of conflicts with the Mughal Empire during the late 14th to 16th centuries in Ladakh and Baltistan. The chronicles then describe the development of the Namgyal dynasty and its expansion to Purig in the west and the Tibetan lands of Guge in the east. The latter parts of the "Ladakh Chronicles" in manuscripts "Ms. C" and "Ms. Sonam" contain details about the surprise Dogra invasion of Ladakh. The chronicles also cover the first-millennium presence of Buddhism, the growth of Buddhism in  the first half of the second millennium, and the introduction of Islam in the 16th century. Treaty of Tingmosgang (1684). The first publication of the "Ladakh Chronicles" summary of the 1684 Treaty of Tingmosgang appeared as an appendix to a book by Henry Ramsay. It is held that Prime Minister Desi Sangye Gyatso of Tibet and the King Delek Namgyal of Ladakh agreed on the Treaty of Tingmosgang (sometimes called the Treaty of Temisgam) in the fortress of Tingmosgang at the conclusion of the Tibet–Ladakh–Mughal War in 1684. The original text of the Treaty of Tingmosgang no longer  survives, but its contents are summarized in the "Ladakh Chronicles".The summary contained in the "Ladakh Chronicles" includes six main clauses of the treaty: The trade regulations provided for Ladakh's exclusive right to trade in pashmina wool produced in Tibet, in exchange for brick-tea from Ladakh. Ladakh was also bound to send periodic missions to Lhasa carrying presents for the Dalai Lama. The fee in the sixth clause was later paid by Desi Sangye Gyatso to Mi-'pham dBaii-po in the form of three estates in Tibet sometime between the autumn of 1684 and 1685. Ladakh Chronicles The