1936 - 1937 Mission Diary

The official diary of the Gould mission to Lhasa sent by the British government. Read more about the mission diary.

10th September, Thursday, Lhasa.

see photographs below

We went this morning to inspect the very ancient and highly revered "Snake Temple" on an island in a small lake below the Potala. It is dark, poky and smelly, but had many very curious idols, with a halo of snakes round the idol s head. It is supposed to be a water deity. The journey across the little lake takes place in a very ricketty flat bottomed wooden punt.

The Dalai Lama used sometimes to go there for a few hours to meditate; we saw his room and divan.

Author: Philip Neame [see handwritten annotations in Diary by Hugh Richardson in MS. Or. Richardson 2, Bodleian Libary, Department of Oriental Collections, University of Oxford]

Page Reference: Pt VI p.1