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chain of the Himalayas, called Kubigangri, about 82° N., and receives various tributaries including one formerly regarded as the true source from the pass of Mariam La (15,500 ft.), which separates its See also:

basin from the eastern affluents of the Mansarowar lakes, at least See also:

ioo m. See also:

south-See also:

east of those of the See also:

INDUS

Indus. It flows in a south-easterly direction for 170 m., and then adheres closely to a nearly easterly course for 500 M. more, being at the end of that distance in 29010' N. See also:

lat. It then bends See also:

north-east for 150 M. before finally shaping itself southwards towards the plains of See also:

ASSAM

Assam. Roughly speaking, the river may be said so far to run parallel to the main chain of the See also:

HIMALAYA

Himalaya at a distance of roo m. therefrom. Its See also:

early beginnings take their rise amidst a mighty mass of glaciers which See also:

COVER (from the Fr. convert, from couvrir, to cover, Lat. cooperire)

cover the See also:

NORTHERN

northern slopes of the See also:

WATERSHED

watershed, separating them from the See also:

SOURCES

sources of the See also:

GOGRA, or GHAGRA

Gogra on the south; and there is See also:

EVIDENCE (Lat. evidentia, evideri, to appear clearly)

evidence thattwo of its great See also:

SOUTHERN

southern tributaries, the Shorta Tsanpo (which joins about 150 M. from its source), and the Nyang Chu (the river of See also:

SHIGATSE

Shigatse and See also:

GYANTSE

Gyantse), are both also of glacial origin. From the north it receives five great tributaries, namely, the Chu Nago, the Chachu Tsanpo and the Charta Tsanpo (all within the first 200 M. of its course), and the Raka Tsanpo an l!, Kyi-chu (or river of See also:

LHASA (LIIASSA, LASSA, " God's ground ")

Lhasa) below. The Chachu and the Charta are large clear streams, evidently draining from the great centrals See also:

lake See also:

DISTRICT

district. Both of them measure more than ioo yds. in width at the point of junction, and they are clearly non-glacial; The Raka Tsanpo is a lateral affluent, flowing for 200 M. parallel to the main river course and some 20 to 30 M. north of it, draining the southern slopes of a high snowy range. It is an important feature as affording foothold for the Janglam (the great high road of southern See also:

TIBET, or THIBET

Tibet connecting Ladakh with See also:

CHINA

China), which is denied by the actual valley of the Brahmaputra. The great river itself is known in Tibet by many names, being generally called the Nari Chu, Maghang Tsanpo or Yaro Tsanpo, above Lhasa; the word "tsanpo" (tsang-po) meaning (according to Waddell) the " pure one," and applying to all great See also:

rivers. Fifty See also:

MILES, NELSON APPLETON (1839— )

miles from its source the river and the Janglam route See also:

TOUCH (derived through Fr. toucher from a common Teutonic and Indo-Germanic root, cf. " tug," " tuck," O. H. Ger. zucchen, to twitch or draw)

touch each other, and from that point past Tadum (the first important See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place on its See also:

banks) for another 130 m., the road follows more or less closely the See also:

LEFT

left See also:

BANK

bank of the river.

Then it diverges north-wards into the lateral valley of the Raka, until the Raka joins the Brahmaputra below Janglache. The upper reaches are nowhere fordable between Tadum and Lhasa, but there is a See also:

ferry at Likche (opposite Tadum on the southern bank), where wooden boats covered with hide effect the necessary connexion between the two banks and ensure the passage of the See also:

NEPAL, NEPAUL

Nepal See also:

trade. From Janglache (13,800 ft.) to Shigatse the river is navigable, the channel being open and wide and the course straight. This is probably the most elevated See also:

SYSTEM

system of See also:

NAVIGATION (from Lat. navis, ship, and agere, to move)

navigation in the See also:

WORLD

world. From Shigatse, which stands near the mouth of the Nyang Chu, to the Kyi-chu, or Lhasa river, there is no See also:

DIRECT

direct route, the river being unnavigable below Shigatse. The Janglam takes a circuitous course southwards to Gyantse and the Yamdok Cho before dropping again over the Khambala pass to the ferry at Khamba barje near Chushul. Thence the valley of the Kyi-chu (itself navigable for small boats for about 30 m.) leads to Lhasa northwards. At Chushul there is an See also:

IRON [symbol Fe, atomic weight 55.85 (0=16)]

iron chain-and-rope suspension See also:

BRIDGE

bridge over the deepest See also:

PART

part of the river, but it does not completely span the river, and it is too insecure for use. The remains of a similar bridge exist at Janglache; but there arc no wooden or twig suspension See also:

bridges over the Tsanpo. At Tadum the river is about one See also:

HALF

half as wide again as the See also:

GANGES (GANGA)

Ganges at See also:

HARDWAR, or HURDWAR

Hardwar in See also:

DECEMBER (Lat. decent, ten)

December, i.e. about 250 to 300 yds. At Shigatse it flows in a wide extended See also:

bed with many channels, but contracts again at Chushul, where it is no wider than it is at Janglache, i.e. from 600 to 700 yds. At Chushul (below the Kyi-chu) the See also:

DISCHARGE (adapted from the O. Fr. discharge, modern decharge, from a med. Lat. discargare, to unload, dis- and earn care, to load, cf. " charge ")

discharge of the river is computed to be about 35,000 cub. ft. per second, or seven times that of the Ganges at Hardwar.

For about 250 M. below Kyi-chu to a point about 20 M. below the great southerly See also:

BEND

bend (in 940 E. See also:

long.) the course of the Brahmaputra has been traced by native surveyors. Then it is lost amidst the See also:

JUNGLE (Sans. jangala)

jungle-covered hills of the See also:

WILD, JONATHAN (c. 1682-1725)

wild See also:

MISHMI

Mishmi and Abor tribes to the east of See also:

BHUTAN

Bhutan for another ioo m., until it is again found as the Dihong emerging into the plains of Assam. About the intervening reaches of the river very little is known except that it drops through 7000 ft. of See also:

ALTITUDE (Lat. altitudo, from altus, high)

altitude, and that in one place, at least, there exist some very remarkable falls. These are placed in 29° 40' N. lat., between Kongbu and Pema-Koi. Here the river runs in a narrow precipitous See also:

DEFILE

defile along which no path is practicable. The falls can only be approached from below, where a monastery has been erected, the resort of countless pilgrims. Their height is estimated at 70 ft., and by Tibetan See also:

REPORT (O.Fr. report or raport, modern rapport, from O.Fr. reporter, mod. rap porter, Lat. reportare, to bring back, in poetical use only, of bringing back an account, news, &c.)

report the hills around are enveloped in perpetual mist, and the Sangdong (the " See also:

lion's See also:

FACE (from Lat. fades, derived either from facere, to make, or from a root fa-, meaning " appear "; cf. Gr. cbatvstv)

face "), over which the See also:

WATERS, TERRITORIAL

waters See also:

rush, is demon-haunted and full of mystic import. Up to comparatively See also:

RECENT

recent years it was See also:

MATTER

matter for controversy whether the Tsanpo formed the upper reaches of the Dihong or of the See also:

IRRAWADDY, or IRAWADI

Irrawaddy. From the north-eastern extremity of Assam where, near Sadya, the Lohit, the Dibong and the Dihong unite to See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form the wide placid Brahmaputra of the plains—one of the grandest rivers of the world—its south-See also:

WESTERLY

westerly course to the See also:

Bay of See also:

Bengal is sufficiently well known. It still retains the proud distinction of being unbridged, and still the River Flotilla See also:

COMPANY

Company appoints its steamers at See also:

REGULAR

regular intervals to visit all the See also:

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief ports on its banks as far as See also:

DIBRUGARH

Dibrugarh. Here, however, a new feature has been introduced in the See also:

LOCAL

local railway, which extends for some 8o m. to Sadya, with a See also:

BRANCH (from the Fr. branche, late Lat. branca, an animal's paw)

branch to the Burl Dihing river at the See also:

FOOT

foot of the Patkoi range. The Patkoi border the plains of Upper Assam to the south-east, and across these hills lies the most reasonable See also:

PROBABILITY (Lat. probabilis, probable or credible)

probability of railway ex-tension to See also:

BURMA

Burma.

The following are the " lowest level " discharges of the See also:

PRINCIPAL

principal affluents of the Brahmaputra in Upper Assam, estimated in cubic feet per second: Lohit river, 9 M. above Sadya . 38,800 Dibong, r m. above junction with Dihong . 27,200 Dihong „ Dibong . 55,400 Subansiri . 16,900 The basins of the Dibong and Subansiri are as yet very imperfectly known. That of the Lohit has been fairly well explored. Near See also:

GOALPARA

Goalpara the discharge of the river in See also:

JANUARY

January 1828 was computed to be 140,000 cub. ft., or nearly See also:

double that of the Ganges. The length of the river is 700 M. to the Dihong junction, and about r000 in Tibet and eastern Bhutan, above the Dihong. The Brahmaputra, therefore, exceeds the Ganges in length by about 400 M. The bed of the great river maintains a fairly See also:

CONSTANT, BENJAMIN (1845-1902)

constant position between its extreme banks, but the channels within that bed are so constantly shifting as to require See also:

close supervision on the part of the navigation authorities; so much detritus is carried down as. to form a perpetually changing See also:

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of obstructions to steamer See also:

TRAFFIC

traffic. An enormous development of agricultural resources has taken place within the Brahmaputra basin of See also:

LATE

late years, chiefly in the direction of See also:

TEA (Chinese cha, Amoy dialect t€)

tea cultivation, as well as in the See also:

PRODUCTION (Lat. productionem, from producere, to pro-duce)

production of jute and See also:

SILK

silk. See also:

Gold is found in the sands of all its upper tributaries, and See also:

COAL

coal and See also:

PETROLEUM (Lat. Petra, rock, and oleuin, oil)

petroleum are amongst the chief See also:

MINERAL

mineral products which have been brought into economic prominence.

During the rains the Brahmaputra floods hundreds of square miles of See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country, reaching a height of 30 to 40 ft. above its usual level. This supersedes artificial See also:

IRRIGATION (Lat. in, and rigare, to water or wet)

irrigation, and the plains so watered yield abundantly in See also:

rice, jute and See also:

MUSTARD

mustard. See Reports of the native explorers of the See also:

INDIAN

Indian Survey, edited by See also:

Montgomery and Harman; Imperial Gazetteer of India (1908); See also:

Sir T. H. Holdich, India (" Regions of the World " series, 1903) ; See also:

RYDER, ALBERT PINKHAM (1847– )

Ryder, See also:

GEOGRAPHICAL

Geographical See also:

Journal, 1905; Rawlings, The Great See also:

Plateau (1906). (T. H.

End of Article: BRAHMAPUTRA

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