“I start out on my route and part the way along in or near Mongolia I am given two white plaques of an irregular shape. Phonetically these plates speak in the dream. They say, “Mon yet {yat} Dzong” and “Sprul yet Tsaay” I can see the associated Tibetan script but cannot associate it directly with the phonetics.”

ཡེ (ye, “primordial”)

Ye{t} could have been je or jay

DEFINING THE TERM MON

According  to  Neeru  Nanda  in  her  article,  “Monpas  in  their  borderland-A  historical  review”  she  stated  that  the  Monpas have a local saying that; “We are neither of Gyasar(Tibet) nor of Gyagar(India),we are the Mon”. The Monpa tribe of Arunachal Pradesh represents the dominant ethnic group of the region. The term Monpa meaning someone from Mon, is used either for people living in the region of Mon or for someone who is of Mon, irrespective of region. The term Monpa or Mon are hence used as a blanket terms by Tibetan to designate certain neighbouring region or people situated to the south. In many Tibetan writings, Mon, Monyul, Lho Mon or Shar Mon refers to a region, specifying a location mostly to the south of Central Tibet. According to early Tibetan sources, Monyul is situated in South Tibet, it was also known as Lho Mon, the southern belt of Tibet before the emergence of Kingdom in Bhutan and Sikkim Lho Mon was reffered to the people who lived in south Tibet. According to the historical sources of Bhutan, Sikkim and Tibet Lho-Mon is referred to as the inhabitant of south Tibet  which  includes  Bhutanese  and  Monpa.  Lho means south in Tibetan and Mon means people inhabiting in the region. Old Mon is largely connected to an area, which includes the whole of Sikkim state, Bhutan and the Mon region i.e. the Tawang and West kameng district in the westernmost tribe of Arunachal Pradesh.

Old Mon even included the southernmost counties of Lhoka and Shigatse Prefectures, such as Mon Tsho sna and Mon Gro mo in the TAR, which are adjoining border areas to Sikkim, Bhutan and Tawang district . Besides the description of the Monpa people of the Mon region as a “Scheduled tribes” in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, the term Mon is also widely used in other parts of the Himalayan region. Presently from the eastern Himalaya to the western Himalayas, Mon or Monpa is used as an unspecific meaning of an ethnic group. In the case of the eastern Himalayas, it is used in Bhutan, Sikkim and adjoining district of the west Bengal state. The trend of differentiating these regions as being not referred to Mon prior to the eighteenth century is strong in contemporary writings from the region.

Presently in Bhutan, Mon refers to an ethnic group living in the south-central districts and to a cluster of villages in Monmola  Trashithangyed,  Chiwog  of  Serthi  Gewog  region  in  the  Samdrup  Jongkhar  district.  In Sikkim and  n  the  adjoining district, Mon is referred to the region as well as to the Lepcha tribe and other ethnic group in the region.In the western Himalayas, the region of Ladakh and Kargil of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Lahaul, spiti and Kinnaur areas of Himachal  Pradesh,  Mon  and  sometimes  Mon pa  represent  group  of  sedentary  musicians  who  are  situated  low  in  the  social hierarchy. This lower social status of Mon is further recorded in Baltistan of Pakistan. The usage of term mon is also found in Central Himalayas region, where the upland hill people called or named their southern valley neighbours Mon.

The historical understanding of the different key term Mon, in its ancient and orginal term Man, is applied by the Chinese to several ‘barbarian’  groups  related  to  the  ch’iang  including  the  people  of  rGyal  rong.  The term is found in Tibetan text of the eighth and ninth centuries in the forms of Mon and Mong, and thereafter it is applied to all kinds of groups throughout the Himalaya with whom the Tibetan come in contact. The term lost any specificity it might once have had and came to mean little more than ‘southern or western mountain-dwelling non-Indian non-Tibetan barbarian’. The present range of term must have had its first impetus in a movement from the east to the south-east, and the affinities noted above incline one to look for the main point of secondary diffusion in the centre and east of ‘proto-bhutan’; not only the language but also some of social institution peculiar to the area may have served to link it in Tibetan eyes to the true Mon of rGyal rong.  The old towers  and  fortresses  in  the  Sino-Tibetan  marches,  the  mong-dzong  of  the  Nam  text,  are  parralled by many such building which have disappeared or lie in ruins in central and eastern Bhutan and in Kameng .

Sangey Phurpa, Rajiv Gandhi University

Journal of Visual and Performing Arts June 2024 5(6), 1889–1893

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“Sprul yet Tsaay”

At a push yet {yat} tsay could be yantse

—— Sprul {emanation} from (g)yantse

About Gyantse Dzong

Gyantse Dzong is a historic fortress perched majestically on a hill overlooking the charming town of Gyantse in Tibet. Gyantse Dzong, also known as Gyantse Fortress, is a symbol of Tibet’s rich cultural heritage and a testament to its strategic importance in the region’s history. You can trek to the top of Gyantse Dzong and overlook Pelkor Chode Monastery.

Dating back to the 14th century, Gyantse Dzong served as a military stronghold, administrative center, and royal palace, playing a crucial role in the defense of the town and surrounding areas. The fortress’s imposing walls, watchtowers, and strategic location offer a glimpse into Tibet’s past as a land of ancient kingdoms, epic battles, and enduring traditions.

Gyantse is often called the “Hero City” by local people, because of the determined resistance of the Tibetans against far superior forces during the British invasion of Tibet in 1903 and 1904. It was a slow and bloody massacre of hundreds of Tibetan people, who were only equipped with antiquated matchlock guns, swords spears, and slingshots at that time. What they faced were Maxim machine guns and 10-pound cannons.

As you wander through the corridors and chambers of Gyantse Dzong, you will encounter relics of the past, including ancient murals, prayer halls, and artifacts that speak to the fortress’s role as a center of governance and spirituality. The peaceful ambiance of the fortress, coupled with its commanding presence against the backdrop of the Himalayas, creates a sense of awe and reverence for the history and heritage it embodies.

Whether you are a history enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply a traveler seeking to immerse yourself in the beauty and legacy of Tibet, a visit to Gyantse Dzong promises a memorable experience filled with insights into the region’s past and the enduring spirit of its people. Join us on a journey to Gyantse Dzong and discover the stories, legends, and architectural marvels that make this fortress a cherished landmark in the heart of Tibet.

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Gyantse, officially Gyangzê Town (also spelled Gyangtse; Tibetan: རྒྱལ་རྩེ, Wylie: rgyal rtse, ZYPY: Gyangzê; simplified Chinese: 江孜镇; traditional Chinese: 江孜鎮; pinyin: Jiāngzī Zhèn), is a town located in Gyantse County, Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was historically considered the third largest and most prominent town in Tibet (after Lhasa and Shigatse), but there are now at least ten larger Tibetan cities.

Wikipedia

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“Sprul yet Tsaay”

Ye-tsaay

Wisdom of the emanation?

Or emanation of wisdom?

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ɕ is a sshh sound

ཡེ་ཤེས

Tibetan Etymology

From ཡེ (ye, “primordial”) +‎ ཤེས (shes, “to know, understand, realise, cognise”).

Pronunciation

    Old Tibetan: /*je.ɕes/

    Lhasa: /ji˩˨.ɕi˥˨/

Noun

ཡེ་ཤེས • (ye shes)

• wisdom, awareness, knowledge
•   (Buddhism) jnana

Proper noun

ཡེ་ཤེས • (ye shes)

    a unisex given name, Yeshe

From Wiktionary