Page:Mongolia, the Tangut country, and the solitudes of northern Tibet vol 2 (1876).djvu/197

179 Toso-nor, it is defined on the west by the course of the Nomokhun-gol, which flows from its southern foot, sweeps round the western end and enters the Tsaidam plain, where it joins the Baian-gol. The Burkhan Buddha is, therefore, a distinct range, more particularly on the north, where it rises boldly from the perfectly level plains of Tsaidam; it has no very conspicuous peaks, but extends in one unbroken chain.

The Mongol tradition regarding the origin of the name 'Burkhan Buddha,' dates several hundred years back, when a certain gigen happened to be returning to Mongolia from Tibet, and, after encountering all the horrors of the Tibetan deserts, descended in safety to the warmer plains of Tsaidam; desirous of showing his gratitude to the Divine Being, he named after Buddha himself that range which, like a giant watchman, keeps guard over the adjacent cold and sterile highlands. These mountains are indeed a distinguishing physical feature of this region. To the south of them the elevation is from 13,000 to 15,000 feet the whole way to the head waters of