Sarat Chandra Das

Sarat Chandra Das en 1904

Biographie
Naissance	18 juillet 1849 Chittagong
Décès	5 janvier 1917 (à 67 ans) Chittagong
Nationalité	indienne
Formation	Presidency College
Activités	Explorateur, instituteur, écrivain, photographe, linguiste
Fratrie	Nabin Chandra Das (d)

Sarat Chandra Das, né le 18 juillet 1849 à Chittagong et mort le 5 janvier 1917, est un lettré indien féru de langue tibétaine et de culture tibétaine.

Biographie modifier

Lha-cham en 1879, photo de Sarat Chandra Das.

En 1874, il est nommé directeur du pensionnat bhoutia tibétain de Darjeeling. Lama Ugyen Gyatso, un moine du monastère de Pemayangtse au Sikkim, est alors le professeur de tibétain dans cette école^[1].

Alors que le Tibet est sous la tutelle des Qing, il travaille un temps comme espion pour les Britanniques, partant en expédition au Tibet pour rassembler des informations sur les Tibétains, les Russes et les Chinois. Il séjourne à Lhassa entre 1881 et 1882^[2].

Après qu'il a quitté le Tibet, les raisons de son séjour sont découvertes et de nombreux Tibétains qui s'étaient liés d'amitié avec lui et qui l'avaient aidé dans son entreprise sont victimes de graves représailles par les Chinois^[3]. Selon le colonel écossais britannique Laurence Austine Waddell, le gouverneur de Gyantsé, Phal Dahpön, et sa femme (Lha-cham), qui avaient aidé Sarat C. Das, furent condamnés à la prison à vie, virent leurs domaines confisqués et eurent plusieurs de leurs domestiques mutilés (mains et pieds coupés, yeux arrachés) et abandonnés à leur sort^[4]. Selon le tibétologue italien Luciano Petech, le mda'-dpon P'a-lha-ba et sa femme lha-lcam ne furent qu'exilés pendant 7 ans^[5].

Il nomme sa maison « Lhassa Villa » et y reçoit de nombreux invités notoires, dont Charles Alfred Bell et Ekai Kawaguchi. Il compile un dictionnaire tibéto-anglais, qui est publié en 1902.

En 1885, il rencontre William Woodville Rockhill à Pékin^[6].

En 1915, il se rend au Japon^[7] avec Ekai Kawaguchi^[8].

Il meurt le 5 janvier 1917, probablement chez lui, à Chittagong^[9]^,^[7].

Rudyard Kipling s'inspira de sa vie pour le personnage de Hurree Chunder Mookerjee, l'agent E.17 de son roman Kim^[10].

Publications modifier

Tibetan-English Dictionary, Ed. Dzambala, 8 juin 1996, (ISBN 2-906940-27-5)
Avec William Woodville Rockhill, Voyage à Lhassa et au Tibet central, Olizane, 1994, (ISBN 2-88086-147-0), (en) Journey To Lhasa & Central Tibet. 1st Edition: John Murray (England) (1902). Reprint: Kessinger Publishing, LLC (2007). (ISBN 978-0-548-22652-0). Republished as: Lhasa and Central Tibet, Cosmo (Publications, India); New edition (2003). (ISBN 978-81-7020-435-0).
(en) Contributions on the religion, history &c., of Tibet: Rise and progress of Jin or Buddhism in China. Publisher: s.n. (1882).
(en) Narrative of a journey to Lhasa in 1881-82. Publisher: s.n. (1885).
(en) Narrative of a journey round Lake Yamdo (Palti), and in Lhokha, Yarlung, and Sakya, in 1882. publisher: s.n (1887).
(en) The doctrine of transmigration. Buddhist Text Society (1893).
(en) Indian Pandits in the Land of Snow. Originally published at the end of the 19th century. Reprint: Rupa (2006). (ISBN 978-81-291-0895-1).
(en) A Tibetan-English dictionary, with Sanskrit synonyms. 1st Edition - Calcutta, 1902. Reprint: Sri Satguru Publications, Delhi. 1989.
(en) An introduction to the grammar of the Tibetan language;: With the texts of Situ sum-tag, Dag-je sal-wai melong, and Situi shal lung. Darjeeling Branch Press, 1915. Reprint: Motilal Barnasidass, Delhi, 1972.
(en) Autobiography: Narratives of the incidents of my early life. Reprint: Indian studies: past & present (1969).

Notes et références modifier

↑ A JOURNEY TO TASHI-LHUNPO IN 1879
↑ (en) Sarah H. Jacoby, ove and Liberation: Autobiographical Writings of the Tibetan Buddhist Visionary Sera Khandro, Columbia University Press, 2014, (ISBN 0231147686 et 9780231147682)
↑ Samanth Subramanian, The Indian Spy Who Fell for Tibet, 16 mars 2016, The New York Times
↑ (en) Laurence Austine Waddell, Lhasa and Its Mysteries: With a Record of the Expedition of 1903-1904 (Livre numérique Google), Cosimo, Inc., 2007, 740 pages, p. 79 : « The ruin thus brought about by the Babu's visit extended also to the unfortunate Lama's relatives, the governor of Gyantsé (the Phal Dahpön) and his wife (Lha-cham), whom he had persuaded to befriend Sarat C. Das. These two were cast into prison for life, and their estates confiscated, and several of their servants were barbarously mutilated, their hands and feet were cut off and their eyes gouged out, and they were then left to die a lingering death in agony, so bitterly cruel was the resentment of the Lamas against all who assisted the Babu in this attempt to spy into their sacred city. »
↑ (en) Luciano Petech, Aristocracy and government in Tibet, 1728–1959 1973, p. 85 : « Another P'a-lha-nas, who appears as acting paymaster (p'ogs- dpon las-bya) in 1879 5, may be the same as the mda'-dpon P'a-lha-ba who was posted at Shigatse in 1880 and 1881 6, and in 1882 acted as the sne-san of the Pan-c'en going to the hot springs for curing his ailments 7. Apparently he was a brother of bKra-sis-dar-rgyas, with whom he shared a wife, the lha-lcam who extended such a generous protection to S.Ch. Das during his journey to Lhasa 8. Because of this imprudent act of kindness, the lady and the mda'-dpon were exiled for seven years 9. »
↑ Florence et Hélène Béquignon, introduction de Sarat Chandra Das, William Woodville Rockhill, Voyage à Lhassa et au Tibet central, traduction Florence et Hélène Béquignon, Olizane, 1994, (ISBN 2-88086-147-0), p. 13.
↑ ^{a et b} The Japan Chronicle: Weekly Edition, 1917 : « THOSE who met Rai Bahadur Sarat Chandra Das, the Bengali explorer of Tibet and Tibetan scholar, when he was in Japan in 1915, will learn with regret that the genial old gentleman died on January 6th, presumably at his home at Chittagong. »
↑ The Japan Chronicle: Weekly Edition - Numéros 935 à 956, p. 445 : « By the Hakata-maru, which reached Kobe on Friday afternoon (3rd instant) arrived Mr. Kawaguchi Ekai, and Sri Sarat Chandra Das, both famous for their explorations in Tibet. Mr. Kawaguchi was received at the pier by Dr. Takakusu, Mr. Hasebe, a Buddhist priest, of Kyoto, and a large number of other priests and well-known citizens. »
↑ Paul Carus, The Open Court, vol 31, 1917, p. 256 « We hear with regret from Calcutta of the recent death (January 5, 1917) of the Hindu scholar and explorer Rai Sarat Chandra Das C. I.E. On the day preceding his death he deeded a large piece of land on Deva-Pahar Hill, Chittagong, »
↑ Florence et Hélène Béquignon, introduction de Sarat Chandra Das, William Woodville Rockhill, Voyage à Lhassa et au Tibet central, traduction Florence et Hélène Béquignon, Olizane, 1994, (ISBN 2-88086-147-0), p. 9.

Liens externes modifier

Sur les autres projets Wikimedia :

Sarat Chandra Das, sur Wikimedia Commons

Notices d'autorité :
- VIAF
- ISNI
- BnF (données)
- IdRef
- LCCN
- GND
- Japon
- CiNii
- Espagne
- Pays-Bas
- Israël
- NUKAT
- Australie
- Norvège
- WorldCat
WHAT IS KNOWN OF THIBET; Mystery Surrounding Lhasa Now Largely Dispelled. The Story of Chandra Das -- The Child Dalai Lama -- Russian Influence Believed to be Great., The New York Times, December 6, 1903

[1] A JOURNEY TO TASHI-LHUNPO IN 1879

[2] (en) Sarah H. Jacoby, ove and Liberation: Autobiographical Writings of the Tibetan Buddhist Visionary Sera Khandro, Columbia University Press, 2014, (ISBN 0231147686 et 9780231147682)

[3] Samanth Subramanian, The Indian Spy Who Fell for Tibet, 16 mars 2016, The New York Times

[4] (en) Laurence Austine Waddell, Lhasa and Its Mysteries: With a Record of the Expedition of 1903-1904 (Livre numérique Google), Cosimo, Inc., 2007, 740 pages, p. 79 : « The ruin thus brought about by the Babu's visit extended also to the unfortunate Lama's relatives, the governor of Gyantsé (the Phal Dahpön) and his wife (Lha-cham), whom he had persuaded to befriend Sarat C. Das. These two were cast into prison for life, and their estates confiscated, and several of their servants were barbarously mutilated, their hands and feet were cut off and their eyes gouged out, and they were then left to die a lingering death in agony, so bitterly cruel was the resentment of the Lamas against all who assisted the Babu in this attempt to spy into their sacred city. »

[5] (en) Luciano Petech, Aristocracy and government in Tibet, 1728–1959 1973, p. 85 : « Another P'a-lha-nas, who appears as acting paymaster (p'ogs- dpon las-bya) in 1879 5, may be the same as the mda'-dpon P'a-lha-ba who was posted at Shigatse in 1880 and 1881 6, and in 1882 acted as the sne-san of the Pan-c'en going to the hot springs for curing his ailments 7. Apparently he was a brother of bKra-sis-dar-rgyas, with whom he shared a wife, the lha-lcam who extended such a generous protection to S.Ch. Das during his journey to Lhasa 8. Because of this imprudent act of kindness, the lady and the mda'-dpon were exiled for seven years 9. »

[6] Florence et Hélène Béquignon, introduction de Sarat Chandra Das, William Woodville Rockhill, Voyage à Lhassa et au Tibet central, traduction Florence et Hélène Béquignon, Olizane, 1994, (ISBN 2-88086-147-0), p. 13.

[The_Japan_Chronicle-7] {a et b} The Japan Chronicle: Weekly Edition, 1917 : « THOSE who met Rai Bahadur Sarat Chandra Das, the Bengali explorer of Tibet and Tibetan scholar, when he was in Japan in 1915, will learn with regret that the genial old gentleman died on January 6th, presumably at his home at Chittagong. »

[8] The Japan Chronicle: Weekly Edition - Numéros 935 à 956, p. 445 : « By the Hakata-maru, which reached Kobe on Friday afternoon (3rd instant) arrived Mr. Kawaguchi Ekai, and Sri Sarat Chandra Das, both famous for their explorations in Tibet. Mr. Kawaguchi was received at the pier by Dr. Takakusu, Mr. Hasebe, a Buddhist priest, of Kyoto, and a large number of other priests and well-known citizens. »

[9] Paul Carus, The Open Court, vol 31, 1917, p. 256 « We hear with regret from Calcutta of the recent death (January 5, 1917) of the Hindu scholar and explorer Rai Sarat Chandra Das C. I.E. On the day preceding his death he deeded a large piece of land on Deva-Pahar Hill, Chittagong, »

[10] Florence et Hélène Béquignon, introduction de Sarat Chandra Das, William Woodville Rockhill, Voyage à Lhassa et au Tibet central, traduction Florence et Hélène Béquignon, Olizane, 1994, (ISBN 2-88086-147-0), p. 9.

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