HUNDE. KARN. A name of the Kuru-baru, Mysore shepherds.
HUNDEb or Gnari Khorsum is a part of Chinese Tibet comprising the upper basin of the Sutlej and headwaters of the Kamali river. For the name, Professor Wilson gave Hiun, snow, and Des, country ; but Captain H. Strachey derives the name from the Sanskrit Hun, meaning the ab origines of the country north of the Himalaya, who are mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Mark andeya Purana. This latter explanation com mended itself to the Hungarian scholar, Csoma de Koros, who thought that be might find in these parts the origin of his own people. Mr. Ryan's derivation is from a Sanskrit word mean ing gold, Hun-des being the gold country. The Hunia people of Hundes are chiefly nomades, owning large flocks of sheep, and herds of cattle and goats. They are a good-natured race ; ugly, simple, and, like most dwellers in cold regions, extremely dirty. They practise polyandry, and in their customs are like the Bliot of Ladakh described by Cunningham. There are five prin cipal passes leading into Hundes from British territory. The traffic is only open between the 15th of Juno and 15th October, and not even then without the express permission of the Chinese authorities at Lhassa, who carefully satisfy them selves that no epidemic prevails in the Ghats in British territory. The gold-fields of Hundes lie
chiefly in the neighbourhood of Thok Jalang, 100 miles N.E. of Gartok. Washing operations are carried on under the supervision of a gold commissioner, who is called Sarpan, and takes a royalty of !His of an ounce yearly from each digger. At Gartok, fine gold-dust sells at Rs. in weight for Es. 16. The greatest domaind for gold is at Lhassa. In the early part of the 19th century, the gold fields round Lake Manasarowar were worked rather extensively; but au epidemic breaking out amongst the miners, the authorities at Lhassa interposed, and the operations were stopped. The Ilunia all drink tea, and travel great distances, living on it and sattu, the flour of a parched grain. The Hunia only grow small patches of uwa, a kind of barley, and obtain their other grains from the hill territories of British India. They keep three years' supply of grain in store, to obviate the stoppage of the roads. Their villages are mere tents.—Tods Rajasthan; Gutzlars Chinese His tory; Malcohn's Persia; Chatfield's Hindustan; Ritchie's British Worbl.