– Joaquim Magalhães de Castro
In the same year that the Rutok mission was opened in 1627, Cacela and Cabral left Cooch Biar and soon arrived in Paro, the capital of the Kingdom of Bhutan. In May of that year, Father João Godinho traveled to Kashmir, and on 29 August a letter from Agra was issued – written by Andrade, Anjos and Oliveira – telling of the king’s persecution of the lamas and expressing great concern that, due to this attitude, they would predictably become increasingly hostile. Andrade writes yet another letter, at the same time that Cacela sent his account directly “from the kingdom of Cambirasi.” António Pereira arrives in Tsaparang in September and three months later it is Anjos turn to write a letter before his departure from Tibet to Goa to meet the Jesuit provincial there. Cabral arrives at Shigatsé in early 1628 to return shortly thereafter to Bengal via Nepal, arriving in Hugli only in April. Too bad there is no account of this pioneering trip; as there are also no reports of the trips made to Kashmir. The text that João Cabral sends from Hugli does not give us great details.
Not satisfied with such a trip, Cabral, this time with Manuel Dias, leaves for Cooch Bihar, determined to find yet another route to Tibet, probably via Sikkim. 1629 will be a fruitful year. João Cabral tries to proceed to Tsaparang but eventually returns to Bengal, and in the summer Father António da Fonseca arrives at the capital of the kingdom of Guge, about the time Cabral and Dias were leaving for Shigatsé. Manuel Dias would not reach its intended destination, as on 3 November he dies somewhere in the kingdom of Morongo in eastern Nepal. Manuel Dias’ memory is still evoked today by the local population, who consider him a Buddhist saint. His supposed tomb is now the target of a crowded pilgrimage.
In 1630 Andrade leaves for Goa where he is elected Provincial of the Jesuits. That same year, Demba Cemba, king of Central Tibet, calls for Cabral’s return and the lamas revolt against Thi Tashi Dagpa in Tsaparang and Guge.
Let’s consider the geo-political context of the time: The conflict between Thi Tashi Dagpa, ruler of Guge, and his brother, king of Ladakh, was known. In 1630 such was the tension that the Ladakhis forces besieged the fortress, which proved to be impenetrable. Given that the Ladakhis threatened to execute five citizens every day, Thi Tashi Dagpa and his family surrendered and were immediately beheaded by order of the Ladakhi monarch. Fervent Buddhist, Sengge Namgyal, known as the “Lion King,” ruled the Ladakh from 1616 until his death in 1642. Most of the Christians in Tsaparang were taken prisoner, and the Rudok mission stationed hundreds of miles away, would be razed to the ground.
In 1631 the king of Shigatsé again invites Cabral, and in February of that year the Portuguese António Pereira is accompanied by Italians Domenico Capece and Francisco Morando on a trip to Tibet. Also at this time, Francisco de Azevedo leaves for Tsaparang as Jesuit visitor (inspector), which reflects the importance that the Society of Jesus attached to the mission in those parts.
In mid-May, João Cabral finally arrives in Shigatsé and, by the end of June, sends the report. Later that month Capece, Morando and Pereira decide to stay in Agra awaiting news from Tsaparang. It was a wait and see situation.
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