(full original source description's translation) figure 1: the tibetan coin (mint) drapshi lekhung (north side of the main building), photographed by f. Williamson on august 31, 1933 (1). According to bla-phyag mkhan-chung thub-bstan bstan pa (2003, p. 156), the official, which can be seen in the photograph on the extreme right, is kunphel (kun-'phel; and name is sku-bcar spyan-bsal thub-bstan kun-'phel). He was one of the closest confidants of the 13th dalai lama and was responsible for the modernization of the mint. The second person from the right is mkhan-drung dngos-gzhi thub-bstan kun-mkhyen and the fourth from right is rim-bzhi byang-ngos-pa rig-dzin rdo-rje. This is the official who is better known under the name of ringang rigdzin dorje (rin-sgang rig-dzin rdo-rje) and who was responsible for supplying the mint with electrical energy. Bla-phyag mkhan-chung thub-bstan bstan-pa does not give any information about the third person from the right. It is, however, to be assumed that it is rai bahadur norbu dondup, who accompanied the british mission, which visited lhasa in 1933, as an interpreter. Head of this mission was the british diplomat frederick williamson (1891-1935). Date: 31 August 1933.
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