4.94. Mr. S. Davis on the Religious and Social 



at intervals. Into these places any person may enter : all they require is, 

 that the altar and its furniture be not approached too near, nor touched. 

 Every individual of the priesthood, who has a house of his own in the re- 

 ligious villages, or an apartment to himself in either of the palaces, erects 

 a small altar for liis own particular use, decorated in much the same manner, 

 though less splendidly than the others. Tlieir forms of devotion, as far as 

 I have been a witness of them, chiefly consist of repeating long prayers in 

 a sitting posture, occasionally bending before the altar, and touching the 

 floor with the forehead ; the horns, bells, and drums being sounded at in- 

 tervals. The chapel at these times is filled with Gylongs sitting in ranks, 

 one half of the number fronting the other half, and leaving a lane from the 

 altar up the middle of the chapel. The Gylongs alone join in these practi- 

 cal forms of worship, nor are the rest of the people under any obligation to 

 enter the chapels : an opening is however sometimes left, through which 

 they can view the image and prostrate themselves before it. To maintain 

 a proper sense of religion many small temples are built by the road-side 

 tliey are generally of a square form, and have eitlier pictures of the deity 

 within-side, to be viewed through gratings, or are of solid masonry, witli 

 the same figures cut on slate in relief, and fixed all round in a row near the 

 top. At these places are also erected higli poles with a narrow stripe of 

 cloth fastened to eacii like a flag, on which is written and repeated from top 

 to bottom tlie word omanipeemehong. The same word, cut in relief on 

 stone, is fixed in a row against a sort of wall, frequently found in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the little temples. These fabrics are white washed, and have 

 a broad stripe of red round the upper part. Tiie buildings with their flags 

 are picturesque, and ornamental to the country. There is, besides, in use 

 at these buildings a religious instrument with which all classes may amuse 

 themselves, a sort of whirligig, or barrel set upright to turn on a spindle. 

 The inside is filled with a roll of paper, printed all over with the above 

 word. It is fixed in a recess against either of the previously mentioned build- 

 ings, with a hole to admit the hand, and every devout passenger, as he 

 goes by, may give it a twirl. This might be thought of trivial regard, but 

 with the natives it is held in so much consideration, that at the entrance of 

 some of the castles are sucli things fixed in frames finely ornamented and 

 gilt. At Wandepore was one with a crank to the spindle, and a man, every 

 morning, sate keeping it constantly turning whilst he repeated the word 

 omanipeemeho7ig. Sometimes three of these barrels, of a larger size, are 

 seen inclosed in a little building erected purposely for their reception, and 



