LAMAIC GRADES. 303 



The Kii-nyer is also charged with the duty of dusting and arranging 

 the objects on the altar and making the offerings of water, lamps, 

 sacred food, &c., and the removal of the same. 



On completing his service in this last office he passes out of the 



jjj j^ g stage of ^/Ta-pa (pronounced ta-pa) or learner, and 



becomes an c^iU-chh OS (pronounced "u-chho") or 



"Head of Religion." And by the laity he now is called Ya-pa or 



" Reverend Father." From this class of db\]-c\ihos are selected the 



V-chh6 or Ya officials to fill the special offices of IV and V, and one 



from the Pemiongchi monastery acts for a term 



of a few years as family priest to the Sikhim Raja, doing especially 



the sKang-^so worship. 



J^V. — The Commissariat Manager or spyi-^yer (pronounced CM-nyer) 

 . . tenable for three years. There are two of these, 

 officer— c^^wer*"** ^^^ ^^^7 ^^^ ^"^ charge of the lay menials of the 

 monastery. When the menials have any complaint 

 it must be made through the Commissariat Manager, who privately 

 informs one of the JJU-chho« of the details, and afterwards it is laid 

 before the assembly of t?iU-chhos under the presidency of the U-mdse 

 and Dorje sLob-c^jJon. The orders which are then passed are commu- 

 nicated by the two Commissariat Managers to the menials concerned. 

 V. — Provost Marshal orChhos khi-ims-pa (pronounced Chhb-rtim-ba), 

 an appointment tenable for one year. This 

 ^hll-cm-tilbf"' office requires qualities of pre-eminent learning, 

 popularity, tact, and the ability to enforce discip- 

 line and respect. The Provost Marshal is appointed by the vote 

 of the monks [tapa). These select one of the yapas or superior 

 monks, and recommend him to the Sikhim Raja in a memorial, which 

 they all sign. The Raja's minister then informs the nominee that he 

 has been appointed Provost Marshal for the current year, and that 

 into his charge have been placed all the books of the Library, including 

 the /Chags-yig Rules, and certain advice is given him, accompanied 

 by the presentation of an exceptionally long and honourable scarf; 

 a refreshment of tea and beer is given. 



One of his duties is to read the /Chags-yig Rules to the assembled 

 monks, and also lecture to them occasionally on religious and civil 

 history and discipline. 



He is the recognised head of the monks and their spokesman. 

 When any person requests that the " Banquet to the whole assembly of 

 the Gods and Demons" (Tshogs-Akhor) — t'zrfe page 276 — be performed, 

 all the monks assemble and do the necessary worship and make the 

 magic circles. It is the Chho-tim-ha who declares the object of the 

 sacrifice, viz., for one or other of the four conditions — birth, old age, 

 sickness or death. 



X 2 



