﻿T«E KINGDOM OF NEPAL. 3II 



thirty feet high, upon which they place their idols, su- 

 perbly gilt. The -greatest number of their temples 

 have a good stone staircase in the middle of the 

 four squares, and at the end of each flight of stairs 

 there are lines cut out of stone on both sides. Round 

 about their temples there are also bells, which the peo- 

 ple ring on particular occasions ; and when they are 

 at prayers, many cupolas are also quite filled with 

 little bells, hanging by cords in the inside, about the 

 distance of a foot from each other, which make a 

 great noise on that quarter where the wind conveys 

 the sound. There are not only superb temples in 

 their great cities, but also within their castles. 



To the eastward of Cafhmandu, at the distance of 

 two or three miles, there is a place called Tolu, by 

 which there flows a small river, the water of which is 

 esteemed holy, according to their superstitious ideas ; 

 and thither they carry people of high rank, when they 

 are thought to beat the point of death. At this place 

 there is a temple, which is not inferior to the best and 

 richest in any of the capital cities. They also have 

 it on tradition, that, at two or three places in Nepal, 

 valuable treasures are concealed under ground. One 

 of those places they believe is Tolu ; but no one is 

 permitted to make use of them except the king, and 

 that only in cases of necessity. Those treasures, they 

 say, have been accumulated in this manner: When 

 any temple had become very rich from the offerings 

 of the people, it was destroyed, and deep vaults dug 

 under ground, one above another, in which the gold, 

 silver, gilt copper, jewels, and every thing of value 

 were deposited. When I was in Nepal, Gainprejas, 

 king of Gafhmandu, being in the utmost distress for 

 money to pay his troops, in order to support himself 

 against Pfifhwinarayan, ordered search to be made 

 for the treasures of Tolu ; and, having dug to a con- 

 siderable depth under ground, they came to the first 



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