74 Description of a Mystic Play. [No. 2, 



centre when they used their drums at the end of the intonation. 

 These were also dressed in gaudy China silks, both wore gilt masks 

 with apertures for eyes and mouth, the top of the hat was conical 

 with silk streamers on the sides and a large loose scarf behind. These 

 masks were named " Chin-bep" or from their copper coloured masks, 

 " Zang-bukh, lit. copper mask.* These had no death-like insignia 

 as the first maskers wore. After these had retired, a short delay, and 

 another more imposing group marched with great dignity out of the 

 monastery. These all wore very large masks of different forms and 

 colours, still all of the same type as the heads of deities, their great 

 peculiarity being the third eye in the centre of the forehead. The 

 principal of these deities was " Thlogan Pudma Jungnas" or "he 

 born of the lotus" over whom was carried a large umbrella. Among 

 the other attendant maskers of consequence wasf Singe' Drandrok, 

 Dorje' Trolong, Sangspa Kurpo (Brahma), Zhin-Skiong or Eswara. 

 These are, I believe, intended to represent emblematically the six classes 

 of beings subject to transmigration, viz. 1, gods ; 2, demi-gods ; 3, 

 men ; 4, animals ; 5, ghosts ; 6, the inhabitants of hell ; for although we 

 did not then see the mask of the bull's head, it should have been among 

 the maskers, — perhaps the monks did not take the trouble, and thought 

 us none the wiser, — now this would well represent No. 4 of the above 

 classes ; and in another monastery I afterwards saw masks made to 

 represent stags. Attending on this principal group were another set 

 of maskers, who carried the long handled drums and the bent striker. 

 Their dresses were of the same type, long petticoats of rich China 

 silk, but the head-dress a kind of crown with six points, gilt, rising 

 to a high point in the centre, while streamers of silk hung down from 

 the ears to the waist. J On each of the six points were the following 



12 3 4 



syllables in the Lantsa character, viz. OM, AH, SHI, HUNGr, 

 TRANG.§ 



* See fig. 2. 



f See Photographs, Nos. 4, 5 and 8. 

 X See No 6 of Captain M.'s photographs. 

 § Each of these syllables have some mystical connection with the centre and 

 cardinal points of the compass, thus — 



