144 ACCOUNT OF BHUTAN. 



twelve Lubi or inferior Gelums for teaching, singing, reading, &c. to the boys. 

 There are five hundred Gel inns at Tassisujon and Punakha, three hundred 

 at Paragang, three hundred at Tangso, two hundred and fifty at Tagna, 

 two hundred at Andipur, and one or two at each of the stations of inferior 

 officers, supposed to be about three hundred, making altogether about two 

 thousand. There also reside separately in Gimpas or convents and as ser- 

 vants three thousand one hundred and fifty, making altogether five thou- 

 sand Gelums under the guidance of Lamkhem. The convents are chiefly 

 founded by Deb Debas or Deb Rajas who have resigned the office or other 

 retired officers of state. All Gelums that live with the court, or with the offi- 

 cers of Government, are fed by the Government, while those who live in con- 

 vents support themselves ; but when the Government distributes charity, all 

 the Gelums are entitled to a share. When any rich Gelum dies a part of his 

 property goes to the Government, either to the Deb Raja or Dherma Raja, 

 as he may have been a dependent of them respectively, and the remainder 

 is divided amongst his brethren ; that is to say, if the deceased was in the 

 service of Government, the Deb Raja gets his estate, and if he was a mere 

 Gelum, the Dherma Raja and Lamkhem will take it. When charity is 

 distributed, a Gelum who has been twice born or regenerated in the man- 

 ner above-mentioned, receives a double portion, and a treble, if he has 

 been thrice born. Gelums cannot bear arms, unless they are in the 

 service of government, but they may have a small knife for culinary pur- 

 poses : they are not permitted to sleep, or even to lie down • iii«-ht 

 and. day persons of the order continually keep watch over them, armed 

 with long whips, which they apply to the shoulders of any one that is 

 seen to nod : they are not allowed to go out of the fort without the or- 

 ders of Lamkhem, and of the Dherma and Deb Rajas, except on the 

 days when they go in procession to bathe in the river. On these occa- 



sions, they are preceded by musicians, and persons burning incense : next 

 to them marches the Lamkhem, and after him the Gelums in single files ac^ 

 cording to their seniority, when they all proceed to bathe in the same or- 

 der. The Gelums called Lubi bathe separately from the others. There 

 are also convents of women who wear yellow clothes, and make vows of 



