1 190 
THROUGH ASIA 
of horizontal beams, and hung on pegs in such a way that 
they could be whirled round by means of a handle. The 
outside of the wheels was beautifully decorated with o-ilt 
Tibetan lettering on a blue or green background. Certain 
of the lamas were appointed to the special duty of peram- 
bulating the temple to keep the prayer- wheels spinning. 
As we approached the spot our ears were saluted with 
a continuous hum. Thin strips of paper, with the holy 
words, “ On maneh padmeh hum,” printed upon them 
in minute and closely packed lettering, were wrapped 
round the axles of the wheels, so that at each revolution 
hundreds of thousands of prayers flew upwards to the 
knees of the god. Truly a labour-saving business that! 
The courtyards swarmed with lamas, all bareheaded, all 
with their hair cropped close, all beardless — sombre and 
lean, dressed in a sort of red cloth plaid or toga, folded 
over the shoulders and twisted round the waist, with 
the ends hanging down to the feet. With few exceptions, 
the right arm was always bare. Apart from age, the 
only difference I could detect amongst this army of temple 
satellites was that some were dirtier than others. Some 
of them had their faces as black as sweeps or negroes. 
Either they belonged to a confraternity of black monks, or 
else it was their duty to trim the smoky wicks of the 
lamps. If so, they seldom or never wasted time in 
ablutions. It disgusted me to see those lazy fellows 
sauntering about among the magnificent temples doing 
literally nothing. They were however quite friendly and 
peaceably disposed; though not. willing to give me any 
explanations. I had perforce to content myself with what 
Loppsen could tell me. Fortunately he had on several 
occasions attended the great temple -festivals at Kum- 
bum, and knew every nook and corner of the place, and 
its every secret. 
At the time of the great festivals, when the temples are 
visited by multitudes of pilgrims, tea and tsamba are 
prepared for them in a huge kitchen called Mantsa-hasun, 
in which there is a big brick fireplace with three gigantic 
pots hanging above it. 
