my devotions at the sacred shrine of Pootalalri r and, after a residence j
of about fourteen days, returned, in the same manner I went, ifttsgnita ,
to Bootan.” I could not but express my surprise, that the independent
sovereign' of an extehisive region, who might have commanded every
accommodation, attention, and respect from the neighbouring powers,
should.thus voluntarily relinquish the prerogative of rank, and submit
to travel, under every disadvantage, exposed to all sorts of difficulty,
hardship, and inconvenience« He answered me, that the huOtble
character he assumed, best accorded with the purpose of-his-jjounaey,
which, to render.it meritorious, required some degree of^rgnance ; and
he hm teiat the iimtoVemendes which inevftably.ai4ie to the subjejg&
of every: state, when a chief moves, through the country, with a dignity;
and pomp suited to his exalted'station.
As the hour of dinner now approached, we were desirous awhile; Jo.
stroll and look about us, which as soon as the Raja understood, he
recommended to usrto view the inside of his villa, and called a servant
to attend and shew it to us. On the lower floor we founds superb
temple, in which some of the Gylongs are perpetually employed in
reading their sacred writings. The most conspicuous figure in it was
an immense idol; it contained also many other gilded images of a
smaller size. In recesses, upon either side the doorway, tablets, of
the expences, and other circumstances, attending the construction of
this edifice, were written. Some mythological paintings, and symbols
of their system of the creation, decorated the walls; and in' a large
hall adjoining, were hung up representations of the city of Lassa, and
1 The chief monastery and residence of Dalai Lama, near Lassa.
the monastery] Pootalab,^the,-,rg^4lftP^^
the residence ofitp^^bo.Lama, in^ibet
©f Ndpalvand Patan,-in, the same kingdom.„ as^weli ^ o .fa t ^ r)^ >^^p,,of
farm=d Their .represent abons,partoiAbo;tb,d^p.jM f,a^jfpej'spec-
11#:; an<^ yntfipui
qflhe g*i,lf^of.hi,lilding,pe<^dja»a.to
them; word ejararteristic} figuijeg, oniitte^,:,
andffTactars in^fehft«view&fof Lassa the, ye li^ ^af^in Tes^oo^L,oojm^-
boo the, bowing mnslin^rofte; ip tbe^i.^t.qr^ o^<f|^|l ; andpeaeo^kg
and prancing Tano-un.horses. made..a,figure T^e
/upperapartments- had good boarde(d floors,j
rTheir?favourite colour is vermilion. Them
■ matty, cabinets*iq$i diminutive,
conductiiiig us- to, see.
Sometime elapsedydhqugh wb ^ std viran^yei the.d^fteret|t r^pnis:
and when-we- descended to 1^e,paviliqj9^e^were in C T ^ a t^ ^ M .
to-dinner. The Raja’s repast consisted <d,bo,i]ecl lice, ^onic^eg^bh^^.
and a kind of bread,. resembling .pie-crust a ^ u p ]e t f t ,
which had been dressed in a cuisinier, with biscuit, cheese, beer, a^ f
wine,»’served us. The Raj a, supplied* ^djsh .<^s^^g^|hk^ogeng3us
nompositdonpfe vfbicfc, not, ait h i ^ ^ ^ ||g f b
It was an,olio, consisting of rancid butter, various.\ cgctables,
’^ieesi, ,and fati;hg%teaj meat against;^hi^ft^ ^ |^ |efie n ce . in, Jljis
country, had inspired us wijft a^hndncihle prejudice.The fermented
i infusion, called Qhong, w?s morq, ^cc;eptabie,
plentifully, is.;