designate walls of about six feet in height and four to eight feet in breadth, but their length varies much more considerably. The largest hitherto known is that which is situated on the road from the banks of the Indus to Leh; according to Cunningham it has a length of 2200 ft.' Two others at Leh itself Hermann found to be respectively 459 and 386 ft. in length. He also measured one at Mándang, near Darjiling, in Sikkim, which was 90 ft. another at Narigún was 244 ft. in length.

The Manis are constructed in the higher valleys of loose stones only; whilst in the lower ones, where mortar is not so expensive an article, lime is used. Some of the large Manis have a kind of tower at both their ends, occasionally in the form of a Chorten, with a sacred image in front; if, as is sometimes the case, the Mani is made longer, the old tower remains and a new one is added at the end of the prolongation. Large poles, to which flags with prayers are attached, are also not unfrequent at the ends of the Manis.

2

Rough, irregularly rectangular stone slabs greatly differing in size, and bearing inscriptions in Tibetan or Lantsa characters, or adorned with images of deities, lean against the upper part of the wall or are laid down. on the roof of the Mani. The most frequent inscription met with in the stone slabs is the six-syllabic prayer: Om mani padme hum;3 or adorations of Vajrasattva, as:

1 66
"Ladák," p. 378.

2 See p. 80.

3 This sentence was traced in enormous characters, formed by blackish stones, on the slope of the mountain opposite Láma Yúrru, and was visible at a great distance.

Om, ah, hum; vajra guru padma siddhi hum; of Vajrapāni, as: Om Vajrapani hum; or mystical ejaculations, as: Om, ah, hum. Amongst the names of deities engraved on the stone slabs, we frequently find Sākyamuni, Padmapāni, Padma Sambhaba, Vajrapani (see Plate II.), and different recluses. The slabs are, according to Cunningham, votive offerings made for the purpose of obtaining the fulfilment of particular wishes. Travellers, when passing along the Manis, leave them on the left hand, in order to follow the succession of the letters of the inscriptions.

1

3. Derchoks and Lupchas.

Almost every building is decorated with flags, attached to a pole set up before the edifice, such flags being considered efficacious in preventing the evil spirits from doing mischief. Single flags are also met with in front of religious buildings, and along the road; those before large monasteries are often of considerable height; the two largest which my brothers saw were planted in front of the entrance to the monastery of Hímis; one was 45, the other even 57 ft. in height, and as there is no tree in Tíbet attaining such a height, these poles

1 Gerard, in his "Kanawur,” p. 123, remarks that passers-by always leave the Manis to their right, and expresses his belief that superstition is the reason for their doing so; but my brothers never saw their people pass them in this way, but always so as to leave the Mani on the left hand; and they were told by several Lamas that the reason for this was, that in so passing by they could follow the characters, instead of having to spell backwards.

2 See my brother Hermann's "Views of the monastery of Hímis," in the Atlas to the "Results of a Scientific Mission."

DERCHOKS AND LAPCHAS.

199

must have been transported with great difficulty, across the Himalaya. The upper part of these poles was decorated with three concentric rings of black yaks-hair suspended at some distance from each other; whilst in general the poles have but one tuft of yaks-hair surmounted by a gilt spear-end.

The flags are called Derchok (the Durchut of Gerard), the heap of loose stones to support the pole, Lapcha; both terms are doubtless words of popular origin, not occurring in the Dictionaries. The "der" in Derchok might be explained from dar, silk, a stuff sometimes used for flags. Lapcha is very probably a modification of lab-tse, "a heap," which also occurs in geographical names, either in the form of Labtse, as in Lábtse Nágu and Lábtse Chhu, in Gnári Khórsum, or as Lápcha.1

Some flags are of a regular shape, and prayers and incantations (such as "Om mani padme hum"), invocations of the airy horse (in Tibetan Lungta), the magical figure Phurbu, and others, are printed upon them. These printed flags are fastened to the pole on the longest side, and are prevented from loosely hanging down and folding by horizontal red sticks. Other flags are mere rags of every size and material; such rags are chiefly added by travellers to the Lapchas found along the route, in order to obtain "a happy journey." Nowhere are Lapchas more numerous than on the highest point of a pass, and not unfrequently one is surprised to find a Lapcha even on

1 For details I refer to Hermann's "Glossary of Geographical names," s. v. Lápcha which forms Part. II. of Vol. III. of the " "Results."

high spots situated out of the regular road; the reason is that the frontiers of provinces are likewise marked by irregular heaps of stones,' and thus, even on the top of the Gunshankár, in Gnári Khórsum, which attains a height of 19,699 ft., my brothers found a Lapcha. Their Buddhist companions were always most eager to add new flags wherever they passed, or to erect a new Lapcha by making a large heap of stones, in the middle of which they set up one of their almost indispensable mountain-sticks, which was then decorated with flags, partly made from my brothers' handkerchiefs, partly from the bags in which they had kept their provisions, and from pieces of their very dress. When every one had made his contribution to the Derchok, they walked solemnly round the heap whispering prayers.

1 Comp. Georgi, "Alphabetum Tibetanum," p. 508.

CHAPTER XIV.

REPRESENTATIONS OF BUDDHIST DEITIES.

DEITIES REPRESENTED.-METHODS OF EXECUTING SACRED OBJECTS. Drawings and paintings.-Statues and bas-reliefs.-CHARACTERISTIC TYPES.-General attitude of the body and position of the fingers.-Buddhas.-Bōdhisattvas.Priests, ancient and modern.-Dragsheds. ILLUSTRATIONS DERIVED FROM MEASUREMENTS.

Deities represented.

WE learn from the ancient legends, that already in the earliest periods of Buddhism relics and images of the Buddha had been highly honoured; the religious works recommend them to be worshipped, as also the monuments in which the relics are deposited; and we find it mentioned that the images which were sent to royal persons at their desire, were previously inscribed with the sacred dogma "Ye Dharma," &c., and similar formulæ, in order to make them acquainted with Buddhist doctrines. Such were the earliest objects of worship; the mode of worship was also very simple; prosternations were made before the images of the Buddha, flowers and

1

1 Burnouf, "Introduction," p. 337-51. Schmidt, "Grundlehren." Mém. de l'Acad. de St. Petersb., Vol. I., p. 238. For the Sanskrit and Tibetan text see Plate I.