the river face. It is protected on the west and north by a wide foss filled with water (see pages 392-397).

Unlike Paro and Poonakha, the bridge across the Thimbu Chu was not connected with the castle, and below the bridge was a wooden contrivance cleverly constructed to catch the timber floated down the river for the use of the castle.

The interior of the castle is divided into two unequal portions by a high wall, the larger section to the south containing the usual square tower, measuring about 85 feet each way, and in this are situated the chapel and private apartments of the Dharma Raja, the spiritual head of the nation.

The original tower was destroyed by the earthquake of 1897 and the present structure was finished about 1902; but it has been badly built and the main walls are already cracked, while the interior showed signs of unequal subsidence. The decorations are, of course, quite modern.

we

In the southeast angle of the courtyard beyond are the public or living quarters of the Dharma Raja, and on the west front those of the Thimbu Jongpen, where were hospitably entertained. The northern and smaller portion of the castle is occupied entirely by the Ta-tshang lamas and is not usually open to laymen. The dividing wall is surmounted by a row of white chortens, or shrines, protected from the weather by a double roof (see pages 395 and 441).

A THOUSAND BUDDHAS

In the center of the inner courtyard is an extremely fine hall of audience or worship, 120 feet square and at least 50 feet high. It is well lighted and finely decorated with fresco paintings, and when the silken ceiling cloths and embroidered curtains and banners are hung it must look extremely well; but the lamas were absent at Poonakha, their summer quarters, and all the decorations were either carefully put away or taken with them.

A succession of chapels was built on the west side. One of these was a splendid example of good Bhutanese art; its door-handles, of pierced iron-work inlaid with gold, were exceptionally beautiful. It was said to contain 1,000 images of

383

Buddha, and the number is very likely correct, as I counted over 600, while the pair of elephant's tusks supporting the altar, which I have remarked as an essential ornament to the chief altar in every Bhutanese chapel I have visited, were larger than usual (see page 441).

THE BUDDHIST RITUAL

To my readers who wish to study the subject of Buddhist religion in this part of the world, I cannot give better advice than to read Waddell's "Lamaism," as I have no intention of entering deeply into it, and will content myself by saying that in both Sikkim and Bhutan the religion is an offshoot of Buddhism, and was introduced into these countries from Tibet by lamas from different monasteries who traveled south and converted the people. Most of the tenets of Buddha have been set aside, and those retained are lost in a mass of ritual; so nothing remains of the original religion but the name.

The form of worship has a curious resemblance in many particulars to that of the Catholic church. On any of their high holy days the intoning of the chief lama conducting the service, the responses chanted by the choir, sometimes voices alone, sometimes to the accompaniment of instruments, where the deep note of the large trumpet strangely resembles the roll of an organ, the ringing of bells, burning of incense, the prostrations before the altar, the telling of beads and burning of candles, the processions of priests in gorgeous vestments, and even the magnificent altars surmounted by images and decorated with gold and silver vessels, with lamps burning before them, even the side chapels with the smaller shrines, where lights burn day and night, add to the feeling that one is present at some high festival in a Catholic place of worship.

I have been present at the services on feast days in the temples in Sikkim. Bhutan, and in Lhasa, and no great stretch of imagination was required to imagine myself in a Catholic cathedral in France or Spain, especially the latter. There is also some resemblance in the dress and vestments of the priests and lamas and even in some of their customs. Many of