The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1925-07-01

1 prepared by the National Geographic So
! ciety. Washington. d. c.
: One of the worlds most picturesque
: capitals Is the one last visited-Lhasa
the Forbidden City" of Tibet Onl,
a handful of white men have evel
seen this strange city, and most Of
those made the journey in disguise.
Lhasa means "the place of the
gods" and 1t well deserves its name,
as anything more beautiful can hardly
be Imagined than the vision of the
sacred city set against its magnificent
background of snow-capped mountains.
The Potala is by far the finest build
ing and eclipses all others in the beau
W OF Its appearance. The present
Potala was commenced in 1915 by the
Grand Lama Nag-wang b-sang-gya-
tsho, on the same site as a former
building. The Potala dominates ev-
erything In Lhasa. The enormous
mass OF buildings, partly monastery,
partly palace and partly fortress, is
Quilt on rocky ridge which stands
out In the center of the valley, COM
manding the town and dominating the
whole situation. Its architecture is
magnificently grand bold in outline
and design; 1t towers above every- |
thing, with its gray white walls and
buttresses, its immense flights of
steps and terraces dotted with red
roDed monks ascending and descend
ing from religious ceremonies: its dull
madder-red temple walls. with carved
and painted windows, showing behind
black brown yak's hair hangings. sur
mounted by its gilded roofs and SET
IN almost park-like surroundings of
trees and meadows, with snow-capped
Mountains on all sides and the Xvi. {
Jhhu, the River of Delight, running
lear IN many channels through S
'roves OF willow or poplar. S
Interior of Potala Is Gloomy. r
IL Is indeed a fitting shrine for the Il
cart OF any religion, and with sucb t
surroundings it is difficult to under
tand how the present form of
Uamaism), as practiced in II
lDet, could ever have sunk to the Il
epths of degradation 1t has reached q
But the interior of the Potala is Of
lriously disappointing, as it consists e,
'lnclpally of mass of dark passages or
III cells, a certain number of halls az
Id flights of steps. th
Among the larger halls are several an
riking ones, especially that in which an
rs the gilt tomb of Nag-wang-Lob- to
ng Gya-tsho; the dome Of this hall pc
TENDS upward through several de
'ries. On the tomb there is a preat tel
al OF metal ornamentation and tba gel
lole forms fine piece of work On pa.
IN side of the principal tomb are
liiar ones of smaller dimensions SUI
'se OF Dalai Lamas less notable the
another room Of fairly large d. ant
nslons the walls are lined with Der
ives from floor to ceiling, each shelf spr
sely packed to its uttermost extort gar
n images or Buddha. There must I
thousands Of all metals-pold ell. mis-
copper brass-and many are ot In
beautiful workmanship. In an. COB
ar chapel there are hundreds ., nee
len butter lamps. swa
would De quite impossible to give TEN
semblance of a plan of tb,s strl
.iomeration of buildings and n belt
III take weeks, perhaps months 70 innu
every part of the enormons slidi
cture, capable Of holding en- live
IS of people. nc =
Al
on the fiat roofs of the pota,o waite
wnoie valley lies mapped out no on 1
-he town to the east, mass y, dow
two-storied, substantially bu,,t moul
es interspersed with TEMPLES. tho most
hang' the most holy shrine IN who
: ,he Chagpori, or school of med. All
: 'ne turquoise bridge (Yutok the
'a)' so called on account Of Ire comb
'oiue tHed roof; the many chan haps
u u'e river or Delight (the Xvi. and
; beyond which lies the arsenal Nirvs
70 the north the monastery Of
under the hills. containing 5ooo
s. FURTHER on the Debung mon
: with '10.7o0 inmates: the old ~
DIS OF the Northumberland s'ea'
he Ling-Kor mo Ss"oS,Ayong; ly on
which all devort eu road the v
ate themselves IN ~ uuunists of no
,ir earthly sins NOV "epe that a new
ne seen IN nlacos ioisiven, Kings
CITY Eu,, 80 - shire,
re are monte Hs' the 81
Lhasa. Tba throc ""ere IN or Palm
IS of Sero Dohnna urge mon in CHI
contain ahon, 90 600 ""' oah-dan who !
other temn,as ~ "nu with should
mber cannot sau 'uoiiasteries gether
,vbuo ~ "i Snort or WILL"
poPo'Nlon Of fore r