National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

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of later date than the times of Rin-chen-bzang-po. Since I wrote this statement, I have had to change my opinion. Stucco images of very artistic design were fashioned in the eleventh century. And as regards Nako, all the monks were unanimous in asserting that the images of this monastery were of the great Lotsaba's time. In a godown here we found an ancient wooden mask such as are used by the lamas in their devil dances. We bought it for one rupee. The present day masks are made of stucco, and differ widely from this ancient specimen. I found only a single inscription in this hall, written on the wall with black ink. It reads so-rdi, a word which I cannot explain.

The southern temple is called dKar-byung-lha-khang, the ` White Temple.' We were not allowed to enter it, as a lama was occupying it for meditation.

The northern temple is called Lha-khang-gong-ma, ` Upper Temple.' It contains the stucco image of sGrol-gser, the yellow Tara, in an elaborately carved wooden frame (Plate XIII, b). This is one of the rarer forms of this popular deity, the Tibetans being more interested in the white and green Tárás. Of the latter deity, there is a representation in stucco in the same hall. The yellow Tárd is surrounded by frescoes representing the eight medicine Buddhas (sman-bla) .

The eastern temple is also called Lha-khang-gong-ma, ` Upper Temple '. It contains only frescoes. Opposite the door, there is a seated Buddha surrounded by his disciples. To the left of this picture is found a blue rDo-rje-chang (Vajra-dhara). On the wall to the right of the door is the picture of Thse-dpag-med ( Amitayus), probably in his capacity of medicine Buddha (sman-bla) surrounded by his eight followers. All these pictures were furnished with Tibetan inscriptions in white colour. Only the following three names

were still legible : Sha-kya-thub-pa ; Myang-ngan-med-mchog-dpal ; Bin-then-zla-ba. Above the door, among other tutelary deities, there is a large fresco of King Kesar riding

on a white r Kyang (wild ass) . At Nako he is called gLing-sing-then-rgyal po, ` Great Lion King of gLing.' This may point to a connection between the pre-Buddhist religion of the Tibetans and the Buddhism of the eleventh century. I copied six Tibetan inscriptions in this hall, which are merely of iconographical interest. Most of the others were illegible. Besides the Tibetan inscriptions we found here a short inscription in Sáradd characters which we tried to photograph, but did not succeed, as it was written with brown ink on an orange ground. Much was not lost, however, as it is probably not of very ancient date.

Another little temple to the south of the village of Nako is called sLob-dpon-zhabs9 jes, ` Footprint of the Teacher.' It is built over a natural rock showing a footprint of more than human size. Above the rock • is placed a stucco figure of Padma-sambhava. The temple is furnished with frescoes of as ancient a type as those in the Lha-khang

ched-po (ched-po is the same as Tibetan then-mo, ` great '). They also have the same glassy polish which is found on the before-mentioned pictures. This little temple was probably erected in the eleventh century, together with the great monastery. Thus, we are led to surmise that already in the days of Rin-chen-bzang-po, this footprint on the rock

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