LAVISH WELCOME

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 352, 5 February 1937, Page 3

LAVISH WELCOME

That Accorded British Mission In Tibet.

Calcutta, December 20. Even more thrilling than the previous one is the latest account of life in Tibet and the reception accorded to the British Mission now visiting Lhasa. Gold idols, exquisite paintings, dancing girls and lavish luncheons are described in the narrative. When the British party visited the. Potala, the headquarters of the Tibetian Government, it wandered for hours round halls and shrines filled with gilded idols, or figures of ancient Dalai Lamas, or still more ancient Kings of Tibet. A visit to the topmost roof of the Potala showed the gold leaf covered, pagoda-like roofs of all the mausoleums of past Dalai Lamas. Finally the mission saw the Dalai Lama’s recently completed tomb and shrine. This is the most striking thing in the Potala. In many previous shrines they had seen masses of heavy gold butter lamps and jewel encrusted images, but this place must contain a fortune in solid gold and fabulous sums in jewels, for the shrine consists of a “chorte-n.” (shrine) 30ft or 40ft high, the whole of it covered not merely with gold leaf, but with solid sheets of gold, in. which are embedded precious stones, turquoise predominating. In front there were rows of gold lamp's and china vases, and one vessel entirely covered with pearls. Hung all round were rich silk brocades and other subsidiary jewelled images.