SIKHIM AND BHUTAN
snow had fallen, with blossoms of the Cœlogeyne Cristata, the earliest orchid to flower, quickly followed by a succession throughout the year, too numerous to give a list of, but which included the Dendrobium Densiflorum, with its heads of brilliant yellow, the mauve sprays of D. Nobile, and later the long hanging wreaths of D. Hookerianum and so on till one again came round to the autumnal cymbidiums. It was a garden in which new treasures and new beauties unfolded themselves from day to day and out of which, when we were in Gangtak, we never wished to move.
My work took me much on tour and away from Gangtak, and I have spent many pleasant days in monasteries and had some unusual experiences. Once, in the early days, at the invitation of the Phodong Lama, accompanied by Mrs. White, I spent a week at Tumlong to see the Lama dance and annual ceremony of the Worship of Kangchenjunga. Neither of us had before witnessed the ceremony, which is carried out in the open air on a terrace in front of the Monastery, with the buildings as a background, and in the centre of a crowd of gaily dressed people and lamas. We had seats in a balcony overlooking the terrace and had an excellent view.
The dance is allegorical, and lasts for three days, the different dances representing the several phases of worship. The story is long and very confusing to the ordinary mind and we could only gather a very general outline of its meaning. The dresses worn, especially at this Monastery, are gorgeous, made of the finest old Chinese brocades, of every imaginable colour, and kinkob, resplendent in gold and silver. The dancing itself is monotonous, as there is one step only which varies in the rapidity of the gyrations made by each dancer, but perfect time is kept to the weird and rather monotonous music of the band of lamas sitting on one side, in their red monastic garb, playing on trumpets, flutes and drums. The dancers frequently change their costumes and reappear in new characters. The masks worn
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