trees and creepers which envelop them, the quaint dwellings lie
more or less secluded from the road. All are built of timber or
bamboo, and have nothing in their design to make them noticeable.
Among them, however, are occasional "kyoungs," or Buddhist
monasteries, which are much more ornamental and striking. Like their
other buildings, the "kyoung" is constructed of timber, and stands
upon a wooden platform raised from the ground some four or five feet
by thick posts, which are usually carried through the balustrade which
surrounds the platform, and terminate in a carved head, steps leading
to the stage upon which the monastery is built. These "kyoungs" are
very curious in design, the walls, doors, and windows being
ornamented with carving, while their succession of roofs, one above
the other, often rise to a great height. To afford shade to the
platform below, the roofs project considerably beyond the walls, and
the ridges of each are decorated with carved woodwork representing
their "nats" and "beloos," as they call their good and evil spirits,
and the ends of the eaves terminate in a very striking ornament
supposed to represent the peacock, which, as you will see from the
picture, gives the building a very quaint appearance indeed. Sometimes
the monasteries are gilded, and the doors and wall-panels inlaid with
looking-glass, tinsel, and other glittering material, which makes them
appear very gorgeous in the sunlight.

These monasteries are occupied by Buddhist priests, who teach the
children of the neighbourhood, or instruct the pilgrims who visit them
in the beauties of their religion, of which I shall have something to
tell you presently. All the priests have shaven heads, and wear a
simple robe of cotton, dyed to a bright yellow by the juice of the
cutch-tree. Gentle and hospitable themselves, they lead the most
simple lives. All the food they eat is given by the people, and it is
a very picturesque sight to see the daily procession of priests and
novices, each carrying a bowl in which to receive the offerings of
food so willingly given by the inmates of the houses they visit. No
request for alms is ever made, nor any word of thanks spoken, for such
gifts are freely offered by a people who believe in their religion,
and do so as an "act of merit."

Close by the monasteries are the "zeyats," or homes for wandering
pilgrims. Though their roofs are ornamented in the same way as the
"kyoungs," they are more simple