1. Udsesskülengtu-Gôa-Chatun, a heaping up of synonyms of which
we had an example, note 2, Tale XVII. Both words mean "beautiful,"
"charming." Goâ is a Mongolian expression by which royal women are
called (as also chatun). Thus we sometimes meet with Udsessküleng,
sometimes Udsesskülengtu (the adjunct tu forming the adjective
use of the word); Udsesskülengtu-Goa, Udsesskülengtu-Chatun, or
Udessküleng-Gôa-Chatun. (Jülg.)
2. Kaitja or Chaitga is a sacred grotto where relics were preserved,
or marking a spot where some remarkable event of ancient date had
taken place. We are told that King Ashokja (246 B.C.) caused kaitjas
to be built, or rather hewn, in every spot in his dominions rendered
sacred by any act of Shâkjamuni's life [70]; as also over the relics
of many of the first teachers (p. 390). The number of these is fabled
in the Mahâvansha (v. p. 26) to have been not less than 84,000! He
opened seven of the shrines in which the relics of Shâkjamuni were
originally placed, and divided them into so many caskets of gold,
silver, crystal, and lapis lazuli, endowing every town of his dominion
with one, and building a kaitja over it. These were all completed
by one given day at one and the same time, and the authority of the
Dharma (law) of Buddha was proclaimed in all. In process of time great
labour came to be spent on their decoration, till whole temples were
hewn out of the living stone, forming almost imperishable records
of the earliest architecture of the country, and to some extent of
its history and religion too. The most astonishing remains are to
be seen of works of this kind, with files of columns and elaborate
bas-reliefs sculptured out of the solid rock.
3. Abbé Huc tells us that the Mongolians prepare their tea quite
differently from the Chinese. The leaves, instead of being carefully
picked as in China, are pressed all together along with the smaller
tendrils and stalks into a mould resembling an ordinary brick. When
required for use a piece of the brick is broken off, pulverized,
and boiled in a kettle until the water receives a reddish hue, some
salt is then thrown in, and when it has become almost black milk is
added. It is a great Tartar luxury, and also an article of commerce
with Russia; but the Chinese never touch it.