Friday, May 20, 2005

Dealers in charms and spells


In 1920 Lord Ronaldshay took this photo; his absorbing 1923 book Lands of the Thunderbolt: Sikkim, Chumbi & Bhutan (1923) has enchanting place-descriptions, including the great chörten at Tashiding, the legendary university at Nalanda, and Gangtok. Also do not skip the chapter on necromancy! Then go read H. H. Risley's Gazetteer of Sikhim (1894).