Many of the strings have small pendent beads of coral or turquois. The rosaries of the
priests are more elaborate than those of the laity and are an essential part of every Lama's
dress. A turquois rosary is occasionally used in the worship of the popular goddesses Do-ma '
and Tara,^ who are conceived to be of bluish-green complexion. Prayer wheels are not uncom-
monly adorned with turquois. A fine example in silver and bronze is in the United States
National Museum (Cat. No. 130392), and another set with<ttifquoises and incrusted in chased
silver, in the India Museum, London. Turquois is further used in the adornments of censers,*
holy water vases,* ceremonial musical instruments, bells, etc. In the India Museum is a nat-
ural size idol-head of gold inlaid in turquois, coral, and other stones, with ears adorned with
elaborate turquois earrings. The same collection contains a Buddhist wheel of the law (see
Fig. 3, PI. 8) of copper gUt set with turquoises and rubies. The United States National Museum
possesses a Tibetan bowl from Kumbum, made of a human skuU, with elaborately chased
cover and base of copper gilt, set with small turquoises. One of the finest monuments in
Tibet is the sarcophagus of the first Tashi Lama, in the monastery at Tashilhunpo. It is
"of gold, covered with beautiful designs of ornamental work and studded with turquoises
and precious stones. The turquoises appear aU to be picked stones, arranged in patterns
and in such profusion as to cover every available spot, including the polished concrete of the
floor." ^ In the Ranwchhe Temple in Lhasa are small figures carved from turquois.
