44 Heaven�of which the dome and dado in the pedestal are decorated , in bright colours. A rare model of particular interest is one with a diminishing succession of steps built on an eight-sided ground plan. Its origin is undoubtedly Tibetan, as is borne out by the chorten standing outside the monastery of Tashigang, in western Tibet. Of particular interest, too, is the model in which the base of the dome, instead of the usual ascending succession of steps, is a gentle curve adorned with stylized lotus blooms carved in relief. This model symbolizes, appropriately, the �garland of lotus blooms�. Models of chorten are also kept in Buddhist monasteries outside Khumbu, as, for example, Lamayuru, in Ladakh, and Pemiangtse, in Sikkim. As with the models in the Tengpoche monastery, these, too, are of great help when carrying out a survey of chorten; the detail and accuracy of their dimensions makes easier the task of comparing them with the large chorten. One can only hope that these precious models will continue to be preserved. Concerning models, mention must be made of the small votive chorten symbolizing �great Enlightenment�in the middle shrine the of the upper lha-khang, �God�house�or �s temple�at the Tengpoche , monastery. The chorten is made of silver and brass studded with precious stones; despite the profusely decorative, embossed silver base and dome, it is clearly a copy of the wooden model in the monastery. A similar votive chorten is represented in a wood-engraving at Tengpoche (Fig. 9); in it an explanation is given of the symbolical significance of its various parts, including the ritual flags hanging from the crown of the spire above the dome. The correspondence between the silver and brass votive chorten and the one represented in the wood-engraving is all the more evident in that the frame of the shrine holding the chorten is a repetition of its stylized counterpart surrounding the wood-engraving. In the survey of chorten made in the villages of Khumbu, only the larger of these were examined, and a mere list was compiled of the smaller ones along paths, usually near mani-walls and sacred inscriptions on rock faces. These chorten were obviously built by devout Sherpas who had no guidelines to work from, let alone wooden models. Their value, architecturally, is therefore limited, especially when it comes to making comparative studies with wooden models, though it cannot be denied that these simple chorten are an overt expression of the Sherpas�Lamaist faith. Concerning the chorten at Namche Bazar, its simple lines are such that one is led to place it in the class symbolizing �many the gates�the most representative of which is at Gyantse, in Tibet. , Although there is a close similarity between the two, the chorten at Namche, from the standpoint of architecture, is not strictly of
