ＴＩＢＥＴ　ＴＲＡＤＩＴＩＯＮＡＬ　ＣＯＮＳＴＲＵＣＴＩＯＮ－ＢＥＮＭＡ　ＷＡＬＬＳ.docVIP

ＴＩＢＥＴ　ＴＲＡＤＩＴＩＯＮＡＬ　ＣＯＮＳＴＲＵＣＴＩＯＮ－ＢＥＮＭＡ　ＷＡＬＬＳ 　　 　　Benma wall in the Main Hall of the Tashihungpo Monastery. Photo by Wu Yi 　　In the Tibetan-inhabited areas, the parapet walls ofimportant halls in monasteries such as large Zhacang(group unit name of monasteries, the largest one being Coqen, followed by Zhacang and Kammcun, and the smallest Micun) and sutra hall, are reddish brown, offering a distinct contrast with the white walls. As its materials are made of shrub branches named Benma in Tibetan, which are bundled and then dyed, they are called Benma walls. 　　After being peeled off and sun baked, the Benma branches and trunks are chopped into sections 30 centimeters long and, in bundles as thick as an arm, are then piled up to form Benma walls. When building up such walls, a layer of clay stones would be placed on a layer of bundled Benma branches and then tamped down. Then, one after another, the walls would be built up to the top and waterproofed. The reddish brown paint that is used gives the distinctive coloring of the Benma walls. 　　 　　Benma grass used to make Benma walls. Photo by Cedog 　　From the view of construction technology, this kind of wall body can reduce the weight of wall, playing a good role in overall weight-reduction of tall Tibetan-style buildings; regarding their appearance, Benma walls play a decorative role by offering a strong color contrast with the dominant white, resulting in a good visual aesthetic feeling. With a reddish brown parapet walls on a white wall body and with the black stripes on the window edges, the wall color changes from being monotone to colorful and from being light to being dignified, which enhances the seriousness of the whole architecture, just the sort of feeling we get from the Potala Palace, Jokhang Monastery and the three major monasteries in Lhasa. 　　In Tibetan history, reddish brown Benma walls were a special treatment given to for particular buildings, and were not just for anyone. In old Tibet, when the