Geography
The Kali Gandaki River is Mustang’s primary hydrographic feature. The river cuts through Mustang as it flows southeast toward the Nepal Terai. In the past, key commerce routes between Tibet and India, particularly for salt, followed routes that paralleled the river. According to some estimates, the deepest gorge in the world is formed by a portion of the river valley in the southern Mustang District. The traditional Mustang (the Lo Kingdom) is 60 km wide and 53 km long, with a low point of 2750 m above sea level on the Kali Gandaki River just north of Kagbeni and a high point of 6700 m. (Khamjung Himal, a peak in southeast Mustang.)
peoples of mustang
180 mud dwellings make up the walled city where approximately 1100 Lobas (people of Lo) reside. Surprisingly, they noticed a caste system. This may be the cause of the majority of residents of the walled city being Kudak (Bista—the nobility and royalty of Lo] and the Phalwa (Gurung). The majority of the blacksmiths Ghara, Shemba, and Emeta reside in the community along the Lo-Manthang River, which flows east of the city. The four-story, whitewashed palace known as “Monkhar,” which is in the center of the town, is where the Raja and Rani of Mustang reside.
Ame Pal, the first King of Mustang, is thought to have erected the palace in the first decade of the fourteenth century. He has twenty-two descendants, including the current Raja. Agriculture and livestock keeping continue to be the foundation of the economy. Barter commerce with neighboring Tibet and seasonal migration for trade to the southern regions of Nepal and North India augment household income. Few locals have begun to pursue tourism as a new economic career since tourism first emerged in Lo in 1992. Some Lobas still engage in polyandry in order to prevent the division of family assets. All of a family’s brothers are married to women.
Religion and Culture
The religious beliefs of the populace of Lo-Manthang are deeply ingrained in its culture. The township is full with monasteries, mani walls, and chhortens. Prayer flags soar over every home, spreading mantras throughout the entire world. The only form of Buddhism practiced by the Lobas is the Sakya-pa branch of Tibetan Buddhism. Prior to Buddhism, Bon predominated. Buddhism was then superseded by the Ningma Pa Sect (Dhakar-Kayu sub sect), and then by the Sakya Pa Sect (Sakyapa, Ngorpa sub-sects). The Jhampa Gompa is the oldest of the three Gompas in Lo-Manthang. It is thought to be a duplicate of the Ghangtse Jhampa Gompa of Tibet, which is still standing in Ghangtse, close to Lhasa, and was constructed in 1387 AD during the reign of the legendary king Anguin Sangbo. Jhampa Gompa, which has three stories, is a superb work of art. It clearly demonstrates the rich architectural history of Lo-Manthang. The inside walls of the first and second floors of this gompa’s first and second floors are completely covered in gold-painted tantric Mandalas, which give it its singularity. Double registers of Mandalas are painted in the main prayer wall and dotted with lesser attractions.
Buddhist mantras are inscribed on the wooden beams in the Dukhang, and the ceiling has tastefully positioned rafters. Thupchen once served as the main place of worship in Lo-Manthang. Chhaede Gompa, once home to the Khempo, is now the primary Gompa of Lo and the hub of religious activities. Aham Tshewang Phuntsok Tskgyen Norbu, a King, constructed it in 1757. The former Choprang Gompa and the Dhakar-Thungling Chhoede Gompa were combined to form the current Chhoede Gompa.Beautiful Thangka (Buddhist religious paintings and images) and images, notably the revered Thangka of Mahakala and Dorje Sonnu, are kept in this Gompa (Vajra Kilas). The primary deity of the Tenji festival is Dorje Sonnu, while Mahakala is an angry manifestation of Avalokiteshvara. The most well-known festival of Lo Tsho Dhun is Tenji, which is observed over three days to commemorate the death of a demon by the demon’s son, Dorje Sonnu. Tenji is a translation of the Tibetan phrase “Tempa Chirim,” which means a prayer for peace in the world.
The event is observed during the fifth lunar month of the Tibetan calendar, which falls in May on average. Two enormous Thangkas are on show at the time. Throughout the year, many more festivals are observed. Some significant ones include the Mhane Dance (which commemorates the extermination of a demon through a dance drama), the Sakaluka (seed-planting ceremony for a good harvest), the Duk chu (a monk’s dance and prayer for a prosperous New Year), the Chug Emma (a house hold’s prayer for a prosperous New Year), the Phakne (a group of people of the same age visit various holy places), the Loshar (New Year), and The Chhoede Gompa is connected to a monastic school called Tse Chhen Shedrubling Tukling Mon Gon Lobdra.
Only at this Sakya-pa monastery in Upper Mustang are novice monks (Dhawa) instructed in Buddha’s teachings. Currently studying in this center are roughly 90 monks. The belief that traditional herbal remedies can effectively treat illnesses has long been held by the inhabitants of Lo. An Amchi school is presently operating in Lo under the direction of the local Amchi family thanks to some donor funding (Tibetan Herbal Doctor).