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| Dakardzong |
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Mustang
By Mark Turin / Photographs by Arthur Pazo
Take a map of Nepal. Find the town of Pokhara and run your finger
up the river to the north-west. This is the mighty Kali Gandaki, The
Black One, and its source lies in Mustang, the most awe-inspiring of
Nepal’s 75 districts.
History
Shrouded in mystery and unparalleled in natural and cultural beauty,
it should come as no surprise to hear that through the ages, Mustang
has gone by many names. “Mustang” is an English corruption
of Lo Monthang, the walled capital city and the seat of the local king.
The earliest reference to this ancient realm in western literature was
by Kirkpatrick, the first Englishman to visit Nepal, who in 1793 wrote,
in what was to be perhaps the greatest Himalayan understatement: “Moostang
is a place of some note…”. Moostang was to become Mastang,
and then in turn, Mustang. None of these names is as evocative as the
original Tibetan though: Lo Monthang or “The Southern Plains of
Aspiration”. |
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Look back to that map of Nepal. Note how Mustang sticks out to the
north deeper and further than other part of Nepal? It has even been
described as “a thumb in the eye of Tibet”. This is a clue
to the historical and strategic importance of the area. In its heyday,
between the 15th and 17th Centuries, the kings of Lo Monthang dominated
the Trans-Himalayan trade between Tibet and India. Salt from the vast
lakes deep inside Tibet as well as wool from mountain yaks were traded
for grain and spices from India. Mustang in particular was a through-fare,
a conduit, for this immensely important trade. During this golden age,
the kings of ancient Lo were rulers of all of West Tibet and the walled
capital was an urban centre, attracting painters, scholars, doctors
and artisans. Their legacy is still to be seen in the magnificent frescoes
adorning the crumbling monasteries and temples.
Over time though, Mustang’s influence began to wane. By 1790,
despite being ethnically and culturally Tibetan, the kingdom allied
itself with Nepal in the war against Tibet, and was annexed soon afterwards.
Until 1951, Lo formed a separate principality, ruled over by the local
king who acted as a tributary to the king of Nepal.
For nine years, starting in 1951 when Nepal officially opened her
borders, foreigners could visit Mustang. Thereafter, from 1960 until
1991, the kingdom was closed once more. During the 60s and 70s, Mustang
was the operational base for the Khampa guerrillas from eastern Tibet
who were fighting against the Chinese occupation of their country. These
freedom fighters were supplied with weapons and food by the American
government, dropped by CIA pilots who flew low over the treacherous
mountains to deliver their loads. After a tape-recorded plea by the
Dalai Lama (already long in exile in India) to cease their violent struggle
against the Chinese, many Khampas laid down their arms and were settled
in refugee camps in Nepal. Others refused, and fought to the death,
whilst some committed suicide, torn between disobeying their spiritual
leader and relinquishing their homeland. During these difficult decades,
the upper reaches of the Mustang valley were completed sealed off to
outsiders. In 1991, rather unexpectedly, the Nepalese government reopened
Mustang to a limited quota of foreign visitors. |
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| Monks awaiting the arrival of their rimpoche
at Jomsom airport |
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To this day, Mustang remains a cultural anomaly: an ethnically
Tibetan kingdom, untouched by the ravages of the Chinese Cultural Revolution,
possessing unrivalled artistic expression and a moon-like topography,
nestled within the Hindu kingdom of Nepal. The present ruler, whilst
having no special status within Nepal, has retained the title of Maharaja,
or “Great King”, and is widely respected. He is married
to a Tibetan princess, as is his son, the crown prince, who will inherit
the throne in due course.
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