Mustang nepal

  About Mustang  

✔ Mustang Nepal still comprises villages that follow a traditional way of life and those that avoid modernization, they have their unique way of life.

✔ The tradition of constructing three holes in each house is that each hole serves its purpose.

✔ We can visit one of the major attractions of the lower Mustang, Dhumba Taal a pristine and captivating lake.

✔ We also can take a tour of the Chhairo Tibetan camp which houses hundreds of Tibetan refugees.

✔ Along with wonderful scenes of Kagbeni, head towards Muktinath temple, and awesome views along the road to Muktinath.

✔ The fascinating village of Tetang, where stars are visible even during the day.

  1. Chhairo Tibetan Camp  

✔ The Chhairo camp is an area allocated for Tibetan refugees, this Chhairo camp in Mustang has been here for decades.

✔ Saraswati English School is inside the camp and we can see students playing there.

✔ A residence to hundreds of Tibetan refugees, after BS 1959 around 20,000 Tibetan countrymen and women fled to Nepal due to Chinese oppression.

✔ They claimed that they were deprived of their religious freedom and basic rights, and the Dalai lama also went to India.

✔ There are about a dozen such camps in Nepal and this Nam Gyaling Chhairo camp comprises around fifty households and a population of about 220 individuals.

✔ There haven’t been any cultural prohibitions for them in Nepal, they are completely free will there, and they make their living through agriculture, employment, and small curio shops in Marpha.

  2. Dhumba Taal  

✔ Syang Khola is the river before arriving in Jomsom, there’s a further road down, and after crossing a suspension bridge, and riding for half an hour, we can reach Dhumba Taal.

✔ There are several small restaurants for lunch and rest and you can see Dhumba Taal beside the restaurant.

✔ Dhumba Taal is a perfect example of an exquisite natural beauty, it also holds religious significance.

✔ The water there is considered holy water that’s traditionally offered to Gautam Buddha, it’s prohibited to swim and fish there.

✔ It’s believed that a serpent Diety (Naag) resides in the lake, according to local legends, the water in this lake turned red once and the Buddhist monks performed rituals to bring the water back to its former state.

✔ The lake is frozen during winter, tourists walk right in the lake during that time, and the lake rests at the foot of Nilgiri Himal you can see a wide range of mountains when the weather is clear.

  3. Kagbeni  

✔ Situated in this Kali Gandaki valley, Kagbeni is an ancient village in Mustang, this is an important site for Buddhist and Hindu devotees.

✔ Hindu funeral rites are also performed there in Kagbeni, which is considered a very holy place for such rituals.

✔ The confluence of the Trishna and Kali rivers holds great significance there, there is a huge number of pilgrims there during (religious period) Sorah Shardha.

✔ Kagbeni is also considered an important tourist site, not just a religious Muktinath, and the upper Mustang separates from this point, tourists traveling to both destinations tend to love this place.

✔ You can stay there for a day and explore some old villages, there are ample well-facilitated hotels and eateries there.

  4. Muktinath  

✔ The Kagbeni-Muktinath section has been paved road is considered easier but has lots of uphill and winding roads.

✔ You can see incredible views from the road, it’s the most exotic view seen from the lower Mustang.

✔ We can arrive at the Muktinath bus park area within 30 minutes of leaving Kagbeni, large vehicles are not permitted beyond this point, but two-wheelers are permitted to go a little further.

✔ Muktinath Bazaar also called Rani Pauwa Bazaar, you can find an assortment of puja materials and other products right beside the main road including Shaligram.

✔ There’s a concrete stairway leading up to the temple, there is a tradition of constructing such stone stacks around there.

✔ An important site for the elderly as well as the younger generations from the perspective of tourism as well as a pilgrimage.

✔ There is a belief in achieving salvation (Moksha) after coming to Muktinath, 108 cow-shaped water fountains made of stone flow ceaselessly in the temple premises.

✔ Pilgrims bathe there with the belief that the water cleanses their impurities, pilgrims even collect the fountain water and take it back home.

✔ Hindus worship Muktinath as an avatar of lord Vishnu, whereas Buddhists worship Muktinath as an avatar of Buddha.

✔ Muktinath reflects the exemplary fellowship between Hindus and Buddhist followers, there are two ponds right in the front of the temple, known as (Sin) Paap and Moral duty (Dharma).

✔ Pilgrims first immerse themselves in the Paap Kunda and then wash themselves in the Dharma Kunda, with a belief that it cleanses them from all sins.

✔ The rituals there are conducted by both Hindu and Buddhist priests.

  5. Tetang Village    

✔ Surrounded by the huge ranges on both sides, this is the interesting village of Tetang.

✔ Hundreds of tourists travel to Upper Mustang via the nearby roadway but Tetang is quiet and still without tourists.

✔ Their way of life is just as it was a hundred years ago, all houses are built of mud, the primary occupation being farming traditionally.

✔ Few tourists come there but there isn’t enough infrastructure to accommodate them, they return after a brief tour.

✔ This place certainly has potential, but it lacks a firm resolution towards improving its tourism.

✔ To experience it fully, you’d have to explore it by yourself, there are cave-like cavities on those cliffs.

✔ There are several such caves there probably ancient human dwellings, it’s impossible to reach there.