Lomanthang ( ne, लोमान्थाङ) is a
rural municipality in
Mustang district in
Gandaki Province of western
Nepal. It is located at the northern end of the district, bordering the
Tibet Autonomous Region of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
to the north and
Dalome rural municipality of
Mustang in the south.
''Lo'' is the northern two-thirds of Mustang district,
culturally and
linguistically influenced by Tibet, while the southern third is called ''Thak'', the homeland of
Thakali people who speak a
different language and have a synthesis of Tibetan and
Nepalese culture. Recently a series of at least twelve caves were discovered north of
Annapurna and near the village, decorated with ancient
Buddhist paintings and set in sheer cliffs at an elevation of .
The paintings show
Newari influence, dating to approximately the 13th century, and also contain
Tibetan scripts executed in ink, silver and gold and
pre-Christian era pottery shards.
Explorers found
stupa
A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.
In Buddhism, circumamb ...
s, decorative art and paintings depicting various forms of the
Buddha, often with disciples, supplicants and attendants, with some mural paintings showing
sub-tropical themes containing palm trees, billowing Indian textiles and birds.
History
Lo Manthang was the walled capital of the
''Kingdom of Lo'' from its founding in 1380 by ''Ame Pal'' who oversaw construction of the city wall and many of the still-standing structures.
After the
Shahs of Gorkha forged Nepal out of numerous
petty kingdoms in the 18th century, Lo became a dependency but kept its hereditary rulers. This arrangement continued as long as Nepal remained a
kingdom, until the country was declared a
republic
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
in 2008 and
Jigme Dorje Palbar Bista (c.1933–2016) was stripped of his title. His protector
King Gyanendra suffered the same fate, however the ''raja'' or ''gyelpo'' of Mustang was 25th in a direct line of rulers dating back to 1380 AD. Gyanendra was only the eleventh Shah ruler since
Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered Kathmandu in 1768.
More prosaically, Lo Manthang became a
village development committee in Mustang district of
Dhawalagiri zone. The
1991 census
A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 1991, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 21 April 1991. This was the 19th UK census.
''Census 1991'' was organised by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys in England and Wales, th ...
counted 876 people living in 178 households in the VDC. The population includes ethnic
Lhobas.
[Gopal Sharma]
Explorers find ancient caves and paintings in Nepal
Reuters, May 3, 2007, ''Accessed October 28, 2012''
Administration
The total area of the Lo Manthang rural municipality is and the total population according to the
2011 census is 1899. The rural municipality is divided into 5 wards.
Previously Lomanthang was a village development committee which was upgraded into a rural municipality merging adjoining VDCs of
Chhoser
Chhoser (also known as ''Garphu'') is a village development committee in Mustang District in the Dhawalagiri Zone of northern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census
The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the ...
and
Chhonhup
Chhonhup is a village development committee in Mustang District in the Dhawalagiri Zone of northern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census
The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Central Bureau of Sta ...
.
The rural municipality came into existence on 10 March 2017, fulfilling the requirement of the new
Constitution of Nepal 2015 when the
Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration replaced all old VDCs and municipalities into 753 new local level bodies.
Transport
Lo Manthang is by unpaved road from a
border crossing into
Zhongba County of
Shigatse Prefecture,
TAR. This road continues about from the border to
China National Highway 219, which follows the valley of the
Yarlung Tsangpo River.
The Government of Nepal has built a road north along the
Kali Gandaki River, to within of Lo Manthang. There are also scheduled flights from
Kathmandu and
Pokhara
Pokhara ( ne, पोखरा, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Gandaki Province. It is the List of cities in Nepal, second most populous city of Nepal after Kathmandu, with 518,452 inhabitants living ...
to
Jomsom Airport, located south of Lo Manthang.
Tourism and access
The village is noted for its tall whitewashed mud-brick walls, ''
gompas'' and the ''Raja's'' or Royal or
King's Palace, a nine-cornered, five-story structure built around 1400. There are four major temples: Jampa Lhakhang or Jampa Gompa, the oldest, built in the early 15th century and also known as the "God house"; Thubchen Gompa, a huge, red assembly hall and gompa built in the late 15th century and located just southwest of Jampa Gompa; Chodey Gompa, now the main city gompa; and the Choprang Gompa, which is popularly known as the "New Gompa".
Even though foreign visitors have been allowed in the kingdom since 1992, tourism to Upper Mustang remains limited, with just over 2000 foreign tourists in 2008.
The Nepalese Department of Immigration requires foreign visitors to obtain a special permit, which costs $50 per day per person, and liaison (guide) to protect local tradition from outside influence as well as to protect their environment.
2015 Earthquake
The
April 2015 Nepal earthquake caused multiple cracks in the 600-year-old Lo Manthang Royal Palace.
Local people have reconstructed Lomanthang Palace on their own
nepalnow.org, 31 October 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
Gallery
File:Lo Manthang Royal Palace.JPG, The Royal Palace in Lo Manthang
File:Lomanthang.jpg, Lo Manthang
File:Lo Manthang.jpg, The settlement of Lo Manthang
File:Photos of Mustang, Nepal Tourism Center 02.jpg, Nepal Tourism Center, Upper Mustang
Mustang-Lo Manthang-42-Jampa Lhakhang-gje.jpg, Jampa Lhakhang
Mustang-Lo Manthang-Laden-02-2015-gje.jpg, Shop
Mustang-Lo Manthang-Choerten-12-LKW-Wrack-2015-gje.jpg, Choerten
Mustang-Lo Manthang-Lotus Holiday Inn-12-Gaeste bei Totenfeier-2015-gje.jpg, Lotus Holiday Inn
See also
* Upper Mustang
* Mustang District
*Mustang Caves
Mustang Caves or Sky Caves of Nepal are a collection of some 10,000 man-made caves dug into the sides of valleys in the Mustang District of Nepal. Several groups of archaeologists and researchers have explored these stacked caves and found partia ...
* Kali Gandaki River
References
Bibliography
*Maïe Kitamura, ''La cité fortifiée de Lo Manthang, Mustang, Nord du Népal''. Paris, Éditions Recherches, 2011. 214 plans & drawings, photography.
External links
*
UN map of the municipalities of Mustang District
on Nova (American TV program), Nova (series)
Lo-manthang Photo Gallery
{{Authority control
Rural municipalities in Mustang District
Populated places in Mustang District
China–Nepal border crossings
Hill stations in Nepal
Rural municipalities of Nepal established in 2017