Paungda Danda is a
Himalayan mountain located in
Manang District
Manang District ( ne, मनाङ जिल्ला , a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Chame as its district headquarters, covers an area of and had a population (2011) of 6,538. ...
,
Western Region,
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
. The mountain is not significantly
prominent, and is a subsidiary peak to the southeast of
Pisang Peak
Pisang Peak (Jong Ri) is a pyramidal trekking peak above Pisang, a village on the Annapurna Circuit, within the Manang District, northern Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
...
. Paungda Danda is notable for its western rock face that rises dramatically above the
Marshyangdi River
The Marshyangdi (or Marsyangdi) ( Nepali: , marśyāṅdī) is a mountain river in Nepal. Its length is about 150 kilometres.
The Marshyangdi begins at the confluence of two mountain rivers, the Khangsar Khola and Jharsang Khola, northwest of ...
.
The mountain's smooth western face, also known as the Great Wall of
Pisang
Pisang is a Village development committee (Nepal), village development committee in Manang District in the Gandaki Zone of northern Nepal. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census it had a population of 307 people living in 105 individual ...
, is composed of
slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
rock and formed as a result of an ancient lakebed being uplifted during the creation of the Himalayas.
Today, the mountain is a recognizable feature along the
Annapurna Circuit
The Annapurna Circuit is a trek within the mountain ranges of central Nepal. The total length of the route varies between 160–230 km (100-145 mi), depending on where motor transportation is used and where the trek is ended. This trek c ...
, a popular trekking route.
The Paungda Danda is locally referred to as Swarga Dwar. Swarga meaning Heaven, Dwar meaning Gate. The local people believe that the spirits of the deceased must ascend the wall after leaving their bodies to reach the heavens. There is an absolute
taboo
A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
on climbing to the top of this cliff.
References
Mountains of the Gandaki Province
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