Humla District ( ne, हुम्ला जिल्ला), a part of
Karnali Province
Karnali Province ( ne, कर्णाली प्रदेश) is one of the seven federal provinces of Nepal formed by the new constitution which was adopted on 20 September 2015. The total area of the province is covering 18.97% of the cou ...
, is one of the seventy-seven
districts of Nepal
Districts in Nepal are second level of administrative divisions after provinces. Districts are subdivided in municipalities and rural municipalities. There are seven provinces and 77 districts in Nepal.
After the state's reconstruction of ad ...
. The district, with
Simikot
Simikot is the administrative headquarters of Humla District of Karnali Zone in the mountain region of northwestern Nepal.
Significance
Lying at an altitude of just over 2,900m on a gentle slope high above the Humla Karnali River, Simikot lie ...
as its district headquarters, covers an area of and has population of 50,858 as per the census of 2011. Namkha is the largest rural municipal which lies in humla
Humla is the 2nd largest district (by area) of Nepal. The southern and middle parts of Humla District are inhabited by
Khas
Khas people (; ne, खस) popularly known as Khas Arya are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Himalayan region of South Asia, what is now present-day Nepal, Indian states of Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Sikkim. Historical ...
communities, originating from Sinja valley, whereas the higher and northern parts of Humla are mostly inhabited by culturally Tibetan communities.
Nature
Wild yak
The wild yak (''Bos mutus'') is a large, wild bovine native to the Himalayas. It is the ancestor of the domestic yak (''Bos grunniens'').
Taxonomy
The ancestor of the wild and domestic yak is thought to have diverged from '' Bos primigenius ...
s were once thought to be regionally extinct in
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 ma ...
, but was rediscovered in Humla in 2014.
Demographics
At the time of the
2011 Nepal census
Nepal conducted a widespread national census in 2011 by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics. Working with the 58 municipalities and the 3915 Village Development Committees at a district level, they recorded data from all the municipalities an ...
, Humla District had a population of 50,858. Of these, 89.8% spoke
Nepali
Nepali or Nepalese may refer to :
Concerning Nepal
* Anything of, from, or related to Nepal
* Nepali people, citizens of Nepal
* Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...
or Jumli khas and 7.5%
Tamang
The Tamang (; Devanagari: तामाङ; ''tāmāṅ'') are an Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group of Nepal. In Nepal Tamang/Moormi people constitute 5.6% of the Nepalese population at over 1.3 million in 2001, increasing to 1,539,830 as of the 2011 ...
as their first language. The largest ethnic group is
khas
Khas people (; ne, खस) popularly known as Khas Arya are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Himalayan region of South Asia, what is now present-day Nepal, Indian states of Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Sikkim. Historical ...
/
chhetri
Chhetri (Kshetri, Kshettri, Kshetry or Chhettri), ( ne, क्षेत्री ; IAST: ''Kṣetrī'') historically called Kshettriya or Kshetriya or Khas are Nepali speakers of Khas community, some of whom trace their origin to migration fr ...
make 74% of total district population, other khas tribes suce as
Thakuri
Thakuri ( ne, ठकुरी) is a sub-caste of Khasas tribes in Nepal. It consists of the historical ruling class, and is made up of the descendants of the Great Khasa Malla kingdom rulers of the Baisi and Chaubisi principalities. The former r ...
/
Bahun
Bahun ( ne, बाहुन) or Khas Brahmin ( ne, खस ब्राह्मण) is a caste ( ''Varna'') among Khas people of Nepal. Their origins are from the Indo-Aryan Khasa tribe of Nepal and South Asia. According to the 2011 Nep ...
/
Sannyasi giri/
Bishwakarma/
Damai
Damai ( ne, दमाइँ) is an occupational caste found among Khas people. They comprise 45 subgroups. Their surnames take after the subgroup they belong to. People belonging to this caste are traditionally tailors and musicians. They are ade ...
/
Badi make 19% of total dist population. and
Tibetan
Tibetan may mean:
* of, from, or related to Tibet
* Tibetan people, an ethnic group
* Tibetan language:
** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken diale ...
tribes such as
Tamang
The Tamang (; Devanagari: तामाङ; ''tāmāṅ'') are an Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group of Nepal. In Nepal Tamang/Moormi people constitute 5.6% of the Nepalese population at over 1.3 million in 2001, increasing to 1,539,830 as of the 2011 ...
,
Sherpa,
Bhotiya
Bhotiya or Bhot ( ne, भोटिया, ) are groups of ethno-linguistically related Tibetan people living in the Transhimalayan region that divides India from Tibet. The word ''Bhotiya'' comes from the classical Tibetan name for Tibet, , . ...
, and
Tibetan
Tibetan may mean:
* of, from, or related to Tibet
* Tibetan people, an ethnic group
* Tibetan language:
** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken diale ...
makes 7% of total dist population.
Administration
The district consists of 7
Municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
, all of which are
rural municipalities. These are as follows:
*
Simkot Rural Municipality
*
Namkha Rural Municipality
Namkha ( ne, नाम्खा) is the largest rural municipality (by area) of Nepal located in Humla District of Karnali Province.
The total area of the rural municipality is and total population is 3900 individuals (as of 2011 Nepal census) ...
*
Kharpunath Rural Municipality
Kharpunath ( ne, खार्पुनाथ गाउँपालिका) is a rural municipality located in Humla District of Karnali Province of Nepal.
The rural municipality is divided into total 5 wards and the headquarters of the rural ...
*
Sarkegad Rural Municipality
*
Chankheli Rural Municipality
*
Adanchuli Rural Municipality
*
Tajakot Rural Municipality
Former Village Development Committees
Prior to the restructuring of the district, Humla District consisted of the following municipalities and
Village development committees
A village development committee ( ne, गाउँ विकास समिति; ''gāum̐ vikās samiti'') in Nepal was the lower administrative part of its Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development. Each district had several VDCs, ...
:
*
Baraigaun
Baraigaun is a village and municipality in Humla District in the Karnali Zone of north-western 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 Statis ...
*
Bargaun
*
Chhipra
*
Dami
*
Dandaphaya
Dandaphaya is a Village Development Committee in Humla District in the Karnali Zone of north-western 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 St ...
*
Gothi
Gothi or (plural , fem. ; Old Norse: ) was a position of political and social prominence in the Icelandic Commonwealth. The term originally had a religious significance, referring to a pagan leader responsible for a religious structure and com ...
*
Hepka
*
Jaur
Jair is a ward no.1 of Sarkegad Gaupalika Humla District in the Karnali Zone of north-western part 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 ...
*
Kalika
*
Kermi
*
Khagalgaun
*
Kharpunath
*
Lali
*
Lauthi
Lauthi is a village and municipality in Humla District in the Karnali Zone of north-western 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 Statistics ...
*
Limi
Limi Valley is a high-altitude valley that forms the northernmost part of the Humla District of north-western Nepal. To its north, the Limi valley borders the Purang County of Tibet, China.
Administrative
Limi is a ward council of the Namkha ...
*
Madana
*
Maila
Maila is a town and municipality in Humla District in the Karnali Zone of north-western 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 Statistics.
Wor ...
*
Melchham
Melchham is a village and municipality in Humla District in the Karnali Zone of north-western Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 1364 persons living in 265 individual households.
References
External linksUN map of ...
*
Mimi Mimi or MIMI may refer to:
People
* Mimi (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Constantin Mimi (1868–1935), Bessarabian politician and winemaker
* Mimi (footballer, born 1996), Bissau Guinean footballer
* Mohanad Ali (born 2 ...
*
Muchu
*
Raya
*
Ripa
*
Rodikot
Rodikot is a village and municipality in Humla District in the Karnali Province of north-western 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 Stati ...
*
Sarkideu
Sarkideu is a Village Development Committee in Humla District in the Karnali Zone of north-western 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 ...
*
Saya
*
Srinagar
*
Srimastha
*
Syada
Syada ( ne, स्यादा) is a village and municipality in Humla District in the Karnali Zone of north-western Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census
The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Cen ...
*
Thechaya
Thechaya is a village and municipality in Humla District in the Karnali Zone of north-western Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 1664 persons living in 314 individual households.
References
External linksUN map of ...
*
Yanchu
*
Simikot
Simikot is the administrative headquarters of Humla District of Karnali Zone in the mountain region of northwestern Nepal.
Significance
Lying at an altitude of just over 2,900m on a gentle slope high above the Humla Karnali River, Simikot lie ...
Health care
*Central/regional/zonal hospitals: 0
*District hospitals: 1
*Primary healthcare centres: 0
*Health posts: 10
*Sub-health posts: 16
*Number of doctors: 6
*Number of nurses: 35
Although there is a district hospital as well as primary health care centers, these are not enough for providing health services. The small health centers in many
VDCs are often without Auxiliary Health Workers (AHWs),
Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and Community Health Workers (CHWs).
Many people still believe in Dhami and
Jhakri and often resort to local practices before seeking allopathic treatment.
The Nepal Trust, which has been working in Humla since 1996, was one of the first
NGOs
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...
in the district to address development (especially healthcare) issues at the grass-roots level.
PHASE Nepal is a non profit organization which coordinates with the District Health Office in Simikot to provide comprehensive primary health services to the communities of Maila and Melchham, two of the most isolated VDCs of the district; as well as the neighboring villages who also received these services. The Trust was the only organization allowed to continue its development work throughout the district during the
Maoist insurgency
Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Chi ...
. The Torpa clinic was built by the trust almost 15 years ago to address the immediate need for health services. To date, the Trust has expanded services throughout the district including improvements made to the district hospital. Currently, Trust initiatives are related to ante/post natal care and
infant mortality
Infant mortality is the death of young children under the age of 1. This death toll is measured by the infant mortality rate (IMR), which is the probability of deaths of children under one year of age per 1000 live births. The under-five morta ...
reduction programs. With its head office in Kathmandu, the Nepal Trust has its own satellite office and guest house in its Simikot office, which acts as a social enterprise (the first built in West Nepal) and along with healthcare works in education,
renewable energy, heritage preservation,
WASH
WASH (or Watsan, WaSH) is an acronym that stands for "water, sanitation and hygiene". It is used widely by non-governmental organizations and aid agencies in developing countries. The purposes of providing access to WASH services include achievi ...
, food security and agriculture,
sustainable tourism development and income generation. Nepal Trust has been managing the Great Himalaya Trail Development Program since 2008.
Tourism

Humla lies in the far west of Nepal, on the border between Nepal and China, and is used as the starting point for trekking and mountaineering, accessible from
Simikot Airport
Simikot is the administrative headquarters of Humla District of Karnali Zone in the mountain region of northwestern Nepal.
Significance
Lying at an altitude of just over 2,900m on a gentle slope high above the Humla Karnali River, Simikot lie ...
. The trekking route to Tibet also starts from Simikot.
Trekking

The Nepal section of
The Great Himalaya Trail
The Great Himalaya Trail is a route across the Himalayas from east to west. The original concept was to establish a single long distance trekking trail from the east end to the west end of Nepal that includes a total of roughly of path. There is ...
ends in Humla at Hilsa at the border with Tibet.
The Humla district is a historic part of the
Tibetan Buddhist
Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...
religious tradition, with several points of interest for the history, culture and values of a typical Buddhist life. It has eleven small villages of Tibetan origin. The Nyin Community and the Limi Valley are inhabited by Buddhist communities.
Mt Kailash pilgrimage
In recent years, Humla has grown in significance as a preferred route for the pilgrimage to
Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; ; sa, कैलास, ), is a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It has an altitude ...
in
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
. The route through Humla has historically involved taking an ancient foot trail from
Simikot
Simikot is the administrative headquarters of Humla District of Karnali Zone in the mountain region of northwestern Nepal.
Significance
Lying at an altitude of just over 2,900m on a gentle slope high above the Humla Karnali River, Simikot lie ...
to
Hilsa
The ilish (''Tenualosa ilisha'') ( bn, ইলিশ, translit=iliś; also known as the ilishi, hilsa, hilsa herring or hilsa shad, is a species of fish related to the herring, in the family Clupeidae. It is a very popular and sought-after food ...
, that goes along the mountain slopes on the left side of the Humla Karnali river. Both historically and in the present times, this route has been used by locals for trading at the nearby old trade mart of
Taklakot
Purang or Burang, known as Puhreng in Tibetan (, IPA: puʂeŋ), is a town which serves as the administrative center of Purang County, Ngari Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region ''(TAR)'', China. The town lies at an altitude of 3,900m (12,79 ...
in Tibet, and for undertaking the pilgrimage to the nearby holy sites of
Lake Manasarovar
Lake Manasarovar (Sanskrit: मानसरोवर), also called Mapam Yutso (;) locally, is a high altitude freshwater lake fed by the Kailash Glaciers near Mount Kailash in Burang County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. The ...
and
Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; ; sa, कैलास, ), is a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It has an altitude ...
in Tibet. This route involves a 4-5 day walk from
Simikot
Simikot is the administrative headquarters of Humla District of Karnali Zone in the mountain region of northwestern Nepal.
Significance
Lying at an altitude of just over 2,900m on a gentle slope high above the Humla Karnali River, Simikot lie ...
to Hilsa, with overnight stops at a few villages on the way. One needs to cross the 4,530m high Nara La pass on this route. However, with the surge in the popularity of this route for the Kailash pilgrimage, travel companies offer helicopter flights to cover the distance from Simikot from Hilsa, which takes about 20 minutes. Furthermore, a motorable road is in the process of being built from Hilsa to Simikot. Nonetheless, if one wishes to fully experience the physically and spiritually elevating effects of a mountain pilgrimage, then the slower, physically more engaged way of walking this route is the better way of doing this pilgrimage. For an even greater immersive experience into the mountain cultures and ecology of this remote part of the Nepal Himalayas, one can take a detour at the confluence of the Humla Karnali and Salli Khola rivers, and thereby go to Hilsa via the
Nyalu La pass and the
Limi valley. On this second route, one can take another detour to visit the Lapcha La pass, very close to the border with China, from where, on a clear day, one can get majestic open views of
Lake Manasarovar
Lake Manasarovar (Sanskrit: मानसरोवर), also called Mapam Yutso (;) locally, is a high altitude freshwater lake fed by the Kailash Glaciers near Mount Kailash in Burang County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. The ...
and
Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; ; sa, कैलास, ), is a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It has an altitude ...
.
See also
*
Karnali Province
Karnali Province ( ne, कर्णाली प्रदेश) is one of the seven federal provinces of Nepal formed by the new constitution which was adopted on 20 September 2015. The total area of the province is covering 18.97% of the cou ...
*
Zones of Nepal
Until the establishment of seven new provinces in 2015, Nepal was divided into 14 administrative zones (Nepali: अञ्चल; ''anchal'') and 77 districts (Nepali: जिल्ला; ''jillā''). The 14 administrative zones were grouped in ...
References
External links
*
*
Paudhur
*
Countries of Asia
{{Authority control
Districts of Nepal established in 1962
Districts of Karnali Province