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Lomanthang () is a
rural municipality A rural municipality is a classification of municipality, a type of local government, found in several countries. These include: * Rural municipality (Canada), Rural municipalities in Canada, a Lists of municipalities in Canada, type of municipa ...
in
Mustang district Mustang District ( ) (from the Standard Tibetan, Tibetan ''möntang'' (), "fertile plain") is one of the eleven districts of Gandaki Province and one of List of districts of Nepal, seventy-seven districts of Nepal which was a Kingdom of Lo-Mant ...
in
Gandaki Province Gandaki Province ( ) ), is one of the seven federal provinces established by the current constitution of Nepal which was promulgated on 20 September 2015. Pokhara is the province's capital city. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region in Southw ...
of western
Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
. It is located at the northern end of the district, bordering the
Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), often shortened to Tibet in English or Xizang in Pinyin, Hanyu Pinyin, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China. It was established in 1965 to replace the ...
of
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
to the north and Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda rural municipality of
Mustang The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticate ...
in the south. ''Lo'' is the northern two-thirds of Mustang district, culturally and
linguistically Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds and equivalent gestures i ...
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. In 2007, a series of at least twelve caves were discovered north of
Annapurna Annapurna (; ) is a mountain situated in the Annapurna mountain range of Gandaki Province, north-central Nepal. It is the 10th highest mountain in the world at above sea level and is well known for the difficulty and danger involved in its as ...
and near the village, decorated with ancient
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
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 script The Tibetan script is a segmental writing system, or '' abugida'', forming a part of the Brahmic scripts, and used to write certain Tibetic languages, including Tibetan, Dzongkha, Sikkimese, Ladakhi, Jirel and Balti. Its exact origins ...
s executed in ink, silver and gold and pre-Christian era pottery shards. Explorers found
stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...
s, decorative art and paintings depicting various forms of
the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...
, often with disciples, supplicants and attendants, with some mural paintings showing
sub-tropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones immediately to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 3 ...
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 unified 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, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...
in 2008 and Jigme Dorje Palbar Bista () was stripped of his title. His
suzerain A suzerain (, from Old French "above" + "supreme, chief") is a person, state (polity)">state or polity who has supremacy and dominant influence over the foreign policy and economic relations of another subordinate party or polity, but allows i ...
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 Prithvi Narayan Shah (; 7 January 1723 – 11 January 1775), was the last king of the Gorkha Kingdom and first king of the Kingdom of Nepal (also called the ''Kingdom of Gorkha''). Prithvi Narayan Shah started the unification of Nepal. He is a ...
conquered Kathmandu in 1768. More prosaically, Lo Manthang became a village development committee in Mustang district of
Dhawalagiri zone Dhaulagiri ( ) was one of the fourteen zones which Nepal was divided into for administrative purposes, prior to the September 10, 2015 adoption of a new Constitution, which divided the nation instead into 7 provinces. It is in the Western Devel ...
. The
1991 census It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union collapsed, leaving fifteen sovereign republics and the CIS in its place. In July 1991, India abandoned its policies of dirigism, license r ...
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''


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 in cooperation with the 58 municipalities and the 3,915 Village Development Committees at a district level, they recorded data from all the m ...
, Lomanthang Rural Municipality had a population of 2,350. Of these, 87.5% spoke Lhopa, 7.0%
Gurung Gurung (exonym; ) or Tamu (endonym; Gurung language, Gurung: ) are a Tibetan people, Tibetan ethnic group living in the hills and mountains of Gandaki Province of Nepal. Gurungs speak Tamu kyi which is a Sino-Tibetan language derived from the ...
, 3.6% Nepali, 1.2% Magar and 0.7% other languages as their first language. In terms of ethnicity/caste, 87.6% were Lhopa, 7.1%
Gurung Gurung (exonym; ) or Tamu (endonym; Gurung language, Gurung: ) are a Tibetan people, Tibetan ethnic group living in the hills and mountains of Gandaki Province of Nepal. Gurungs speak Tamu kyi which is a Sino-Tibetan language derived from the ...
, 2.3%
Thakuri The Thakuri (Nepali: ठकुरी) . This term is Nepalese title ""Thakuri"", which translates to 'master of the estate'. The term denotes the royal descendants of kings of Baise Rajya and Chaubisi Rajya. During the height of their influence ...
, 1.5% Magar and 1.5% others. In terms of religion, 92.8% were
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
and 7.1%
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
. In terms of literacy, 40.1% could read and write, 2.1% could only read and 57.7% could neither read nor write.


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 and Chhonhup. The rural municipality came into existence on 10 March 2017, fulfilling the requirement of the new
Constitution of Nepal 2015 The Constitution of Nepal () is the present governing Constitution of Nepal. Nepal is governed according to the Constitution which came into effect on 20 September 2015, replacing the Interim Constitution of 2007. The constitution of Nepal is di ...
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 Border control comprises measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it als ...
into Zhongba County of
Shigatse Prefecture Shigatse, officially known as Xigazê () or Rikaze ( zh, s=日喀则, p=Rìkāzé), is a prefecture-level city of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Its area of jurisdiction, with an area of , corresponds to the histo ...
,
TAR Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...
. This road continues about from the border to
China National Highway 219 China National Highway 219 (G219; Chinese language, Chinese: ''Guódào219'') is a highway which runs along the entire western and southern border of the People's Republic of China, from Kom-Kanas Mongolian Ethnic Township, Kom-Kanas Mongolian et ...
, which follows the valley of the
Yarlung Tsangpo River The Yarlung Tsangpo, also called Yarlung Zangbo () and Yalu Zangbu River () is a river that flows through the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and Arunachal Pradesh of India. It is the longest river of Tibet and the fifth longest in China. The u ...
. 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 Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...
and
Pokhara Pokhara ( ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city located in central Nepal, which serves as the capital of Gandaki Province. Named the country's "capital of tourism" it is the List of cities in Nepal, second largest city after Kathmandu, with 599,5 ...
to Jomsom Airport, located south of Lo Manthang.


Tourism and access

The village is noted for its tall whitewashed mud-brick walls, ''
gompa A Gompa or Gönpa or Gumba ("Five Breathtaking Gumbas Around Kathmandu", ''OMG Nepal'', https://omgnepal.com/five-breathtaking-gumbas-around-kathmandu/ "remote place", Sanskrit ''araṇya''), also known as ling (, "island"), is a sacred Buddhist ...
s'' 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 The April 2015 Nepal earthquake (also known as the Gorkha earthquake) killed 8,962 people and injured 21,952 across the countries of Nepal, India, China and Bangladesh. It occurred at on Saturday 25 April 2015, with a magnitude of Moment magni ...
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 Upper Mustang, formerly known as Kingdom of Lo, is the upper part (northern areas) of the Mustang District in the Gandaki Province of Nepal. The ''Upper Mustang'' was a restricted kingdom until 1992 which makes it one of the most preserved regio ...
*
Mustang District Mustang District ( ) (from the Standard Tibetan, Tibetan ''möntang'' (), "fertile plain") is one of the eleven districts of Gandaki Province and one of List of districts of Nepal, seventy-seven districts of Nepal which was a Kingdom of Lo-Mant ...
* Mustang Caves * 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