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
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 ...
of
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 ...
.
Several groups of archaeologists and researchers have explored these stacked caves and found partially
mummified
A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay furthe ...
human bodies and skeletons that are at least 2,000–3,000 years old.
Explorations of these caves by conservators and archaeologists have also led to the discovery of valuable
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, sculptures, manuscripts and numerous artifacts belonging to the 12th to 14th century.
The caves lie on the steep valley walls near the
Kali Gandaki River in
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 ...
. Research groups have continued to investigate these caves, but no one has yet understood who built the caves and why they were built. The site has been listed as a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
tentative site since 1996.
History
Mustang was formerly the Kingdom of Lo in northern
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 ...
, with its capital at
Lo Manthang
Lomanthang () 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 to the north and Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda rural municip ...
. At the end of the 18th century, the kingdom was annexed by Nepal. Upper Mustang was a restricted demilitarized area until 1992, which makes it one of the most preserved regions in the world due to its relative isolation from the outside world, with a majority of the population still speaking traditional
Tibetic languages
The Tibetic languages form a well-defined group of languages descending from Old Tibetan.Tournadre, Nicolas. 2014. "The Tibetic languages and their classification." In ''Trans-Himalayan linguistics, historical and descriptive linguistics of the ...
.
The
monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, reigns as head of state for the rest of their life, or until abdication. The extent of the authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutio ...
in Mustang ceased to exist on October 7, 2008, by order of the
Government of Nepal
The Government of Nepal () is the central executive authority of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. The government is led by the Prime Minister of Nepal, prime minister (K. P. Sharma Oli, K.P. Oli since 15 July 2024) who selects all the o ...
, after Nepal became a federal democratic republic.
Mustang human remains
In the mid-1990s, archaeologists from Nepal and the
University of Cologne
The University of Cologne () is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in 1388. It closed in 1798 before being re-established in 1919. It is now one of the largest universities in Germany with around 45,187 students. The Universit ...
began exploring the stacked caves and found several dozen partially
mummified
A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay furthe ...
human bodies, all at least 2,000 years old.
In 2010, a team of mountaineers and archaeologists uncovered 27 human remains in two biggest caves near Samdzong. The relatively intact skeletons – dating from the 3rd to the 8th centuries, before
Buddhism
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 ...
came to Mustang – had cut marks on the bones. Scientists believe that this burial ritual may have been related to the
Bon
Bon or Bön (), also known as Yungdrung Bon (, ), is the indigenous Tibetan religion which shares many similarities and influences with Tibetan Buddhism.Samuel 2012, pp. 220–221. It initially developed in the tenth and eleventh centuries but ...
-
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 ...
practice of
sky burial
Sky burial (, "bird-scattered") is a funeral practice in which a human corpse is placed on a mountaintop to decompose while exposed to the mahābhūta, elements or to be eaten by Scavenger, scavenging animals, especially vultures, bears and j ...
. To this day, when a citizen of Mustang dies, the body is sliced into small pieces, bones included, to be swiftly snatched up by
vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...
s. The Mustang Eco Museum, about a 15-minute walk from Mustang's
Jomsom
Jomsom (), (Ward No. 4 of Gharpajhong Rural Municipality) also known as Dzongsam (New Fort), is the centre of Gharapjhong rural municipality in Mustang district and a former independent village development committee situated at an altitude of ...
airport, displays a collection of beads, bones and pendants found at the caves.
Religious artifacts
In 2007, explorers from the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
and Nepal discovered 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 ...
decorative art and paintings, manuscripts and pottery in the Mustang caves near
Lo Manthang
Lomanthang () 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 to the north and Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda rural municip ...
, dating back to the 13th century.
A second expedition in 2008 discovered several 600-year-old human skeletons and recovered reams of precious manuscripts, some with small paintings known as illuminations, which contain a mix of writings from
Buddhism
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
Bon
Bon or Bön (), also known as Yungdrung Bon (, ), is the indigenous Tibetan religion which shares many similarities and influences with Tibetan Buddhism.Samuel 2012, pp. 220–221. It initially developed in the tenth and eleventh centuries but ...
.
Usage
Scientists divide cave use in Upper Mustang into three periods. As early as 1,000 BC, the caves were used as burial chambers. During the 10th century, the region is thought to have been frequently battled over, and consequently, placing safety over convenience, families moved into the caves, turning them into living quarters. By the 1400s, the caves functioned as meditation chambers.
References
{{reflist
External links
Photos of Mustang Caves by National GeographicCave People of the Himalaya – National Geographic DocumentarySky Caves of Nepal – Nat GeoLost Caves of Mustang – Ancient TibetNew Death Ritual Found by National Geographic
Caves of Nepal
Buildings and structures in Mustang District