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2025-11-19T19:00:38Z

Royal Family

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{{Short description|Northern area of Mustang District, Nepal}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = {{nowrap|Kingdom of Lo / Mustang}} {{nowrap|གློ་ཡུལ། གློ་སྨན་ཐང་། ([[Lhasa Tibetan|Tibetan]])}}
{{nowrap| मुस्ताङ राज्य ([[Nepali language|Nepali]]) }}
| common_name = Upper Mustang
| status = Independent sovereign state (1380–1964)<br>Dependency of Nepal (1964–2008)
| life_span = 1380–2008
| government_type = Monarchy
| event_start = Established
| year_start = 1380
| date_start =
| event_end = Abolished by the Federal government
| year_end = 2008
| date_end = 7 October
| p1 =
| s1 = Mustang District
| image_flag = Flag of Mustang.svg
| image_map = Upper & lower Mustang.png
| map_caption = Upper & lower Mustang with local level bodies
| official_languages = {{flatlist|{{unbulleted list |[[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]] and [[Nepali language|Nepali]]}}}}
| area_km2 = 2,020<ref name="RD1998">{{cite journal |last=Raffaele |first=Paul |title=Into the Forbidden Kingdom of Mustang |journal=Reader's Digest |date=April 1998 |volume=71 |series=421}}</ref>
| area_sq_mi = 700<ref name="RD1998" />
| population_estimate = 7,000<ref name="RD1998" />
| population_density_km2 = 3.47
| population_density_sq_mi = 10
| capital = [[Lo Manthang]]
| religion = {{unbulleted list|[[Hinduism]]|[[Tibetan Buddhism]]|[[Kiratism]]|[[Animism]]|[[Shamanism|Nepalese Shamanism]]}}
| title_leader = Raja/Gyelpo (King)
| leader1 = [[Ame Pal]]
| year_leader1 = 1380–1400s {{small|(first)}}
| leader2 = [[Jigme Dorje Palbar Bista]]
| year_leader2 = 1964–2008 {{small|(last)}}
| demonym =
| area_rank =
| GDP_PPP =
| GDP_PPP_year =
| HDI =
| HDI_year =
| today = [[Nepal]]
}}
[[File:LoManthang 1.JPG|thumb|Lo Manthang]]
'''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 regions in the world, with a majority of the population still speaking traditional [[Tibetic languages]].

The ''Upper Mustang'' comprises the northern two-thirds of the [[Mustang District]] of [[Gandaki Province]], [[Nepal]]. It consists of three rural municipalities namely [[Lomanthang Rural Municipality|Lo Manthang]], [[Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality|Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda]], and [[Varagung Muktichhetra Rural Municipality|Varagung Muktichhetra]].

The southern third (lower Mustang) of the district is called '''Thak''' and is the homeland of the [[Thakali people|Thakali]] community, who speak the [[Thakali language]] and whose culture combines Tibetan and [[Culture of Nepal|Nepalese]] elements.

[[Tibetan culture]] of the region has been preserved by the relative isolation of the region from the outside world. Life in Mustang revolves around tourism, [[animal husbandry]], and trade.

Mustang's status as a [[Monarchy|kingdom]] ended in 2008 when its [[Suzerainty|suzerain]] [[Kingdom of Nepal]] became a [[republic]]. The influence of the outside world, especially [[China]], is growing and contributing to rapid change in the lives of Mustang's people.<ref>[https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeracorrespondent/2011/10/201110912360944324.html Mustang: A Kingdom on the Edge][[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]] Correspondent {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612100150/https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeracorrespondent/2011/10/201110912360944324.html |date=2020-06-12 }}</ref> Development work has increased in recent years.

== History ==
[[File:King of Mustang (Nepal) in 17 August 2007, Jigme Palbar Bista (cropped).jpg|thumb|Raja [[Jigme Dorje Palbar Bista]].]]
[[File:Lo Manthang Royal Palace.JPG|thumb|[[Lo Manthang Palace]].]]
Mustang was once an independent kingdom, although closely tied by language and culture to Tibet. From the 15th to the 17th century, its strategic location granted Mustang control over the trade between the [[Himalayas]] and [[India]]. At the end of the 18th century, the kingdom was annexed by [[Kingdom of Nepal|Nepal]] and became a dependency of the [[Kingdom of Nepal]] in 1795.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://flagspot.net/flags/np-must.html | title=Principality of Mustang, Nepal }}</ref>

The Kingdom of Lo Manthang supported Tibet and the [[Qing Empire]] during the [[Sino-Nepalese War]].

Though still recognized by many Mustang residents, the [[monarchy]] ceased to exist on October 7, 2008, by order of the Government of Nepal.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090304064713/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-10/08/content_10167598.htm China View news]</ref> The last official and later unofficial king ([[raja]] or ''gyelpo'') was [[Jigme Dorje Palbar Bista]] (1930–2016),<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38357081| website=bbc.co.uk| title=Nepal remembers Bista, last king of Upper Mustang|access-date=December 18, 2016}}</ref> who traced his lineage directly back to [[Ame Pal]], the warrior who founded this [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] kingdom in 1380.<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020421/spectrum/travel.htm Wild, windy and harsh, yet stunningly beautiful]; [[The Sunday Tribune]]; April 21, 2002</ref> Ame Pal oversaw the founding and building of much of the Lo and Mustang capital of [[Lo Manthang]], a [[walled city]] that has changed little in appearance since that time period.<ref>{{cite book |last=Peissel |first=Michel |author-link=Michel Peissel |title=Mustang - A Lost Tibetan Kingdom |orig-year=1967 |edition=2nd |year=1992 |publisher=Pilgrims Book House|pages=227–31}}</ref>

In 2007, a shepherd in Mustang discovered a collection of 55 cave paintings depicting the life of [[the Buddha]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/international/story/0,,2072736,00.html Shepherd leads experts to ancient Buddha cave paintings]; [[Guardian Unlimited]]; May 4, 2007.</ref>

== Royal Family ==
King Jigme Dorje Palbar Bista was born in Lo-Manthang Palace in [[Upper Mustang]] in the Himalayan Range of [[Kingdom of Nepal|Nepal]]. He was the third son of King Angun Tenzing Trandul, King of Mustang, by his wife, Queen Kelsang Choeden of the Zhalu Kushang family of the Che clan. She was the elder sister of Ngawang Khyenrab Thupten Lekshe Gyatso, the 18th Chogye Trichen Rinpoche. The Zhalu Kushang family of the Che clan is a distinguished aristocratic lineage from the Tsang region of Tibet. Historically, they were lords of the Zhalu area during the Yuan dynasty (13th–14th centuries) and were known for their patronage of Buddhist monasteries, including Zhalu Monastery, Ngor Monastery, and Nalendra Monastery. Their name, "Kushang," meaning "royal maternal uncle," reflects their significant role in Tibetan nobility, particularly through intermarriages with Sakya throne holders.

Jigme Dorje ascended the throne after the death of his elder brother, Angdu Nyingpo. King Angdu Nyingpo had married a Tibetan aristocrat, and the couple had two daughters. With King Angdu Nyingpo leaving only two daughters his eldest, Lo Semla (Princess) Chimi Dolkar Palbar Bista, and a younger daughter whose name is unrecorded and no male heir, the throne passed to his younger brother, Jigme Dorje.

King Jigme Dorje married a noble lady from Shigatse, Tibet, Sahiba Sidol in the 1950s. They had one son, Angun Tenzin, who died at the age of 8, and later adopted his nephew, Jigme Singhe.

==Trans-Himalayan Marital Alliances==
The Mustang royal family has forged marriage alliances with prominent Tibetan aristocratic families and members of the Bhutanese royal family, reinforcing their longstanding regional ties over the centuries. Today, members of the royal family are dispersed across Upper Mustang, Kathmandu, San Francisco, Melbourne, and Tibet.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zhalu Kuzhang |url=https://treasuryoflives.org/institution/Zhalu-Kuzhang |website=Treasury of Lives |access-date=2025-08-14}}</ref>

== Climate ==
Upper Mustang has a [[Geography of Nepal#Altitudinal Belts|''trans-Himalayan climate'']] which is [[Semi-arid climate#Cold semi-arid climates|cool and semi-arid]] with [[Precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] in the range of {{cvt|250|-|400|mm|}}. It is in the [[rain shadow]] of the [[Annapurna]] and [[Dhaulagiri]] ranges.

The Day and Night Temperature in Upper Mustang according to the months is shown below:
{| class="wikitable"
!Month
!Day Temperature
!Night Temperature
|-
|December, January, February
|0 to 5 °C

32 to 41 °F
|<nowiki>-25 to -20°C</nowiki>

-13 to -4 °F
|-
|March, April, May, June
|16 to 22 °C

61 to 72 °F
|<nowiki>-6 to -2°C</nowiki>

21 to 28 °F
|-
|July, August, September
|20 to 33 °C

68 to 73 °F
|<nowiki>-3 to 0 °C</nowiki>

27 to 32 °F
|-
|October, November
|12 to 20 °C

54 to 68 °F
|<nowiki>-8 to -4 °C</nowiki>

18 to 25 °F
|}

== Demographics ==
The population of the whole [[Mustang District]] in 2001 was 14,981, spread between three towns and approximately thirty smaller settlements. The inhabitants are either [[Thakali people|Thakalis]], [[Gurung]] or, in traditional Mustang, primarily [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]].

Most of the population of Mustang lives near the [[Gandaki River|Kali Gandaki]] River, {{cvt|2800|to|3900|m|}} above sea level. The tough conditions cause a large winter migration into lower regions of Nepal. The administrative center of [[Mustang District]] is at [[Jomsom]] ({{convert|8|km|spell=in|}} south of Kagbeni) which has had an airport since 1962 and has become the main tourist entry point since Mustang was opened to western tourism in 1992.

== Geography ==
<gallery widths="220" heights="220">
Tangbe, Upper Mustang.jpg|[[Tangbe]] village from above
View on Gyakar (edited).jpg|Gyakar village across the gorge
Kali Gandaki riverbed in Nepal's Upper Mustang.jpg|Kali Gandaki riverbed in Nepal's Upper Mustang. View from Thsele down to the Kali Gandaki river and the fields of Chusang village, with Nilgiri's steep north face.
</gallery>
The main hydrographic feature of Mustang is the [[Gandaki River]]. The river runs southward towards Nepal [[Terai]], bisecting Mustang. Routes paralleling the river once served as a [[Tibet-Nepal salt trade route|major trade route]] between Tibet and [[India]], especially for [[salt]]. Part of the river valley in the southern [[Mustang District]] forms the [[Kali Gandaki Gorge]], by some measures the deepest gorge in the world.

Traditional Mustang (the Lo Kingdom) is {{cvt|53|km|||}} north–south at its longest, {{cvt|60|km|||}} east–west at its widest and ranges from a low point of {{cvt|2750|m|||}} above sea level on the Kali Gandaki River just north of [[Kagbeni, Mustang|Kagbeni]] to {{cvt|6700|m|||}} at Khamjung Himal, a peak in southeast Mustang.

== Transport ==
Upper Mustang is on an ancient trade route between Nepal and Tibet exploiting the lowest {{convert|4660|m|ft|-2|adj=on}} pass [[Kora La]] through the [[Himalaya]] west of [[Sikkim]]. Kora La currently serves as one of the active border crossings between China and Nepal.<ref>{{cite news |title=Beijing to reopen fourth border point with Nepal |url=https://kathmandupost.com/money/2023/11/12/beijing-to-reopen-fourth-border-point-with-nepal |access-date=7 February 2024 |publisher=Kathmandu Post |date=12 November 2023}}</ref>

Mechanized access inside Nepal began with the opening of an [[Jomsom Airport|airstrip]] at [[Jomsom]] at the approximate boundary between the southern ''Thak'' and northern ''Lo'' sections of the valley, which was in operation by the 1960s.

China eventually decided to revitalize trade and in 2001 completed a {{convert|20|km|mi|0|adj=on}} road from the [[Geography of Nepal#Border crossings with Tibet Autonomous Region, China|international border]] to Lo Manthang.<ref>
{{cite news |author= |title=New highway divides isolated Buddhist kingdom of Mustang|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2007/05/19/2003361588/1 |newspaper=Taipei Times
|location=Taipei, Taiwan|agency=AFP |date=May 19, 2007 |access-date=Dec 14, 2013}}</ref> Across the [[Tibet Autonomous Region|TAR]] border is [[Zhongba County]] of [[Shigatse Prefecture]]. [[China National Highway 219]] follows the valley of the [[Yarlung Tsangpo River]] some {{convert|50|km|mi|0}} north of the border.

Meanwhile, road-building from the south was inhibited by difficulties along the [[Kali Gandaki Gorge]] to the south, but proceeded incrementally. In 2010, a {{convert|9|km|mi|0|adj=on|spell=in}} gap remained but the road was completed before 2015 and is suitable for high clearance and [[four wheel drive]] vehicles.

Currently, the easiest and only widely used road corridor, from [[Kathmandu]] to [[Lhasa]]—named [[Arniko Rajmarg|Arniko Highway]] in Nepal and [[China National Highway 318]] in the TAR—traverses a {{convert|5125|m|ft|-1|adj=on}} pass. This is some {{convert|465|m|ft|-1}} higher than Kora La.

== Tourism ==
[[File:Rigsum Gönpo and prayer flags at the entrance of Samar (15842094652).jpg|thumb|Rigsum Gönpo and Buddhist [[prayer flag]]s at the entrance of Samar]]
Foreign visitors have been allowed to the region since 1992, but tourism to Upper Mustang is regulated. Foreigners need to obtain a special permit to enter, costing $500 for ten days, followed by $50 per day.
<ref name="horizonguides.com">{{Cite web |title=The Best Upper Mustang Treks: An Expert Guide - Horizon Guides |url=https://horizonguides.com/guides/nepal-trekking/treks-in-the-upper-mustang-region |access-date=2024-01-22 |website=horizonguides.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Tiji Festival |url=https://uppermustang.com/upper-mustang-tiji-festival-tour |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=www.mustangtrekkinginnepal.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Most tourists visit for the region's trekking trails, which largely follow the same trade route used in the 15th century, although road construction is beginning to impact the areas trekking routes.<ref name="horizonguides.com"/> Over a thousand [[Western world|western]] trekkers now visit each year, with over 7,000 between (mid-July 2018 to mid-July 2019). August and October are the peak visiting months. On August 27, 2010, local youth leaders in Mustang threatened to bar tourists beginning October 1, 2010 due to the refusal of the Nepalese government to provide any of the $50 per day fee to the local economy. Visitation, however, continued uninterrupted beyond that date.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110119081642/http://www.voanews.com/tibetan-english/news/world/Mustang-to-Bar-Tourists-to-Protest--101657173.html Mustang to Bar Tourists]</ref>

Mustang is rich in Buddhist culture, similar to the area of the [[Tibet Autonomous Region]] of the [[People's Republic of China]]. It is an alternate way to experience the Tibetan culture and landscape to the tours provided by the Chinese government. The Tiji festival in Lo-Manthang is another popular destination for tourists in the area seeking to experience the native culture.

The first westerner in Mustang was [[Toni Hagen]], Swiss explorer and geologist, who visited the Kingdom in 1952 during one of his travels across the Himalayas. French [[Michel Peissel]] is considered the first westerner to stay in Lo Manthang, during the first authorised exploration of Mustang in 1964.<ref>[[Peissel, Michel]] [1967]. ''Mustang, a Lost Tibetan Kingdom'', Books Faith, 2002</ref>

==See also==
*[[Jomsom Airport]]
*[[Mustang Caves]]
*[[Sonam Lhundrup]]
*[[Tangbe]]
*[[Lo Manthang Palace]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* [[Michel Peissel]] (1967). ''Mustang – A lost Tibetan Kingdom''. Dutton, New York.
* Clara Marullo (1995). ''The Last Forbidden Kingdom, Mustang: Land of Tibetan Buddhism''. Photographs by Vanessa Schuurbeque. Charles E. Tuttle Co., Ltd., Rutland, Vermont. {{ISBN|0-8048-3061-4}}.
* [[Peter Matthiessen]] (1996). ''East of Lo Monthang – In the Land of Mustang''. Photography by Thomas Laird. Shambhala Publications, Berkeley, Cal.

==Documentaries==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130225174800/http://documentaryhive.com/lost-treasures-of-tibet/ Lost Treasures of Tibet], 2003–2–18.
* ''The Last Lost Kingdom'', a Feature Documentary by Larry Levene.

==External links==
* {{Commons-inline|Mustang Kingdom}}

{{Coord|29|05|N|83|55|E|region:NP_source:dewiki|display=title}}

[[Category:Former monarchies of Asia]]
[[Category:Former monarchies of Nepal]]
[[Category:Tibetan Buddhist places]]
[[Category:Unification of Nepal]]
[[Category:Hill stations in Nepal]]
[[Category:1380 establishments in Asia]]
[[Category:2008 disestablishments in Nepal]]

Upper Mustang - Revision history

imported>Druk Trekker: /* Royal Family */