Mustang is a Buddhist kingdom that formerly was a part of the Tibetan empire. Another name for the Mustang is the Lo Kingdom. Here the Tibetan culture has been preserved unchanged, the landscapes also more resemble Tibet than other parts of Nepal.
The route goes along the ancient caravan route, along which salt was transported from Tibet in order to exchange it for grain in Nepal. The legend also says that it was along this path that Guru Padmasavhava came to Tibet, defeating many demons along the way.
There are a large number of well-preserved ancient monasteries in Mustang, one of which, according to legend, was built by Padmasavhava himself. The capital of the kingdom, Lo Mantang, is also very interesting. Here is the royal palace, and there is also a school of traditional Tibetan medicine.
Not far from Lo Mantang there are several cave monasteries and cave villages. In some caves people still live. In the valley runs the sacred river Kali Gandaki, where it's possible to find the fossils that the river drags from Tibet.
According to archaeologists, people have lived in the Mustang Valley since prehistoric times. Artifacts that are more than 5000 years old have been found in a number of caves. Culture and traditions have changed a lot over time, as well as lifestyle of local people.
It almost never rains here, which also contributes to the preservation of ancient Tibetan religious buildings.
From Upper Mustang I plan to go to Muktinat. This is another sacred place for Buddhists and Hindus. There is a temple complex dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu. But on its territory there is also a Buddhist temple, which is sometimes called the temple of the "four elements": here natural gas comes out of an underground source of water and burns between stones inside the altar.
I plan to complete this section of the trek by August 20th.
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