peakende
5th January 2007, 07:17 AM
The Mustang region of Nepal is often referred to as 'The Forbidden Kingdom of Nepal'.
This stark and barren area of the middle Himalayas holds the last remnants of true Tibetan lifestyle untainted by foreign occupation. Whilst being annexed to Nepal, Mustang enjoys it's own autonomy and the residents live much the same as they have for centuries. To avoid this unique Kingdom being overrun by tourism the region has been gazetted as a restricted area with only small numbers of tourists given access every year.
Adventure Consultants have been privileged with the approval of permission to enter Mustang, and will travel with a small group through to Lo Monthang, the hub of this tiny Kingdom. These permits come at a price but in a world of ever decreasing natural habitats, we are possibly experiencing history which will be lost to future generations.
About the Tiji Festaival in Mustang
In the midst of a festival in which over a thousand men, women and children were taking part. The women looked superb in hand woven sleeveless Chubas (a bath-robe style dress made of thick wool) over bright, loose silk blouses. Around their waste bands were tucked two aprons, a short one that hung down in front, the other caught in the belt and hanging down behind to the ground. These were gaily striped in bright, narrow bands of blue, red, green and yellow. Many women were literally smothered with ornaments of silver and precious stones…necklaces of bright orange corralline stones alternating with turquoises…ivory-white bracelets made of truncated conch shell (and)..head-dresses…studded with turquoises along the central parting of their hair and fell down their backs.
The Tiji festival is a three-day ritual known as "The chasing of the Demons" that centers on the Tiji myth. The myth tells of a deity named Dorje Jono who must battle against his demon father to save the Kingdom of Mustang from destruction. The demon father wreaked havoc on Mustang by bringing a shortage of water (a highly precious resource in this very dry land) and causing many resulting disasters from famine to animal loss. Dorje Jono eventually beats the demon and banishes him from the land. Tiji is a celebration and reaffirmation of this myth and throughout the festival the various scenes of the myth will be enacted. It is of course timed to coincide with the end of the dry winter/spring season and will usher in the wetter monsoon season (the growing season for Mustang). Tiji comes from the word "ten che" meaing ‘the hope of Buddha Dharma prevailing in all worlds’ and is effectively a spring renewal festival.
We are supported on this journey by our special Sherpa friends of many years. With their world-wise approach and multi-lingual skills they will help us interpret the landscape and the people in addition to providing scrumptious meals and establishing our camps each night.
Our trip will initiate in Kathmandu, the colourful capital of Nepal. On the next day we fly to the picturesque town of Pokhara. After an evening discovering the pleasures of Pokhara we fly to the high village of Jomsom beneath the 8000m massifs of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. From here we trek to the edge of the Forbidden Kingdom after a visit to Muktinath, a monastery sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike.
We leave the tourist route here and trek or ride on horseback through lower Mustang where spectacularly fluted cliffs of red hues overlook the Kali Gandaki River. The Kali Gandarki flows from the high plains of Tibet through Mustang into Nepal before flowing into India.
The upper Mustang is dominated by an endless expanse of yellow and grey rolling hills made smooth by the wind. We traverse this lonely landscape on horseback via several passes (the highest being the Nyi La at 3990m), camping in villages nestled in their green irrigated oasis until we reach the spectacular walled town of Lo-Monthang. Visually, this is an extraordinary place and home of the Mustang Raja (King) as well as some beautiful temples and monasteries. The people of Upper Mustang are always curious about new arrivals and we can expect children, with scary wind blown hair and apple red cheeks, will gather to confront the spectacle of foreign visitors. The abrasive lifestyle required to survive is easily evident here.
After taking time to explore the area and interact with its small population we return to Jomsom and fly again to Pokhara and Kathmandu.
Overall, Mustang involves a wilderness of huge proportions and offers a truly exceptional experience. Next coming Festival is on may 6th 2007 and we have planed to attend this festival again and if any one of you wish to be there then feel free to mail in (peakende@wlink.com.np) attn Norbu Lama or visit www.trektohimalayas.com (http://www.trektohimalayas.com)for further information
This stark and barren area of the middle Himalayas holds the last remnants of true Tibetan lifestyle untainted by foreign occupation. Whilst being annexed to Nepal, Mustang enjoys it's own autonomy and the residents live much the same as they have for centuries. To avoid this unique Kingdom being overrun by tourism the region has been gazetted as a restricted area with only small numbers of tourists given access every year.
Adventure Consultants have been privileged with the approval of permission to enter Mustang, and will travel with a small group through to Lo Monthang, the hub of this tiny Kingdom. These permits come at a price but in a world of ever decreasing natural habitats, we are possibly experiencing history which will be lost to future generations.
About the Tiji Festaival in Mustang
In the midst of a festival in which over a thousand men, women and children were taking part. The women looked superb in hand woven sleeveless Chubas (a bath-robe style dress made of thick wool) over bright, loose silk blouses. Around their waste bands were tucked two aprons, a short one that hung down in front, the other caught in the belt and hanging down behind to the ground. These were gaily striped in bright, narrow bands of blue, red, green and yellow. Many women were literally smothered with ornaments of silver and precious stones…necklaces of bright orange corralline stones alternating with turquoises…ivory-white bracelets made of truncated conch shell (and)..head-dresses…studded with turquoises along the central parting of their hair and fell down their backs.
The Tiji festival is a three-day ritual known as "The chasing of the Demons" that centers on the Tiji myth. The myth tells of a deity named Dorje Jono who must battle against his demon father to save the Kingdom of Mustang from destruction. The demon father wreaked havoc on Mustang by bringing a shortage of water (a highly precious resource in this very dry land) and causing many resulting disasters from famine to animal loss. Dorje Jono eventually beats the demon and banishes him from the land. Tiji is a celebration and reaffirmation of this myth and throughout the festival the various scenes of the myth will be enacted. It is of course timed to coincide with the end of the dry winter/spring season and will usher in the wetter monsoon season (the growing season for Mustang). Tiji comes from the word "ten che" meaing ‘the hope of Buddha Dharma prevailing in all worlds’ and is effectively a spring renewal festival.
We are supported on this journey by our special Sherpa friends of many years. With their world-wise approach and multi-lingual skills they will help us interpret the landscape and the people in addition to providing scrumptious meals and establishing our camps each night.
Our trip will initiate in Kathmandu, the colourful capital of Nepal. On the next day we fly to the picturesque town of Pokhara. After an evening discovering the pleasures of Pokhara we fly to the high village of Jomsom beneath the 8000m massifs of Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. From here we trek to the edge of the Forbidden Kingdom after a visit to Muktinath, a monastery sacred to Hindus and Buddhists alike.
We leave the tourist route here and trek or ride on horseback through lower Mustang where spectacularly fluted cliffs of red hues overlook the Kali Gandaki River. The Kali Gandarki flows from the high plains of Tibet through Mustang into Nepal before flowing into India.
The upper Mustang is dominated by an endless expanse of yellow and grey rolling hills made smooth by the wind. We traverse this lonely landscape on horseback via several passes (the highest being the Nyi La at 3990m), camping in villages nestled in their green irrigated oasis until we reach the spectacular walled town of Lo-Monthang. Visually, this is an extraordinary place and home of the Mustang Raja (King) as well as some beautiful temples and monasteries. The people of Upper Mustang are always curious about new arrivals and we can expect children, with scary wind blown hair and apple red cheeks, will gather to confront the spectacle of foreign visitors. The abrasive lifestyle required to survive is easily evident here.
After taking time to explore the area and interact with its small population we return to Jomsom and fly again to Pokhara and Kathmandu.
Overall, Mustang involves a wilderness of huge proportions and offers a truly exceptional experience. Next coming Festival is on may 6th 2007 and we have planed to attend this festival again and if any one of you wish to be there then feel free to mail in (peakende@wlink.com.np) attn Norbu Lama or visit www.trektohimalayas.com (http://www.trektohimalayas.com)for further information