Lo Manthang

Photo by flickr user Joe Hastings

To step through the gateway of the fabled walled city of Lo Manthang is like stepping into Tibet 5 centuries ago, with its Royal Palace, aristocrats on splendid horses, and its culture and customs. Although the modern world is rapidly catching up with this remote kingdom, much of its traditional way of life still remains. The Deje festival still takes place each year, and celebrates a kind of spiritual spring-cleaning as well as the historical re-enacment of Buddhism arriving in Tibet. The city is surrounded by a rocky desert of wind-eroded red-gold cliffs and pinnacles, a testament to the ingenuity of the Lo-ba, as the inhabitants call themselves, as they were able to develop a prosperous community in the midst of this barren desert, mainly through their trade. It is possible to walk from Pokhara to Lo Manthang, but quicker to take a flight to Jomsom and walk from there.

Written by  Elaine Brook.

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