Nepal: Mustang - Kingdom of Lo - Himalaya zone - Best-preserved example of traditional Tibetan life in the world - The Boston Globe - The Big Picture
Posted by Ricardo Marcenaro | Posted in Nepal: Mustang - Kingdom of Lo - Himalaya zone - Best-preserved example of traditional Tibetan life in the world - The Boston Globe - The Big Picture | Posted on 19:04
Mustang: Nepal's former Kingdom of Lo
Photographer Taylor
Weidman was given special permission by the government of Nepal to
travel in the restricted area of Mustang. He writes, "Mustang, or the
former Kingdom of Lo, is hidden in the rain shadow of the Himalaya in
one of the most remote corners of Nepal. Hemmed in by the world's
highest mountain range to the south and an occupied and shuttered Tibet
to the north, this tiny Tibetan kingdom has remained virtually unchanged
since the 15th century. Today, Mustang is arguably the best-preserved
example of traditional Tibetan life in the world. But it is poised for
change. A new highway will connect the region to Kathmandu and China
for the first time, ushering in a new age of modernity and altering
Mustang's desert-mountain villages forever." Collected here is a
selection of Weidman's work from his book "Mustang: Lives and Landscapes
of the Lost Tibetan Kingdom," proceeds from which support Weidman's Vanishing Cultures Project. -- Lane Turner (22 photos total)
A
group of Loba men gather in the fields outside of Lo Manthang during
the planting season. (Taylor Weidman/The Vanishing Cultures Project)
The
winter monastery keeper stands for a portrait in the main hall of the
monastery in Tetang. (Taylor Weidman/The Vanishing Cultures Project)
Tashi
Dolkar Gurung, a Loba woman, removes gravel from rice near the light of
a window in her earthen home in Lo Manthang. (Taylor Weidman/The
Vanishing Cultures Project)
A
young man rides his horse down the Kali Gandaki River valley. The
valley is the main conduit into and out of the region, and historically
was an important section of the Salt Route connecting Tibet and India.
(Taylor Weidman/The Vanishing Cultures Project)
The
King's old palace in Tsarang, viewed from the town's monastery. The
palace has not been used in recent years and has begun to fall into
disrepair. (Taylor Weidman/The Vanishing Cultures Project)
Dhakmar villagers return to the town after a day of working in the fields. (Taylor Weidman/The Vanishing Cultures Project)
The
Tiji Festival, which occurs yearly in the main square of Lo Manthang,
features dancers dressed elaborately as animals, demons, and divinities.
(Taylor Weidman/The Vanishing Cultures Project)
During
the three-day spectacle of the Tiji Festival, monks dress as different
animals, demons and divinities to enact an epic fight between good and
evil. In the town square of Lo Manthang, a monk dressed as a skeleton
performs an ancient dance accompanied by ceremonial Tibetan Buddhist
music. (Taylor Weidman/The Vanishing Cultures Project)
At
the end of the Tiji festival, members of the king's court gather with
their muskets as they prepare to help chase the demon from the city by
shooting volley after volley. (Taylor Weidman/The Vanishing Cultures
Project)
The
former king of Lo, Jigme Palbar Bista, still plays an important part
during the Tiji Festival. Here he sits with his royal court in the town
square to watch the monks perform. (Taylor Weidman/The Vanishing
Cultures Project)
A
group of senior monks gather for a ceremony on a field outside of Lo
Manthang. (Taylor Weidman/The Vanishing Cultures Project)
An elderly Loba man dresses in his finest for the annual Tiji festival. (Taylor Weidman/The Vanishing Cultures Project)
Elderly
women sit in Lo Manthang to spin prayer wheels and pray together. This
is a daily communal ritual for most retired Loba. (Taylor Weidman/The
Vanishing Cultures Project)
Loba
farmers gather outside of Lo Manthang before a prayer ceremony. It is
increasingly common for locals to be seen in western clothing, due to
the new road which is nearly completed. (Taylor Weidman/The Vanishing
Cultures Project)
A
Loba woman walks kora (clockwise circumambulations) around the city
walls of Lo Manthang. (Taylor Weidman/The Vanishing Cultures Project)
Villagers
of Phuwa load bags of fertilizer onto horses to be taken to the fields.
(Taylor Weidman/The Vanishing Cultures Project)
In
a staging area inside of the king's palace, a group of monks helps
prepare dancers for an upcoming ceremony during the Tiji festival.
(Taylor Weidman/The Vanishing Cultures Project)
Loba
women wear traditional headdresses called perak for special occasions
such as weddings and festivals. (Taylor Weidman/The Vanishing Cultures
Project)
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