Welcome to Muktinath
Mustang district is a tourist dreamland. Mustang is situated between the Dhaulagiri and Nilgiri mountains and covers an area of 3,573 square kilometers. It has five rural municipalities: Gharapjhong Rural Municipality, Thasang Rural Municipality, Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality, Lomanthang Rural Municipality, and Varagung Muktichhetra Rural Municipality.
Up until 1991, the Upper Mustang was prohibited for foreigners. It was partially opened for tourists in 1992. Foreign tourists have to pay 500 dollars for ten days to visit Upper Mustang, and after that, it costs an additional fifty dollars per day.
Mustang is an important destination for studying Himalayan life, Thakali, and Bhote culture. It also has important pilgrimage sites for Hindus and Buddhists. The upper terrain has a strange landscape. Because of its cold climate, it is also called a cold desert.
Foreign tourists have called Mustang a heaven on earth. It is a must-visit destination in one’s lifetime. It is not enough to go around once; one will want to go around again and again, each time gaining new knowledge and experience.
Many Nepali and Indian pilgrims want to visit Mansarovar, which is just a six-hour trip from the Korala border. The road network to Mustang is also improving. If we open this route to Mansarovar, this will benefit Mustang as a whole.
When going on a trip to mustang, the visitor should carry a warm jacket, cap covering the entire face, trousers, trekking shoes, warm clothes, camera, diary, pen, handkerchief, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, sun cream, sun hat, walking stick, water bottle, thermos, and other necessary things. Trekkers should always drink lukewarm water when traveling to cold places.
Muktinath
Muktinath is a common shrine for Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims. They interpret the same shila, or stone idol, in the temple in their own way. Hindus consider the main idol Lord Vishnu. The idols on his right and left are worshiped as Lakshmi and Saraswati.
Buddhist pilgrims worship the same idol as Luwang Gyalbo, meaning serpent king. The idols on the right and left of Luwang are serpent queens. Next to the main idol are statues of Buddha and Garuda.
A Hindu priest performs puja in the temple, while Jhuma (Aani) in the Buddhist tradition performs prayer rituals. Both followers have a common faith that one is liberated from all sinsby worshipping Muktinath.
According to Hindu beliefs, one can wash away all the sins by worshipping Muktinath and bathing in the 108 streams and ponds on its premises. The water in that pond is considered sacred.
According to Hindu myths, Lord Brahma performed a yajna in Muktinath to attain salvation, and from that, he gained the power to create. During the yajna, Shiva came in the form of fire, Vishnu in the form of water, and Brahma in the form of hota (the officiating Brahaman during yajna). Hari Prasad Gyawali mentioned this myth in his book Devbhoomi Nepalka Chardham (Four pilgrimages of Nepal, the land of gods).
It is believed that 108 streams were made from the pond’s water there. Buddhists have a slightly different opinion. According to their version, eighty Buddhist lamas from India visited Mount Kailash. On their return, they brought holy water from Kailash and stored it in Muktinath. And they made those 108 streams from that sacred water.
Narasimha Monastery is near Muktinath Temple, which houses a statue of Guru Padmasambhava. Padmasambhava was a tantric guru who spread Buddhism in the Himalayan region. He entered Tibet from India via Nepal and meditated at Muktinath during his journey.
Other monasteries are downhill from the Narasimha Monastery. Courses on Buddhist nunnery (Ani) are taught at the Tharpa Choeling Monastery here. A thirty-foot-tall Buddha statue has been built near the Muktinath temple. The residents of Purang have made a twenty-foot-tall bronze idol of Guru Padmasambhava on the top of Ranipauwa.
Muktinath region is very suitable for meditation and yoga. Ascetics have been practiced here since ancient times.
Apart from pilgrims coming to Muktinath, trekkers passing through the Annapurna Circuit also stay at Ranipauwa, the Base Camp for Muktinath. There are hotels, lodges, resorts, and restaurants in Ranipauwa. Chhiring Daba Gurung opened the first hotel in Ranipauwa in 2036. Now, there are three dozen hotels and restaurants here.
How to reach Muktinath?
One can reach Pokhara from Kathmandu (200 km) in seven hours by bus or car or in twenty-five minutes through air travel. Then it is 82 km to Benibazar from Pokhara, which takes around two hours by car. Beni to Jomsom is a 75 km stretch and approximately takes four hours by car. Alternatively, one can fly to Jomsom from Pokhara, just around 16-minute flights. After that, Jomsom to Muktinath is 22 km, which takes an hour by jeep.
Likewise Jomsom to Lomanthang is 86 km and takes four hours by jeep. Lomanthang to Korala border is 21 km, which takes an hour by jeep.
Destinations
Thorong pass
The Annapurna Circuit Trek connects the Manang and Mustang districts. Its highest point is Thorong Pass (5,416 meters). The trek to the Pass, located at the foot of Thorong Peak, is adventurous. Most tourists descend to Muktinath via Manang, crossing Thorong Pass. Some trekkers also cross the Pass from the Muktinath side.
The foot of Thorong on the Muktinath side is called the ‘Chamber Book’ (4,200 meters). There are a few hotels here. One can reach the Chamber Book from Ranipauwa bazar, the basecamp of Muktinath, by a three-hour trek. Those who stay at Chamber Book overnight can travel to Thorang Pass in the morning and then return to Muktinath.
Kagbeni
Kagbeni is a common pilgrimage site for both Hindus and Buddhists. It is located on the banks of the Muktinath River and the Kaligandaki. Among Hindus, Kagbeni is a sacred place for shraddha rituals. It is believed that performing rites for the deceased ancestors at Kagbeni and visiting Muktinath grants salvation to the dead ancestors and secures them a place in heaven. Therefore, it is customary to perform shraddha rituals in Kagbeni before visiting Muktinath.
Kagbeni is also a holy place in Buddhist tradition. It houses monasteries, chaitya, and mane. One can meditate in the monastery area. The residents of Kagbeni follow Buddhism. Mane and lungdar (prayer flags inscribed with Buddhist mantras) flutter in the courtyards of their homes.
From Kagbeni, one can enjoy panoramic views of Nilgiri Himal, Tilicho Peak, Yak Kawa, and Thorong Peak.
There are hotels, lodges, and restaurants with tourist facilities in Kagbeni. Muktinath Temple is about 11 kilometers from Kagbeni.
Jomsom
Jomsom Bazaar is the headquarters of the Mustang district. The settlement lies in the shadow of the snow-bitten bare hills and the Nilgiri Mountain. Kaligandaki River flows by the side of the town. Jomsom has a basic development infrastructure, including government offices, a bus park, an airport, a hospital, a police station, and army barracks. There are regular flights from Pokhara. The town also has hotels, restaurants, and souvenir shops. There is a community museum near the bazaar. Muktinath Temple is 21 kilometers from Jomsom.
Damodarkunda
A revered pilgrimage site for Hindus and Buddhists, Damodarkunda (4,800 meters) is located in Loghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality Ward Number 4, Mustang. It is also the source of the Kaligandaki River.
There are five ponds here, and bathing in them is believed to fulfill the wishes. Kush, a sacred plant used in Hindu rituals, grows around the ponds.
Monsoon season is ideal for visiting Damodarkunda. During other seasons, it often snows. Therefore, the best time to visit this place is between April and October. The area is crowded during Hindu festivals Janai Purnima and Chaite Dashain.
For the Damodarkunda pilgrimage, one can travel by jeep through Charang in Upper Mustang to Yara Ghara. From there, it is a six-hour trek to Gyuma Thandi, where one can stay overnight. The next day, one can reach Damodarkunda by a seven-hour trek.
