By Amrit Prasad Poudel
Myagdi, Jan. 4: Residents of Upper Mustang are ecstatic over resumption of hotel business and temples, which had remained closed since April last year.
In the preceding years, people often migrated to the lower regions during the winter season to escape the extreme cold of Upper Mustang. However, this year, most of them are living in their own areas, and are happy to see Mustang open to national and international tourists.
Recently, with the growing popularity of Mustang among domestic tourists, there has been a steady increase of Nepalis visiting the Trans-Himalayan district over the years.
State MP Indra Dhara Bista said the businessmen of Upper Mustang were excited after the decision of the Hotel Entrepreneurs Association to open hotels and temple management committee to open Kagbeni and Muktinath temples. She said that even though a small number of people have left the village to lowland this year, the people living in their own villages are eager to welcome domestic and foreign tourists.
Over the past few years, with the increase in the number of tourists visiting the country, the legendary Mustang caves have become the main choice of domestic and foreign tourists visiting the place.
The caves such as Chhoser and Chhonhup, considered as one of the most important anthropological sites to study human civilisation and a prominent tourist attraction, have been deserted without tourists since the pandemic.
The Zhong Cave in Chhoser under the Lomanthang Municipality of Upper Mustang is an excellent destination for tourists. MP Bista said that there are 108 rooms inside the cave.
It is said that the ancient locals built the cave using home-made materials with great effort to escape the Chinese and Tibetan invasions at that time. They hid inside the cave to avoid being attacked by Chinese and Tibetans.
According to Yutin Gurung, a guard (employee) of the cave, the cave was built to avoid the attack of Chinese and Tibetan citizens. At the time, Tibetans were waiting in caves to attack and stop the locals from drinking water.
According to Gurung, there is a myth that the Chinese and Tibetans saw a woman bathing (in oil) inside the cave. After seeing that, Chinese and Tibetans returned without attacking the locals thinking they had sufficient water not only to drink but to bathe.
It shouldn’t come as a shock that the mountainous district of Mustang has become a number one destination of choice for intrepid travellers. The caves and monasteries that dot the entire barren landscapes have their own unique appeal. Apart from the pristine nature, the Korala Naka bordering with China holds a special place among history buffs interested in ancient trade routes.
Under normal circumstances, hundreds of tourists used to visit the cave daily. But with the COVID-19, locals are taking necessary measures for crowd control while also carrying out maintenance in and around the cave.