Tibetans in Nepal; Description of and Travel in Nepal; Mustang, Nepal District; Ramble, Charles
摘要
The writer describes the Tibetan-speaking Mustang region of Nepal. Mustang's northern area, Lo，is situated in the Kali Gandaki Valley，which has long been one of the most important trade routes between the Tibetan plateau and the lowlands of Nepal and India. However，the Mustang economy is predominantly agricultural，and the landscape plays a large part in religious belief of the area, where the sanctity of nature is sometimes given a Buddhist slant. Additionally，the pagan cults that were mostly suppressed in Tibet by Lamaist Buddhism are still in existence here：The priests--Ihabons or ayas--are responsible for maintaining good relations with the local gods, and this is done through the setting up of altars bearing abstract objects that represent the mountain gods, or，occasionally，through animal sacrifice. The region is now，cautiously，becoming open to tourists.
