The Mysterious Caves of Mustang, Nepal

The Kingdom of Mustang, bordering the Tibetan plateau, is one of the most remote and isolated region of Nepalese Himalaya. Once an independent Buddhist kingdom, Mustang was annexed by Nepal at the end of the 18th century, but retained its status as a separate

principality until the 1950's when the area was more closely consolidated into Nepal. Because of its sensitive border location, Mustang was off-limits to foreigners until 1992. The relative isolation of the region from the outside world has helped Mustang preserve its ancient culture which is more closely tied to Tibet than to Nepal.

The landscape is also unlike anything that is to be found anywhere else in Nepal deep gorges carved by the Kali Gandaki River, and strangely sculptured rock formations. The cliffs’ face are pitted

with an estimated 10,000 ancient cave dwellings, some of which are perched more than 150 feet above the valley floor. No one knows who dug them, or how people even scaled the near vertical rock face to access them. Some of the caves appear almost impossible to reach even to experienced climbers.

Most of the caves are now empty, but others show signs of domestic habitation hearths, grain-storage bins, and sleeping spaces. Some caves were apparently used as burial chambers. The several dozen bodies that were found in these caves were all more

than 2,000 years old. They lay on wooden beds and decorated with copper jewelry and glass beads.

In other caves, skeletons dating from the 3rd to the 8th centuries, before Buddhism came to Mustang, had cut marks on the bones that may have been inflicted during the practice of sky burial, where the body’s flesh is sliced into small pieces and left to be eaten by vultures. Sky burial is still practiced in many remote regions in the Himalaya.

Archeologists believe that the caves in Mustang were used in three general periods. They were first used some 3,000 years ago as burial chambers. Then around 1,000 years ago, they became primarily living quarters, perhaps to escape battles and intruders

into the valley. Finally, by the 1400s, most people had moved into traditional villages and the caves became places of meditation. Some of these caves were turned into monasteries such as the Luri Gompa, the Chungsi Cave monastery and the Nyiphuk Cave Monastery, all of which were built around and inside the caves.

Luri Gompa is one of the most famous in Mustang. The monastery is set on a ledge, at least a hundred meter high from the ground, in one of the many natural pillar like sandstone structures. A winding footpath climbs all the way from the bottom of the valley to a single entrance door that leads into two interconnecting chambers.

The outer chamber contains a shrine, while the inner chamber the main treasure of Luri Gompa is beautifully decorated with a series of paintings depicting Indian Mahasiddhas saints who were said to have achieved siddhi, or extraordinary powers by meditation. No documentation pertaining to this mysterious gompa or monastery has been found, but the wall paintings appear to be have been made in the 14th century or even earlier.

Source: Natgeo.com

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The Plague Island of Poveglia ( Scary Place to be discover )

The island of Poveglia is one of the many small islands located in the Venetian Lagoon between Venice and Lido. It is believed to be haunted by the ghosts of thousands of people that allegedly died here when the island served as a quarantine colony for plague victims at the time of Napoleon, and later as an asylum for the mentally ill. The psychiatrist who ran the hospital was a psychopath who butchered and tortured his patients, and later took his own life by throwing himself from the island's bell tower. After the hospital closed, the island lay abandoned for nearly fifty years. Fishermen avoided it for fear of netting human bones. Now a new project hopes to transform this long forgotten and feared island into a dream university campus.

Poveglia Island first entered into history books in 421. The first inhabitants were refugees fleeing from the barbaric Hun invaders lead by the fearful ‘Attila the Hun’ who ravaged the mainland. These people escaped to the island and made it their home. For the next several centuries, Poveglia had a peaceful history. The people extracted salt, fished and grew food. The island's population began to grow, and so did its importance until 1379, when Venice came under attack from the Genoan fleet. The people of Poveglia were hastily removed to a safer place.

From 1645 on, the Venetian government built five octagonal forts to protect and control the entrances to the lagoon. The Poveglia octagon is one of four that still survive on the island.

In 1776 the Public Health Office opened a check point on the island to inspect all goods and people coming to and going from Venice by ship. In 1793, when several cases of plague was discovered on two of the ships, the infected were forcibly disembarked and temporarily confined to the island. When plague in Europe took pandemic proportion, the second time since the Black Death of the 14th century, Poveglia Island became the dumping ground for the diseased and the infected. An estimated 160,000 people lived and died here. The rumor is that nearly half of the soil contains human remains.

In 1922, the existing buildings on the island were converted into an asylum for the mentally ill, which constinued to function until 1968, when the hospital was closed. For almost half a century, Poveglia remained isolated, long enough for vegetation to invade every inch of the island and the buildings.

For the last few years, the island has been subject to various reclamation projects. None have been implemented yet. In 2014, an Italian businessman, Luigi Brugnaro, bought lease of the island for

99 years with the intention of developing it into some kind of public use. Now the Young Architects association has launched a competition inviting architects to submit ideas for a university campus on the island. We are not sure whether the project is actually backed by Luigi Brugnaro, or is just a mean to showcase talent.

Note!

 Many online articles on Poveglia say that the island became quarantine quarters for plague victims during the Black Death that swept across Europe in the 14th century. This is incorrect. Poveglia had a healthy, living population at that time. The island’s morbid history didn’t begin until the late 18th century.

Source: www.google.com.us

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