Customer Reviews

Mustang; A Lost Tibetan Kingdom

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In 1964 as China was cruelly annexing Tibet while the UN yawned, Michel Peissel became to the first European to be allowed into Mustang for an extended stay. This book is the result.

At the time, next to nothing was known in the West about this hidden kingdom high in the Himalayas. No one seemed to know whether it was an independant kingdom or a dependant of Nepal's. It's history was a complete void, as were it's peoples. Peissel went with the intention of filling in those blanks as well as determining the source of the Kali Gandaki River.

What he found was a land truly lost in time. Despite it's seeming barreness & inhospitability to humans, Mustang had a vibrant culture perfectly attuned to the hardships inherent in life above 11000 feet. Peissel lived in the walled capital city, Lo Mantang & became close friends with many inhabitants which allowed him to not only observe, but truly become a man of Lo. His insights into the people he meets are sensitive and rarely condescending.

Written 40 years ago, the prejudices of the West sometimes slip into Peissel's account but for the most part he is remarkably open-minded about the situations he encounters. His writing, while not particularly gripping in itself, cannot fail to interest the reader due to the remarkable subject matter. It would take a much worse writer to make an account of an unknown land & culture boring!

Included are a number of photographs (some color) as well as drawings made by both Peissel and his friend Pemba, a high-ranking man of Lo.

This book is absolutely a gem, if for no other reason than it's subject, a land & culture just decades away from being corrupted irrevocably by modernization. For anyone interested in travel writing or books about different cultures, "Mustand, A Lost Kingdom" is a must-read.

In 1964 the author became the first European to be allowed into Upper Mustang for an extended stay. Peissel, who could speak TIbetan, lived in the walled capital city, Lo Monthang, and became close friends with many inhabitants which allowed him to not only observe, but truly become a man of Lo. There are 12 pages of colour photos, 11 pages of b/w photos, 8 drawings, and 3 maps. The front cover is the entrance chorten to Tsarang.

Peissel was accompanied by Tashi, a 21-year-old Tibetan born in Amdo, and Calay, his cook and sirdar. The book starts with a flight to Pokhara and trekking up the Kali Gandaki Valley. Along the way he met Khampas, who were still fighting the Chinese in Tibet from their bases in Upper Mustang. At Tsarang he met the abbot of the Gompa, who turned out to be the King's son on an extended retreat. He then explored Lo Monthang and the surrounding areas. He met the 65-year-old King and his sick son, Jigme Dorje, who is now the current king. Peissel learned about the people and their culture, like birth, marriage, medicine and doctors, and death and funerals. After searching in vain for an old book with the history of Upper Mustang, he finally discovered one at a gompa, and can then price together the first known history of Upper Mustang.

This is a very good book of exploration and discovery. Perissel's writing is fairly straightforward, but the story itself is very interesting. I especially liked his insights into the people and their culture. The photos are good.