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Lost Cave Temples Of The Himalaya

Posted on August 24, 2012April 13, 2017 by Dharma Documentaries
First of three documentary films exploring the cave temples found in Mustang, turning up long lost paintings and artifacts from the caves, including thousands of manuscripts and ancient burial remains.

Lost-Cave-Temples-of-the-Himalaya

This documentary is the first of two which explore the cave temples found in Mustang, which is now a part of Nepal, though it was previously an independent kingdom. The second part will be shown next week.

Most of the temples are in very inaccessible places up steep cliff faces, and many of them have been abandoned by the local population, who cannot access them.

In 2007 Liesl Clark filmed her husband Pete Athans and climber Renan Ozturk as they tried to access some of these caves, and record them for the first time.

They had only a month to do the work on this visit, and they get off to a poor start being obstructed by snow blizzards.

Eventually they get some fine weather and began the exploration in earnest, turning up long lost paintings and artifacts from the caves, including manuscripts.

Later they are joined by an archaeological crew, both local and foreign, as they access more of the caves.

The locals are not always happy with them trespassing on their property, and there is an incident where they are stopped on the edge of a cave, and money is demanded.

They have to pay up to gain entrance, and when they do get inside the cave is empty and worthless, which the local leaders find amusing.

One very nice thing about the film is that Liesl and Pete take their young children along with them, and they seem to be perfectly adapted to the life. Like all young kids they are little explorers in the making.

 

if this video is no longer available please leave a comment so I can update the page
(the comment is not published)

 

to see an album of stills click here

 

TAGS:
Culture, Dharma, Arts, Murals, Mustang, Nepal, Temples, Tibet

5 thoughts on “Lost Cave Temples Of The Himalaya”

  1. Sujata says:
    September 30, 2012 at 4:02 pm

    Thank you so much for making this amazing video available to all of us Ajahn Anandajoti, and thank you for your beautiful website it is an amazing compilation of knowledge and wisdom.

    Reply
  2. parthasarathi says:
    April 15, 2013 at 3:57 pm

    super effort to discover the caves

    Reply
  3. rats says:
    December 23, 2014 at 11:45 pm

    Truly, a breath of fresh air, in a World of confusing metaphors….
    May Mustang always be In the backwaters of conscious shallowness……
    There to remind Mankind of it’s inpermanance….”..

    Reply
  4. Bernadett says:
    March 1, 2016 at 3:21 am

    I loved your film. I am happy for your kids, that they got to go.
    I am wondering about some spellings of a few words in the film.
    The final page in a manuscript is called a “caliphon”? I wonder how to properly spell it?

    And the people concealed as refuges are the “Beuls”?

    The etymological origins of Shangri-La, is “Shambala”?

    Thank you so much
    Bernadett

    Reply
    1. Anandajoti says:
      March 6, 2016 at 10:42 am

      Hi Bernadett, I am sorry those comments must refer to the subtitles, which I have no control over? The final page in a manuscript is called a colophon; according to this the idea of Shangri-la is probably based on Shambala, but etymologically they are obviously distinct: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangri-La#Etymology.

      Reply

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