The Kingdom of Mustang in a remote area of the Himalayas is the home to several cave complexes that date back hundreds and possibly thousands of years. These are man-made caves carved deep into the hills of this legendary region. The climbers/explorers in these films are the first outsiders to view these extraordinary and intricate complexes which contain incredible paintings dating back to the 14th century.
The Cave Complexes Hold Art and Texts and May Shed Light on Shangri-La Legends
Besides the extraordinary paintings, the caves also contain sacred texts written in a long-lost language. These priceless writings hold the mysteries of the past and the people who lived in this mystical era which some believe is the legacy and legend of Shangri-la.
The library of texts holds the secrets of the past and is in basically very good condition, yet some have missing pieces. The texts contain not only the written history of the era, but intricate art as well. These are priceless to the people of the region who consider them their legacy.
While some in the area are displeased with outsiders exploring their long-lost treasures, those on the expedition are only interested in saving the history of these people and maintaining the treasures for the people of the area. The climbers must face a group intent on keeping them away from their sacred caves. The explorers insist that if they do not retrieve the treasures, the texts will soon be lost in the ancient crumbling caves. The historic treasures have withstood time, but time is running out.
The wall paintings will definitely not withstand the ravages of time and the elements of the region much longer, but the texts can be saved for translation for current and future generations of this remote region of the planet.
The explorers set out in April 2007 to find the lost caves and begin retrieving their contents for the people of the Himalayas. These documentaries follow the explorers as they undertake a dangerous and challenging task.
What they find when they enter the cave complexes is remarkable. The cave complexes themselves are works of art. They have vertical levels which were carved by hand. In this time of modern technology, it boggles the mind to think of these ancient people carving the caves themselves without the help of large machines.
Preserving the Treasures for Future Generations
Besides the Tibetan manuscripts which are still in pretty good shape yet on the verge of destruction by the ages, there is a 55-panel painted mural. While they cannot take the cave walls out for preservation, they are able to photograph them for future generations to view the creations of their ancestors.
“These caves are probably the most reliable indicator of the continuous history of this area. The kinds of things we find in there, from the archaeological record to perhaps the richest literary repository we’ve found, means that these really are the places on which we need to focus if we want to establish as full as possible a picture of the history and culture of the Himalayas,” said Oxford University anthropologist Charles Ramble, who has studied this culture for 28 years and has lived among the Mustang people.
There is no doubt that this incredible archeological discovery holds many secrets of this area and its past civilization. It might shed light on the legend of Shangri-la itself.
These are interesting documentaries which combine to form a previously unknown and unseen history of this region. To see the creations of a past civilization which is in good a condition considering their age is remarkable. The cave complexes, the texts and the art are the history of the people.
While Shangri-la inspires visions of paradise, the findings of the explorers show that the ancient people might have created a sort of paradise for themselves.
Shangri-la night on PBS premiers Wednesday, November 18, 2009, opening with Secrets of Shangri-la at 8 PM ET and continuing with Lost Cave Temples of the Himalayas at 9 PM ET.
Quote source: National Geographic PBS Show press release.
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