Tiji — Lo Manthang Party
Buddhist festival · Lo Manthang (Mustang), Nepal
The festival
At 3,800 meters above sea level, in the fortified city of Lo Manthang, the former capital of the kingdom of Lo (High Mustang, Nepal), the monks of the Sakya lineage of Chode Gompa monastery celebrate each spring the Tiji — contraction of "Tempa Chirim", the prayer for world peace.
For three days, on the square of the Royal Palace, ritual dances replay the fight of the divinity Dorje Jono against the demon who had brought drought and destruction to the Mustang, until his symbolic defeat on the third day.
Established in the 17th century under King Samdup Rabten with master Sakya Ngawang Kunga Sonam, around the ritual of Vajrakila, the Tiji remains one of the best preserved Himalayan rituals — in a long-closed area, accessible to foreigners only since 1992 with a special permit.
Good to know
Dates: 27th to 29th day of the third Tibetan month; 2026: 14–16 May; 2027: 1–3 June (treks and festival calendars). Access to the Upper Mustang: restricted zone permit required.