Many years ago, people of Mustang (Panch gaun) used to worship nature and its energy. Long before the 8th century, the highlands of Mustang were home to a spiritual tradition as ancient as the mountains themselves. The Bon, Tibet’s indigenous and oldest religion, had deep roots in this challenging weather and barren lands. Its followers, both hermits meditating in caves and monastics living in secluded hermitages, practiced the ways of Bon with unwavering devotion.
In those days, nearly all spiritual seekers in Mustang were Bon practitioners, living in harmony with the landscape and its mystical energies. After the arrival of Padmasambhav(T. པདྨ་འབྱུང་གནས་ pad+ma ‘byung gnas; “the Lotus-born”), this religion co-existed along with it. Some of them, were replaced by Buddhist religion.
In the heart of Thini village an ancient sacred gumba Yutu Gumba thrives—one that traces its roots to the Bon religion, an indigenous spiritual practice of Tibetian origin that predates Buddhism. Thini Village is home to a handful of gumbas, or monasteries, each with a rich history tied to the Bon faith. As you walk through the gumba, you can ask lamas about its rich heritage and its exciting origin story.
The Yutu Gumba holds sacred relics of great significance; many of them connected to Guru Padmasambhava, the revered Buddhist master. These relics have been carefully preserved over generations, and they add an aura of mystery and reverence to the village. Among them is an ancient stone imprinted with the handprint of Padmasambhava himself—a powerful symbol of his divine presence. The stone has been venerated for centuries and is said to hold a spiritual energy that continues to resonate with those who visit it.
The monastery also houses a variety of other extraordinary relics, including a skull fragment believed to belong to Lama Choeser Chalthim, a revered lama whose teachings have shaped the spiritual landscape of the region. Perhaps even more awe-inspiring are the more than one hundred thousand footprints believed to have been left by the goddess Lama Lungtesra Urgen Palsang, an incarnation of divine power.
Perhaps the most enigmatic of all is the metal bajra, a ritual object that is said to have fallen from the sky. It’s a powerful artifact in both Bon and Buddhist traditions, and its otherworldly origin has remained mysterious while still being a powerful godly weapon among pilgrims and locals for generations. You can experience these sacred items in Kutsup Terenga Gumba after the construction of the Gumba is ompleted. Until then, this Bon Gumba is being used to keep these precious artifacts.
