Original subtitles

Narrator: HIGH IN THE HIMALAYA,

IN THE MOST REMOTE KINGDOM IN THE WORLD,

EXPLORERS FIND THOUSANDS OF MYSTERIOUS CAVES.

THEIR DARK PORTALS BECKON WITH THE PROMISE

OF A GLIMPSE INTO A LOST WORLD.

NOW A TEAM OF CLIMBERS AND SCHOLARS

SET OUT TO REACH THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME.

INSIDE, THEY FIND SMALL CITIES CARVED IN STONE

AND THERE DISCOVER UNIMAGINABLE TREASURES.

Man: THIS IS AN ABSOLUTELY EXTRAORDINARY COLLECTION.

IT'S A COMPLETE MESS.

Narrator: BUT THE DISCOVERIES REVIVE AN AGE-OLD STRUGGLE

BETWEEN TWO FAITHS

AND STIR FEARS THAT LOOTERS

MAY HAVE REACHED THE TREASURES FIRST.

Man: IT'S LITERALLY MONEY LAYING AROUND,

WHICH IS THE AWFUL THING.

Narrator: THEY CAME TO STUDY THESE CAVES,

BUT NOW THEY'RE IN A RACE TO SAVE THEM

BEFORE MORE LOOTERS COME.

OR, WORSE YET, THE CAVES CRUMBLE INTO OBLIVION.

Man: ROCK!

Narrator: THE STRUGGLE TO REACH THESE CAVES IS DAUNTING,

ESPECIALLY FOR NON-CLIMBERS.

Man: I'VE NEVER WORN A HARNESS BEFORE.

Narrator: THE CONTENTS OF THE CAVES ARE ASTOUNDING.

Man: I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE SOME HUMAN REMAINS

UP IN THIS CAVE, OVER.

Man: IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S OBVIOUSLY A BURIAL CHAMBER.

Narrator: THEY BELIEVE THE CAVES HOLD ANCIENT EVIDENCE

THAT THIS WAS ONCE A SACRED VALLEY,

AN EARTHLY PARADISE SOME HAVE CALLED SHANGRI-LA.

Narrator: IN THE DESOLATE MOUNTAIN BORDERLANDS

OF NEPAL AND TIBET,

THERE IS AN ANCIENT HIMALAYAN KINGDOM

BEYOND THE REACH OF THE MODERN WORLD,

HIDDEN IN A VALLEY SURROUNDED BY THE WORLD'S HIGHEST PEAKS.

IT IS CALLED MUSTANG.

THE LOCALS CALL IT THE KINGDOM OF LO,

AND THEIR MONARCH IS THE 25th IN DIRECT DESCENT

FROM THE FIRST KING OF MUSTANG

WHO FOUNDED THE ROYAL LINEAGE NEARLY 600 YEARS AGO.

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

A TRADE ROUTE HAS PASSED THROUGH THE KINGDOM--

ONE OF THE FEW PATHWAYS ACROSS THE ROOF OF THE WORLD,

AND A CRITICAL LINK BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA.

BUT MUSTANG IS A KINGDOM WITH A MYSTERY.

HUNDREDS OF UNEXPLORED CAVE COMPLEXES DOT THE CLIFFS

THAT GUARD THE GREAT KALI GANDAKI RIVER.

THE ENIGMA OF THE CAVES

HAS PULLED HIMALAYAN CLIMBER PETE ATHANS HERE REPEATEDLY.

FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES,

HE'S BEEN A STUDENT OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM,

AND HE'S SUMMITTED MOUNT EVEREST SEVEN TIMES.

Pete: THIS IS REALLY IN MANY WAYS MY GREATEST EXPEDITION.

CLIMBING EVEREST IS NOTHING LIKE THIS.

PEOPLE KNOW EVERY INCH OF EVEREST.

TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO INTO THESE CAVES,

THE FIRST PEOPLE TO GO IN IN OVER 1,000 YEARS,

IS A REMARKABLE PRIVILEGE.

SO MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT TIBET AND ALL THE HIMALAYAN STATES

COULD BE IN ANY ONE OF THESE CAVES

AND HAS NOT BEEN DISCOVERED AND IT'S LYING THERE WAITING

FOR SOMEONE TO FIND A WAY IN AND DOCUMENT IT.

Narrator: THE CAVES HAVE NEVER BEEN EXPLORED

BECAUSE UPPER MUSTANG IS A RESTRICTED AREA OF NEPAL.

UNTIL RECENTLY, IT WAS CLOSED TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

EVEN TODAY ONLY 1,000 FOREIGNERS PER YEAR

ARE ALLOWED INTO MUSTANG'S FORBIDDEN ZONE.

TWO YEARS AGO,

WORKING IN CONCERT WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF NEPAL,

PETE AND PROJECT LEADER BROT COBURN

AND AN ELITE TEAM OF EXPLORERS

FINALLY GAINED ACCESS

TO THE FIRST OF UPPER MUSTANG'S CAVES.

THEIR DISCOVERIES MADE NEWS AROUND THE WORLD:

PRICELESS CENTURIES-OLD WALL PAINTINGS

ADORN SACRED CAVE SHRINES.

Pete: IT'S JUST UNBELIEVABLE. I WONDER HOW LONG IT'S BEEN HERE?

Narrator: HIDDEN CAVE TEMPLES ARE HEWN

INTO THE MOUNTAINSIDES;

IN ANOTHER CAVE, A MASTERPIECE, NEARLY 25 FEET LONG.

AND THE MOST STUNNING FIND OF ALL...

Renan: THERE ARE SOME INCREDIBLE THINGS IN THIS NEXT ROOM, PETE.

OH, MY GOD!

A GIANT ROOM, FILLED WITH TEXTS, PILES OF TEXTS!

Narrator: THEIR DISCOVERY OF AN ANCIENT LIBRARY

FORCED THEM TO CONFRONT A DILEMMA:

WITH NO PERMISSION TO REMOVE ANYTHING FROM THE CAVES,

THE FOLIOS WOULD HAVE TO BE LEFT, UNPROTECTED,

UNTIL THE TEAM COULD RETURN WITH PERMISSION.

NOW, ONE YEAR LATER,

PETE AND BROT HAVE RETURNED TO MUSTANG TO RESCUE THE TEXTS.

Pete: WE HAVE A TOTAL OF ABOUT 48 HORSES,

12 PORTERS, 10 PEOPLE TO HELP US

WITH COOKING AND ORGANIZATION, TENT SET UP,

AND SOME ARCHAEOLOGISTS, SOME CLIMBERS, SOME FILMMAKERS

AND SOME FRIENDS OF ALL OF THE ABOVE,

SO IT'S QUITE A LARGE GROUP.

Narrator: WITH A DREAM TEAM OF CLIMBERS AND SCHOLARS,

THEY'LL PRESERVE THE ANCIENT LIBRARY,

DOCUMENT THE PAINTINGS, AND TRY TO EXPLORE MORE CAVES,

ALL WITH JUST A MONTH ON THEIR PERMIT.

FROM THEIR STARTING POINT DOWN VALLEY,

THEY'LL TREK SOME 60 MILES TO THE ROYAL CITY OF LO MANTHANG.

THE RESEARCHERS ARE PURSUING ANSWERS

TO AN EVEN BIGGER QUESTION.

FOR A HUNDRED YEARS, EUROPEAN ADVENTURERS

HAVE SEARCHED FOR AN EASTERN UTOPIA;

AN EARTHLY PARADISE THEY'VE CALLED SHANGRI-LA.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY ANTHROPOLOGIST CHARLES RAMBLE

HAS STUDIED THESE TIBETAN IDEAS FOR 28 YEARS--

LIVING AMONGST THE MUSTANG PEOPLE,

SPEAKING THEIR MANY DIALECTS,

EVEN MASTERING THEIR ANCIENT CUSTOMS.

THE CONCEPT OF UTOPIA ISN'T EXCLUSIVE TO THE EAST.

Charles: IT'S CERTAINLY PRESENT IN MANY RELIGIONS.

IN THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO.

PARADISE LIES IN THE FUTURE.

IN THE CASE OF TIBET, THERE ARE EARTHLY PARADISES.

AND FOR CERTAIN GROUPS OF BUDDHISTS,

THERE IS THE SACRED LAND OF SHAMBHALA,

WHICH COULD ACTUALLY BE

THE ETYMOLOGICAL ORIGIN FOR SHANGRI-LA.

Narrator: THE IDEA OF SHANGRI-LA WAS POPULARIZED IN THE WEST

BY AUTHOR JAMES HILTON,

WHOSE 1930s BOOK AND FILM LOST HORIZON

INTRODUCED THE IDEA INTO POPULAR CULTURE.

Charles: BUT THIS FASCINATION WITH TIBET AS BEING A LAND

WHERE SOME KIND OF SPECIAL SACRED LIFE WENT ON

AWAY FROM THE DAY-TO-DAY LIVING WE'RE USED TO

IS SOMETHING THAT'S CONTINUED RIGHT DOWN THE CENTURIES.

Narrator: TO THE PEOPLE LIVING IN THESE VALLEYS TODAY,

THESE KINDS OF EARTHLY PARADISES ARE REAL.

Narrator: TO THE PEOPLE LIVING WHICH MEANS "HIDDEN LAND,"

WHERE ONE CAN FIND ENLIGHTENMENT AND PEACE.

Charles: THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF THESE BEYULS

IS IN THE HIMALAYAN REGION.

SO THE IDEA OF A PLACE WHERE ONE COULD GO AND HIDE

AND LIVE PEACEFULLY AND LIVE A LONG TIME

IS CERTAINLY PRESENT IN THE TIBETAN TRADITION.

Narrator: ON THEIR SECOND DAY IN MUSTANG,

CHARLES HAS A CHANCE TO SHOW PETE

HOW CAVES ARE LINKED TO THE PURSUIT OF ENLIGHTENMENT.

THIS CAVE IS STILL IN USE TODAY.

IT'S THE VENUE FOR A RARE AND SACRED PRACTICE:

A VOLUNTARY RETREAT INTO DARKNESS TO MEDITATE.

Charles: THE PRACTITIONERS WILL STAY IN HERE 49 DAYS

PRACTICALLY NAKED.

YOU START TO HALLUCINATE AFTER A FEW DAYS

AND THE TRICK IS TO REALIZE THAT THESE ARE JUST HALLUCINATIONS

BEFORE THE REAL VISIONS AND EXPERIENCES COME ALONG.

BUT THE LAST CHAP TO DO A RETREAT IN THIS CAVE,

AFTER ABOUT A WEEK, I THINK, HE HAD TO BE TAKEN OUT

BECAUSE HE WAS IN QUITE BAD SHAPE.

Pete: HALLUCINATIONS OF SOMETHING FRIGHTENING,

SOMETHING DEMONIC.

Charles: IT'S A KIND OF SELF-IMPOSED SENSORY DEPRIVATION.

THE ULTIMATE GOAL, OF COURSE, IS ENLIGHTENMENT,

AND THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THESE MEDITATIONS

IS FOR THE MIND TO UNITE ITSELF WITH ITS OWN NATURE.

PEOPLE WILL COME FROM THE VILLAGE EVERY COUPLE OF DAYS

AND PUT FOOD IN AN L-SHAPED HOLE IN THE WALL,

SO YOU DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE ANY DIRECT INTERACTION

WITH THE PEOPLE WHO COME TO FEED YOU.

IN THIS TRADITION IT'S DONE FOR 49 DAYS,

BUT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO WILL GO INTO RETREAT

FOR THEIR ENTIRE LIVES,

THEY WILL JUST STAY IN THERE UNTIL THEY DIE.

Pete: OKAY, SO YOU SEE KRIS WITH HIS ARMS RAISED, CORRECT?

Charles: THAT'S CORRECT.

HE LOOKS TO BE IN THE BEST POSITION.

Narrator: TWO DAYS FURTHER UP THE VALLEY IS A CAVE

WHERE THEY'LL TEST THEIR GEAR.

Pete: IF YOU SEE ANYONE, LET THEM KNOW

THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOME PRETTY BIG ROCKS COMING DOWN.

Charles: I'LL TAKE OF IT.

Pete: THANKS, CHARLES.

Narrator: KRIS ERICKSON IS AN ALPINE CLIMBER

AND PHOTOGRAPHER.

HE'LL PHOTO INVENTORY EACH CAVE.

RENAN OZTURK IS AN ARTIST.

HIS SKETCHES OF CAVE LAYOUTS

WILL BE A CRITICAL PART OF THE ANALYSIS.

HE'S ALSO A WORLD-CLASS CLIMBER.

Renan: AS CLIMBERS, WE SEARCH FOR THE STEEPEST, CLEANEST LINES,

AND THIS IS PRETTY MUCH THE OPPOSITE OF THAT,

JUST CRUMBLING MUD-DRIP SANDCASTLE FORMATIONS.

YOU CAN BARELY BREATHE

AS THE DUST BLOWS UP THE WALL AND SURROUNDS YOU,

JUST HORRIBLE CHOSS CLIMBING.

Pete: CHOSS IS A CLIMBER'S TERM

REFLECTING A DISDAIN FOR THE QUALITY OF THE MATERIAL

THAT ONE HAPPENS TO BE CLIMBING.

Mark: THERE'S PLENTY OF CHAFF.

Narrator: UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA ARCHAEOLOGIST, MARK ALDENDERFER,

A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC GRANTEE,

AND NEPALI ARCHAEOLOGIST, SUKRA SAGAR SHRESTHA,

HOPE TO DETERMINE HOW OLD THE CAVES ARE.

Mark: IT'S GOING TO ALLOW US TO ACTUALLY DATE THE APPLICATION

OF THAT MUD AND CHAFF.

THIS IS REALLY A GOOD THING TO FIND.

Narrator: THEIR FIRST CAVE DRY RUN A SUCCESS,

THEY'RE READY TO MOVE ON TO LO MANTHANG

WHERE THEY SEEK PERMISSION FROM THE KING

TO RESCUE THE ANCIENT LIBRARY.

Charles: WE DON'T GET TO MEET KINGS EVERY DAY.

AND THIS RAJA'S LINEAGE HAS BEEN ON THE THRONE RULING

SINCE THE 14th CENTURY,

AND THERE'S BEEN AN UNBROKEN LINEAGE EVER SINCE,

SO THIS IS NOT AN EVERYDAY OCCURRENCE.

I WAS ASKING HIS MAJESTY

ABOUT THE BEST WAY OF PRESERVING THE MATERIALS

THAT ARE IN THE CAVES.

AND WHETHER IT'S BEST IN HIS OPINION

THAT THEY SHOULD BE LEFT THERE OR SHOULD THEY BE REMOVED.

WHAT HE'S SUGGESTED IS THAT THIS IS SOMETHING

THAT SHOULD BE LEFT ENTIRELY

UP TO THE PEOPLE OF THE KINGDOM TO DECIDE.

Narrator: THEY ALSO NEED PERMISSION

FROM THE PEOPLE'S BUDDHIST SPIRITUAL LEADER, THE KHEMPO.

[SPEAKING NEPALI]

Narrator: LAMAS ARE SPIRITUAL TEACHERS,

AND THE KHEMPO THINKS THE TEAM WILL NEED THEIR PROTECTION

BECAUSE THE PLACE THEY'RE GOING TO IS DANGEROUS.

THE CAVE WHERE THEY FOUND THE TEXTS IS CALLED MARJONG,

AND IT HAS LONG BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH A RELIGION CALLED BON,

THE INDIGENOUS FAITH OF TIBET.

BON WAS THE DOMINANT RELIGION OF THE REGION

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

UNTIL BUDDHISM WIPED OUT NEARLY ALL EVIDENCE OF IT.

MARJONG WAS THE SITE

OF A LEGENDARY BATTLE BETWEEN FAITHS,

AND THE LOCALS BELIEVE THE SITE IS HAUNTED.

Charles: THERE ARE SOME DIVINITIES WHO ARE POTENTIALLY HARMFUL,

BUT AS LONG AS WE APPROACH THESE PLACES WITH A GOOD ATTITUDE--

NOT TO STEAL THINGS, NOT TO DAMAGE THE PLACE--

AND AS LONG AS THE APPROPRIATE CEREMONIES ARE PERFORMED,

THERE WILL BE NO HARM

IN REMOVING THE MANUSCRIPTS FROM THE CAVE.

[BELL RINGING]

Narrator: TO APPEASE THE DIVINITIES,

THE LAMAS PERFORM A PUJA, A CEREMONIAL OFFERING.

FOR THE TEAM, THIS SITE WILL BE HOME FOR SEVERAL DAYS,

UNTIL ALL THE FOLIOS CAN BE SAFELY REMOVED

FROM THE ERODING CAVE.

PETE'S HOPE IS THAT THE MANUSCRIPTS

STILL REMAIN IN THE CAVE.

UNEXPECTED COMPANY ARRIVES OVER THE HILL.

IT'S THE LO MANTHANG YOUTH CLUB, A NEWLY FORMED POLITICAL GROUP.

THEY IMMEDIATELY CHALLENGE THE AUTHORITY OF THE TEAM

TO ENTER THE CAVES

AND ACCUSE THEM OF ATTEMPTING TO STEAL THE TEXTS.

Charles: HE'S SAYING THAT WE DON'T NEED TO DO A DETAILED INVENTORY,

PHOTOGRAPHIC INVENTORY OF THE CONTENTS OF THE CAVE.

THEY CAN DO THAT THEMSELVES AND PUT THEM UP ON THE NET.

THAT'S ONE OF THE ISSUES.

Narrator: THE YOUTH CLUB WANTS

TO KEEP THE MANUSCRIPTS UNDER THEIR CONTROL.

THEY BELIEVE SELLING THE ANCIENT SCRIPTS ON THE INTERNET

COULD BRING GOOD MONEY.

Brot: THEY CALL THEMSELVES THE YOUTH CLUB,

BUT THESE PEOPLE ARE A BUNCH OF TROUBLEMAKERS.

THEY'RE REALLY ONLY A POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE.

THEY HAVE A POLITICAL AGENDA, THEY'RE LOOKING FOR MONEY,

THEY'RE LOOKING FOR POWER AND CONTROL.

[SPEAKING NEPALI]

Narrator: THE YOUTH CLUB QUESTIONS THE PRESENCE

OF THE BONPO LAMAS

WHOM CHARLES RAMBLE INVITED TO HELP DECIPHER THE TEXTS

WHICH CHARLES BELIEVES ARE BON.

THEY ARE BON SCHOLARS, BUT THE LOCALS ARE BUDDHIST

AND THEY DON'T WANT BONPO LAMAS ON THEIR TURF.

Narrator: THE LAMAS LEAVE TO SEEK HELP FROM THE KHEMPO'S MONASTERY.

AND SO THE AGE-OLD PERSECUTION OF A FAITH CONTINUES.

MUSTANG MAY BE MOSTLY BUDDHIST, BUT ITS ROOTS ARE BON.

IT TOOK 1,100 YEARS FOR BUDDHISM TO REACH THE HIMALAYAS.

THE STORY OF THE FAITH BEGINS IN THE 6th CENTURY B.C.,

WHEN A PRINCE NAMED SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA,

LATER KNOWN AS THE BUDDHA, WAS BORN IN SOUTHERN NEPAL.

HE WAS RAISED IN LUXURY.

WHEN HE REACHED THE AGE OF 29,

HE STEPPED OUT OF HIS PALACE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

WHAT HE SAW CHANGED HIS LIFE FOREVER:

THE SICK, THE POOR AND THE AGING.

HE RENOUNCED HIS PRIVILEGED LIFE,

AND FOR SIX YEARS HE MEDITATED AND CAME TO REALIZE

THAT ALL THINGS IN LIFE ARE IMPERMANENT,

CAUGHT IN THE ENDLESS CYCLE OF BIRTH, DEATH, AND REBIRTH.

AT THE AGE OF 35,

HE BECAME THE LORD BUDDHA, THE ENLIGHTENED ONE.

THE BUDDHA WAS NOT THE FIRST TO TEACH THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT.

SURPRISINGLY, HIS LIFE STORY MIRRORS THAT OF ANOTHER TEACHER.

ACCORDING TO THOSE WHO FOLLOW THE BON FAITH, THE BONPO,

THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE THE BUDDHA,

A PRINCE NAMED TONPA SHENRAB

BECAME DISILLUSIONED BY THE WEALTH AROUND HIM

AND RENOUNCED HIS PRIVILEGED LIFE.

HE LAUNCHED THE BON FAITH,

WHOSE INFLUENCE REACHED FROM CENTRAL ASIA TO CHINA.

[SINGING]

THE BONPO OFTEN SAY THE HISTORICAL BUDDHA

WAS SIMPLY A REINCARNATION OF THE EVEN EARLIER TONPA SHENRAB.

BECAUSE BON GREW

OUT OF AN ANIMISTIC AND SHAMANISTIC TRADITION,

THE FEW PEOPLE WHO STILL PRACTICE IT

ARE OFTEN MISTRUSTED,

MISTAKEN AS PRACTITIONERS OF A KIND OF BLACK MAGIC.

AS A RESULT, TODAY THE BON RELIGION

IS PERCEIVED A MALEVOLENT FORCE BY MANY.

Charles: THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF MISUNDERSTANDING,

PARTICULARLY AMONG BUDDHISTS, ABOUT WHAT BON IS.

THEY STILL HAVE THIS IDEA

THAT BON WAS SOME KIND OF BENIGHTED DARK RELIGION

THAT HAD TO BE EFFACED.

Narrator: IT WAS THE MYTHICAL ACTIONS OF ONE GREAT FIGURE

THAT BROUGHT ABOUT THE TRIUMPH OF BUDDHISM OVER BON.

1,300 YEARS AGO, WHEN BON WAS THE DOMINANT FAITH OF MUSTANG,

A GREAT TEACHER, GURU RINPOCHE, TRAVELED THROUGH THE REGION

PREACHING THE SERMONS OF BUDDHISM.

HIS FOLLOWING WAS UNPRECEDENTED,

AND HE LEFT AN INDELIBLE MARK ON THE HIMALAYAS.

IT WAS HERE IN MUSTANG

WHERE HE ESTABLISHED THE FIRST TIBETAN BUDDHIST MONASTERY.

MUSTANG WAS THE SITE OF HIS HISTORIC SLAYING OF A DEMONESS

WHO REPRESENTED THE BON FORCES RESISTING BUDDHISM.

Charles: GURU RINPOCHE CATCHES THE DEMONESS

AND DISEMBOWELS HER, TEARS HER TO PIECES,

AND THIS IS WHY WHEN YOU SEE BLUE STRIATIONS IN THE ROCKS,

THIS IS THE LIVER OF THE DEMONESS

THAT WAS FLUNG INTO THE CLIFF.

YOU'LL SEE VERY RED STREAKS OF ROCK.

THIS OF COURSE IS THE BLOOD OF THE DEMONESS.

THERE ARE LITTLE FRAGMENTS OF HER LIVER ALL OVER THE PLACE.

THE BUDDHISTS THEMSELVES ASSOCIATE THE DEMONESS

WITH THE INDIGENOUS DARK FORCES, WHICH THEY REGARD AS BEING BON.

Narrator: IT WAS A METAPHORICAL SPILLING OF THE BLOOD OF THE BONPO.

THE LEGACY OF THAT CONFLICT IS STILL PALPABLE AT MARJONG TODAY.

LAMAS RETURN AFTER HAVING MET WITH THE KHEMPO,

AND WHETHER THEY ARE BONPO OR BUDDHIST,

THE DECISION IS UNANIMOUS--

THE RESEARCHERS MUST BE ALLOWED INTO THE CAVES

TO REMOVE AND DOCUMENT WHAT'S THERE.

NOW IT'S A MATTER OF CONVINCING THE YOUTH CLUB TO BACK DOWN.

THE MONASTIC TRADITION OF DEBATE ENSUES.

[SPEAKING TIBETAN DIALECT]

Narrator: THE YOUTH CLUB AGREES TO ALLOW THE TEAM TO GO UP,

BUT JUST TO HAVE A LOOK.

Charles: I'VE NEVER WORN A HARNESS BEFORE.

I'VE NEVER CLIMBED BEFORE.

RIGHT LEG? LEFT LEG?

Pete: YOU CAN GRAB THE RED SLINGS, THE GREEN SLINGS.

ANY OF THOSE ARE FIXED.

Charles: THOSE ROCKS ARE FAIRLY SECURE, ARE THEY?

Pete: THEY'RE PRETTY SECURE, ACTUALLY.

Narrator: CHARLES HAS A DEEP-ROOTED FEAR OF HEIGHTS.

HE HAS THE ATHLETIC ABILITY,

BUT IRRATIONAL FEAR CAN RENDER A PERSON UNSTABLE ON HIS FEET.

Charles: I JUST LOVE THESE NARROW LEDGES.

Narrator: FEAR ASIDE, THIS IS NOT EASY CLIMBING.

Pete: JUST STEP BACK AND BEHIND. THERE YOU GO.

SOME OF THAT ROCK RIGHT ON THE SURFACE IS LOOSE.

Kris: BELAY IS ON, RENAN?

Renan: BELAY IS ON!

Kris: OKAY, CHARLES!

FACING INTO THE ROCK, NOW.

FACING IN!

THERE YOU GO, LEFT FOOT FIRST.

RENAN WILL START GIVING YOU INFORMATION

ON WHAT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE!

RIGHT HAND ON THE YELLOW ROCK BY YOUR THIGH THERE.

GOOD! LOOKING GREAT.

GOOD JOB, CHARLES.

EXCELLENT.

Narrator: THOUSANDS OF SACRED FOLIOS,

HAND-INKED CENTURIES AGO BY MONKS.

Charles: THIS IS AN ABSOLUTELY EXTRAORDINARY COLLECTION.

WITH A BIT OF LUCK WE'LL KNOW SOMETHING

OF THE DIVERSITY OF THE LITERATURE

THAT'S BEEN STACKED UP IN HERE.

IDEALLY, WE'LL GET THE LAST PAGE OF THIS LOT.

AND THAT'LL TELL US WHO WROTE IT,

WHY IT WAS WRITTEN, WHO PAID FOR IT.

WE'RE NOT GOING TO FIND IT.

Narrator: THE LAST PAGE--

THE KEY TO EVERYTHING IN THE COLLECTION--

IS CALLED A COLOPHON, AND IT IS THE NEEDLE IN THIS HAYSTACK.

Charles: IN THE MEANTIME

SOMEBODY'S GONE THROUGH THE WHOLE LOT, RIFLING THEM,

PROBABLY FOR ILLUMINATED FOLIOS,

WHICH ARE WORTH SOMETHING ON THE COMMERCIAL MARKET.

Narrator: THE ILLUMINATIONS,

THE ORIGINAL PAINTINGS FOUND ON MANY OF THE TEXTS,

ARE SMALL MASTERPIECES LYING IN CENTURIES-OLD PIGEON DROPPINGS.

Pete: YEAH, THIS IS A NICE ONE, CHARLES,

RIGHT HERE THAT KRIS HAS.

Charles: OH, LOVELY!

THIS IS TONPA SHENRAB SHUK.

SO HERE SITS TONPA SHENRAB.

SO THIS IS THE MAIN ENLIGHTENED ONE,

THE FOUNDER OF THE BON RELIGION.

Pete: IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

Charles: IT IS. IT'S LOVELY.

AH HA! THIS IS THE END OF THE SIXTH VOLUME.

[LAUGHS]

PAGES 55 AND 56.

THIS IS THE KIND OF THING I'M REALLY AFTER

BECAUSE THIS IS EITHER THE COLOPHON OF THE TEXT

OR IT'S SOME KIND OF DOCUMENT.

Narrator: THEY'VE FOUND THE COLOPHON.

Charles: THIS IS THE KEY TO,

WITH A BIT OF LUCK IT MIGHT GIVE THE DATE,

IT SHOULD GIVE THE PLACE, AND IT SHOULD NAME THE PATRON,

AND I JUST PRAY THAT THE NAME OF THE PATRON

IS NOT ON THE MISSING PART OF THE TEXT.

Pete: TRY TO IMPRESS UPON THE YOUTH GROUP

THAT THIS ROOM IN JUST A YEAR

HAS BECOME IN MUCH WORSE CONDITION

AND THE DOCUMENTS HAVE SUFFERED AND BEEN COMPROMISED

AS A RESULT OF IT.

SO EVERYONE UP HERE,

WHETHER THEY'RE FROM THE U.S. OR FROM GREAT BRITAIN

OR FROM THE YOUTH GROUP

ARE HOPING THAT SOME AGREEMENT CAN BE MADE TODAY

ABOUT RESCUING THESE DOCUMENTS.

Narrator: AFTER TWO HOURS OF SCANNING THROUGH TEXTS,

CHARLES CONCLUDES THAT THIS ISN'T A RANDOM COLLECTION.

THE FOLIOS TELL A BIGGER STORY

ABOUT THE EXPUNGING OF BON FROM MUSTANG'S HISTORY.

Charles: IT'S QUITE LIKELY THAT THIS IS A ROYAL COLLECTION

AND THE KING DECIDED TO REMOVE ALL THE BONPO TEXTS

FROM HIS PALACE AND PUT THEM IN HERE.

Narrator: REMOVING ALL EVIDENCE OF THE OLD BON FAITH

WAS ONE WAY A KING OF THE PAST

WOULD HAVE HANDLED HIS KINGDOM'S CONVERSION

TO THE NEW BUDDHIST RELIGION.

Pete: CHARLES IS SAYING THERE'S REALLY NO POINT

IN US DOING ANYTHING MORE UNLESS WE CAN EVACUATE THE DOCUMENTS.

Brot: OKAY, THAT SOUNDS GOOD.

Jeff: GOOD TIBETAN ILLUMINATIONS,

I THINK THE MOST EXPENSIVE HAS BEEN OVER $100,000

FOR JUST ONE SMALL 2-INCH BY 3-INCH SQUARE.

Narrator: HIMALAYAN ART HISTORIAN, JEFF WATT,

KNOWS THE MARKET VALUE OF THIS LOST TIBETAN ART.

Jeff: WE DON'T KNOW HOW OLD THESE ARE,

BUT EVEN POOR QUALITY ARE VALUABLE

AND WORTH THE EFFORT OF POOR PEOPLE CRAWLING IN

AND TRYING TO GET THEM

BECAUSE IT'S JUST MONEY LAYING AROUND.

IT'S LITERALLY MONEY LAYING AROUND...

WHICH IS THE AWFUL THING.

Kris: A FEW MORE INCHES WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND.

THERE IT IS. GOOD.

NICE.

Charles: NEVER AGAIN IN MY LIFE AM I GOING TO DO THAT.

Kris: ALL RIGHT, YOU'RE SAFE.

Narrator: AS SOON AS THEY REACH THE GROUND,

THE ENTIRE TEAM IS SEARCHED BY THE YOUTH CLUB

FOR ANY TEXTS OR ANTIQUITIES

THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE CAVE.

WITHOUT PERMISSION TO REMOVE THE FOLIOS,

THE TEAM IS PARALYZED.

THE FATE OF THE ANCIENT LIBRARY

IS IN THE HANDS OF THE KHEMPO'S LAMAS.

Brot: THE PLAN IS THAT THEY ARE GOING TO GO UP TO LO MANTHANG,

HAVE MEETINGS TONIGHT,

AND FORM A CONSENSUS OF ALL OF THE CONCERNED STAKE HOLDERS,

AND THEY'LL WRITE A WRITTEN REQUEST

THAT OUR TEAM COME AND REMOVE THE MANUSCRIPTS.

Charles: IT ALSO MEANS THAT I GET TO GO IN THERE AGAIN.

Narrator: DECIPHERING DIGITAL IMAGES OF THE TEXTS

GETS CHARLES CLOSER TO A DATE.

THEY MAY BE OVER 500 YEARS OLD.

Charles: WHAT WE MAY HAVE IN THESE CAVES

COULD WELL BE THE TEXTS FROM THE DEAD CITY OF BONKOR.

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT BONPO SETTLEMENT

THAT WAS PRESENT BEFORE THE ESTABLISHMENT

OF THE K 14th CENTURY.

SO WHEN THIS WAS WRITTEN, WE DON'T KNOW,

BUT WE'RE GETTING WARMER.

I'M SURE THERE ARE MORE CLUES IN THE CAVES.

LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET THEM OUT TOMORROW.

Narrator: ARCHAEOLOGIST, MARK ALDENDERFER,

TAKES AN INTERESTING HANDS-ON METHOD TO DATE THE CAVES.

Mark: AND SOMEBODY'S GOING TO TRANSLATE RIGHT?

Man: OKAY.

Mark: OKAY, YOU KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO,

WE'RE GOING TO MAKE A CAVE LIKE UP THERE

TO FIT INSIDE A SPACE LIKE THIS, HERE.

SO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IS MAKE A SHAPE THAT GOES IN.

[SPEAKING NEPALI]

Mark: YOU GET A SENSE OF HOW HARD THIS IS.

I MEAN, THIS IS NOT TRIVIAL EXERCISE HERE

TO BEGIN THIS PROCESS.

SO YOU REALLY NEED GOOD QUALITY TOOLS,

EITHER BRONZE OR IRON.

EARLY ON THEY WOULD HAVE PROBABLY BEEN USING

BRONZE TOOLS, MAYBE HORN TOOLS

OR MAYBE EVEN STONE TOOLS, STONE AXES.

Narrator: IT TAKES EIGHT MEN AND ONE CHILD

ABOUT TWO HOURS TO EXCAVATE A MINI CAVE.

THEY USE WHATEVER METAL TOOLS ARE AVAILABLE.

Mark: IT'S A TEDIOUS PROCESS,

SO YOU CAN IMAGINE BUILDING A CAVE COMPLEX

OF 60, 80, 100 ROOMS--

A LOT OF WORK.

Narrator: WHILE AWAITING THE KHEMPO'S DECISION

ON THE MANUSCRIPTS,

THE TEAM SETS THEIR SIGHTS NEXT

ON A CAVE PETE AND RENAN EXPLORED 16 MONTHS EARLIER.

THEY FORGED A ROUTE THROUGH SNOW

TO A CAVE NEAR THE VILLAGE OF SAMAR.

NOW IT'S AUGUST

AND THE IRRIGATED FIELDS OF MUSTANG ARE LUSH.

Man: NAMASTE. Girl: NAMASTE.

Narrator: THEY'RE REVISITING THE CAVE

BECAUSE THE FLOOR PLAN IS SO UNIQUE

THEY WANT MARK TO HAVE A LOOK.

THE ONLY ROUTE IS STRAIGHT UP

AND REQUIRES TECHNICAL ROCK CLIMBING SKILLS.

RENAN MANAGES TO GET INSIDE

AND RIGS A ROPE FOR THE OTHERS TO CLIMB UP.

PETE SETS UP A SYSTEM FOR MARK TO CLIMB IN.

Pete: GO AHEAD AND PUSH UP THE BLUE ONE.

Mark: WORKING ON IT.

Pete: YEAH, TRY AND STAND UP IN THE ET.

YEAH, THERE YOU GO.

YOU CAN SIT BACK A LITTLE BIT.

Mark: THIS IS GOING TO BE A STRUGGLE, I THINK.

Pete: YEAH, OKAY, LET'S RIG IT A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY.

Narrator: RENAN IS LEFT TO IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE

FOR THOSE WHO ONCE LIVED HERE.

THE ROOMS OFFER PROTECTION FROM THE ELEMENTS,

AND WOOD PROTRUDING FROM THE EXTERIOR

SUGGESTS A BALCONY FOR EXPOSURE TO THE WARM SUN.

KRIS PHOTOGRAPHS EACH ROOM,

WHILE RENAN DRAWS THE LAYOUT OF THE ENTIRE COMPLEX.

PETE HAS RIGGED A HAULING SYSTEM TO PULL MARK UP THE CLIFF.

MARK USES LEG LOOPS, MUCH LIKE A STAIRWAY,

WHILE PETE ACTS AS A COUNTERWEIGHT.

IT ALL WORKS LIKE A PULLEY, LIFTING MARK UPWARDS,

UNTIL HE REACHES THE CAVE OPENING AND GETS STUCK.

Mark: OKAY!

Narrator: HE'S TRAPPED THE ROPE SYSTEMS UNDERNEATH HIM,

SO THERE'S NO SLACK TO LET HIM INSIDE.

THERE'S ONLY ONE SOLUTION IN THIS SITUATION,

A CLIMBER'S LAST RESORT.

Pete: OKAY, YOU GUYS GOT HIM?

Narrator: PETE CUTS HIM FREE.

Pete: NOTHING LIKE A BELAY KNIFE.

Mark: OKAY, IT'S WORTH IT.

Narrator: LIKE MOST OF MUSTANG'S CAVE COMPLEXES,

THE APPROACH IS A STRUGGLE.

BUT ONCE INSIDE, THE ROOMS ARE LEVEL

AND PLANS ARE MUCH LIKE A HOUSE.

MANY FLOORS HAVE LONG CORRIDORS,

EITHER PERPENDICULAR OR PARALLEL TO THE CLIFF.

VERTICAL SHAFTS CONNECT ONE LEVEL TO THE NEXT.

CAVE COLONIES CAN RANGE FROM 2 LEVELS TO 10...

SOME LEVELS CONTAINING AS MANY AS 15 ROOMS.

SOOT ON WALLS INDICATES CAVE KITCHENS,

AND STORAGE ROOMS HOLD LARGE GRANARIES.

MOST OF THE COMPLEXES HAVE A SINGLE MONASTIC ROOM

AT THE UPPERMOST LEVEL--

A LATER ADDITION BY RELIGIOUS PRACTITIONERS.

THESE HIGH TEMPLE ROOMS SIT ATOP CAVE COMPLEXES

THAT CAN HAVE 60-80 ROOMS--

A HIGH-RISE HEWN INTO A HIMALAYAN CLIFF.

Mark: YOU CAN SEE THE TOOL MARKS

THAT ARE CUT INTO THE WALLS RIGHT HERE.

IN OUR LITTLE EXPERIMENT THAT WE CONDUCTED AT MARJONG,

IT TOOK US TWO HOURS

TO CARVE OUT 1.75 CUBIC METERS OF EARTH.

THAT WAS IN RELATIVELY SOFT ROCK.

THIS IS HARD STONE.

JUST THINK ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT IT WOULD TAKE

TO CARVE SOMETHING IN THIS ROCK.

IT'S REALLY PRETTY TOUGH STUFF.

ONE OF THE PERPLEXING QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE CAVES

IS WHEN AND WHO DID THE WORK?

YOU CAN'T DATE THE ROCK.

ALL YOU CAN DO IS DATE THINGS LIKE THE SOOT.

ON THE BRICK WALL HERE

YOU CAN SEE HOW THICK THE SOOT IS RIGHT HERE,

SO WE'LL TAKE A SAMPLE OF THAT.

AND THEN WE'LL PROBABLY TRY TO WORK A SAMPLE--

OH, THERE'S A PERFECT ONE RIGHT THERE--

THAT'S PART OF THE CAVE ROOF ITSELF.

AND IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY AT THE EDGE:

THERE'S CAVE WALL, AND THEN THERE'S THE SOOT LAYER

THAT'S ACCUMULATED OVER THE YEARS,

AND SO OUR GOAL WILL BE TO SAMPLE AS CLOSE AS WE CAN

TO THAT INTERFACE RIGHT THERE.

Narrator: KRIS SIFTS FOR MORE CLUES

THROUGH DRIFTS OF DRIED BIRD DROPPINGS.

Kris: THIS LOOKS LIKE AN ANCIENT PRAYER PACKET HERE.

PRAYERS ARE WRITTEN ON THE INSIDE

AND THEN WORN AROUND THE NECK.

IT'S IN REALLY GOOD SHAPE.

FANTASTIC, HUH?

THIS IS ANOTHER ONE THAT WAS WRAPPED IN A PIECE OF CLOTH

AND THE PRAYERS ARE STILL FOLDED

AND FAIRLY WELL INTACT ON THE INSIDE.

WOW, WHOLE BUNDLES OF PRAYER PACKAGES HERE!

SEVERAL OF THEM.

THESE COULD BE VERY OLD.

Pete: GOT IT?

Mark: YUP.

Pete: OKAY.

Mark: I HAVE IT.

Pete: ALL RIGHT, THERE IT GOES.

Mark: LOOK AT THAT, THAT'S BEAUTIFUL.

Narrator: IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY,

AND THEY STILL HAVE A THREE-HOUR TREK BACK

TO RENDEZVOUS WITH THE REST OF THE TEAM.

CHARLES AND MOHAN SINGH LAMA,

FROM NEPAL'S DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY,

DECIPHER THE ARCHAIC TIBETAN SCRIPT.

Charles: BUT IT LOOKS LIKE IT MENTIONS TWO PEOPLE

AND HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH TAXES

AND IT'S SOME KIND OF AGREEMENT.

Narrator: THESE ARE RARE DOCUMENTS AN ANTHROPOLOGIST HOPES FOR:

THE PERSONAL PAPERS OF A PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE CENTURIES AGO.

Charles: AND THEN WE HAVE THESE BITS AND PIECES.

THESE ARE AMULETS.

SOMEONE WOULD APPROACH A PRIEST

AND SAY THAT HE OR SHE REQUIRES PROTECTION

AGAINST MALADIES, WITCHES, GOSSIP, OR SOME SUCH THING.

AND THE PRIEST WILL MAKE A BLOCK PRINT,

FOLD IT UP INTO A LEATHER POUCH OR A CLOTH POUCH

AND THE PETITIONER WILL HANG THIS AROUND HIS OR HER NECK

AS A FORM OF PROTECTION.

ONCE THEY ARE REMOVED OR RENEWED,

THEY WOULD NEVER BE THROWN AWAY,

THEY WOULD JUST BE HUNG IN THE HOUSE.

SO THIS COULD BE A COLLECTION OF THESE AMULETS

FROM A SINGLE HOUSE.

NOW WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING ABOUT THESE--

IT'S NOT A BLOCK PRINT, IT'S MANUSCRIPT,

AND IT'S ALL COMPLETELY WRITTEN BY HAND,

AND PAINTED BY HAND.

THESE SORTS OF THINGS

ALMOST ALWAYS ARE BLOCK PRINTED AFTER THE 17th CENTURY, I THINK,

SO THIS IS ANOTHER ITEM OF EVIDENCE

TO SUGGEST THAT THIS IS PRE-17th CENTURY.

NOW WHY WOULD A COLLECTION LIKE THIS BE FOUND IN A CAVE?

TIBETANS CONSIDER THAT ANYTHING WRITTEN IS SACRED.

IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD

THERE IS ACTUALLY NO WORD FOR RELIGION.

THE USUAL TIBETAN WORD FOR RELIGION IS CHEU,

WHICH MEANS A BOOK.

SO A BOOK IS INTRINSICALLY SOMETHING SACRED.

SO A PIECE OF PAPER WITH SOME KIND OF WRITING ON IT,

WHETHER IT'S RELIGIOUS WRITING OR NOT, IS INTRINSICALLY SACRED.

SO IF SOMEBODY MIGHT WANT

TO SIMPLY GET RID OF ALL THESE THINGS,

RATHER THAN THROWING THE WHOLE LOT AWAY,

THEY WOULD DEPOSIT THEM REVERENTIALLY IN A CAVE.

SO THIS IS A KIND OF BURIAL OF THE TEXT.

Narrator: FOR THE WHOLE TEAM, IT'S A TOUCHING DETECTIVE STORY,

BREAKING THE SEAL OFF THE HIMALAYAN HISTORY BOOKS

TO LOG A MISSING CHAPTER FROM THE PAST.

BACK AT MARJONG, THE KHEMPO,

THE KING OF MUSTANG, AND THE LEADERS OF LO MANTHANG

HAVE DELIVERED A WRITTEN REQUEST

FOR THE TEAM TO REMOVE THE BON FOLIOS FROM THE CAVE.

NOTABLY, THERE'S NO SIGNATURE FROM THE YOUTH CLUB.

PETE DOESN'T WANT TO WAIT AROUND TO SEE IF THEY SHOW UP.

A CLIMBER'S HAUL BAG WILL BE THE CONDUIT

FOR A HISTORIC LIBRARY OF TEXTS.

AND ONE OF RENAN'S BLANK CANVASES ACTS AS TARP.

THEY START IN THE OUTER ROOM,

WHICH IS MERELY ONE-FIFTH OF THE ENTIRE COLLECTION.

THE AIM IS TO PRIORITIZE PAGES WITH ILLUMINATIONS,

IN CASE THEIR EFFORTS ARE ONCE MORE SHUT DOWN.

THIS IS THE FIRST OF WHAT WILL EVENTUALLY BE 30 LOADS.

THE BONPO LAMAS HAVE LONG WAITED FOR THIS MOMENT.

THE TEXTS ARE A DEEP CONNECTION TO THEIR LOST HISTORY.

MANY ARE FROM THE LUBUM,

AN ORIGINAL SERMON OF THE FOUNDER OF THE BON RELIGION,

TONPA SHENRAB.

FOR THE BONPO LAMAS, IT'S LIKE FINDING AN EARLY VERSION

OF A BOOK OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.

Charles: WE WON'T NEED TO WALK FOR THE REST OF THE TRIP,

WE CAN FLY, WE'VE GOT ENOUGH FEATHERS ON US.

Narrator: AFTER HOURS OF WORK,

THE CLIMBERS HAVE ONLY REMOVED HALF THE TEXTS.

HUNDREDS OF YEARS' WORTH OF BIRD GUANO AND DUST

COAT THE PAGES.

BUT THE FOLIOS ARE MADE OF DAPHNE,

A PLANT THAT PRODUCES PAPER AS STRONG AS LINEN.

THIS ALLOWS THE LAMAS A MORE RIGOROUS APPROACH

TO CLEANING THE TEXTS.

THEY'RE UNDOING A NATURAL TAR AND FEATHERING

OF AN UNWANTED LIBRARY

THAT WAS ONCE SECRETED AWAY INTO THESE CAVES

WHEN CONVERTING TO A NEW FAITH MEANT ERADICATING THE OLD.

Charles: A DISCIPLE OF TONPA SHENRAB.

WE'RE ALL CERTAINLY GOING TO GET BIRD FLU AFTER THIS,

THAT'S FOR SURE.

Narrator: CHARLES AND THE BONPO LAMAS

HAVE ISOLATED 38 BOOKS IN ALL.

MANY ARE INCOMPLETE.

IMPORTANT PAGES WITH ILLUMINATIONS ARE MISSING.

Charles: IN THIS CASE SOMEBODY HAS COME

AND CUT OUT THE ILLUMINATIONS AND LEFT THE REST OF THE TEXT.

IF THEY HAD KNOWN WHAT THEY WERE DOING,

THEY'D HAVE REALIZED THAT THE TEXT WITH THE ILLUMINATIONS

WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE VALUABLE.

Narrator: IN ALL, 10,000 PAGES ARE RESCUED AND COLLATED,

EACH SIDE PAINSTAKINGLY PHOTOGRAPHED

FOR WHAT WILL BE ONE OF THE LARGEST DIGITAL LIBRARIES

OF BON TEXTS.

Charles: THIS IS VERY VALUABLE MATERIAL.

IT'S A PRECIOUS FIND.

WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS TO BUNDLE THEM UP NEATLY,

LABEL THEM, AND FROM HERE ON

THEY WILL BE TAKEN AWAY FOR SAFEKEEPING.

Narrator: ALL PARTIES HAVE AGREED--

THE TEXTS WILL BE CARRIED UP TO AND STORED

AT THE KHEMPO'S MONASTERY IN LO MANTHANG.

CHARLES HAS DATED THE LIBRARY TO THE MID-15th CENTURY,

A TIME BY WHICH BUDDHISM HAD TRIUMPHED

OVER THE BON FAITH HERE.

BUT THE CAVES THEMSELVES HAVE AN EVEN OLDER HISTORY,

PERHAPS LINKED TO THE EARLIEST PEOPLE WHO CARVED THEM.

OUR FIRST HINT ABOUT WHO THEY WERE CAME IN THE 1990s,

WHEN A TEAM OF GERMAN AND NEPALI SCIENTISTS

CLIMBED INTO CAVES IN LOWER MUSTANG

AND FOUND NATURALLY MUMMIFIED BODIES.

THEY WERE DATED TO AROUND 400 B.C.

IT SEEMS AN UNKNOWN CIVILIZATION CARVED CAVES IN LOWER MUSTANG

STRICTLY FOR MORTUARY PURPOSES-- TO BURY AND REVERE THE DEAD.

Mark: SURPRISINGLY, WE KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT THEM.

WE KNOW ABOUT THEIR AGRICULTURE,

THEY WERE GROWING BARLEY AND BUCKWHEAT.

WE KNOW THAT THEY WERE TRADING CERAMICS

WITH PEOPLE LIVING DOWN VALLEY.

YET IT'S STILL VERY MUCH OPEN

AS TO WHO THESE PEOPLE WERE AND WHAT THEY WERE DOING HERE.

Narrator: CAVE BURIAL SUGGESTS

THAT THE MUMMIES PRE-DATE BUDDHISM.

ONE COMMON BUDDHIST WAY OF DISPOSING OF CORPSES,

BY CONTRAST, LEAVES NO TRACE.

Charles: THIS IS THE ROCK ON WHICH DEAD BODIES

ARE DISMEMBERED AND FED TO THE VULTURES.

YOU CAN SEE ALL THE CUTTING IMPLEMENTS OVER HERE.

THIS IS WHAT'S GENERALLY KNOWN AS SKY BURIAL.

THERE WERE A FEW VULTURES CIRCLING OVERHEAD

AND WATCHING US WITH SOME INTEREST AND SOME HOPE.

SO THE BODY WOULD BE BROUGHT UP HERE

AND JUST NEXT TO THE BIG ROCK WHERE THE CUTTING TAKES PLACE

YOU CAN SEE ANOTHER ROCK WITH A ROPE ATTACHED TO IT

AND A NOOSE ON THE END,

AND THIS IS FOR SECURING THE BODY.

THE ROPE IS TIED AROUND THE NECK

BECAUSE THE VULTURES ARE VERY STRONG,

THEY'RE AS STRONG AS A MAN.

AND THEY'RE LIKELY TO DRAG OFF LARGE LUMPS OF DEAD BODY,

IF NOT THE WHOLE BODY,

AND THEN YOU HAVE THE UNPLEASANT SPECTACLE

OF BITS OF DEAD BODY LYING AROUND THE PLACE.

THE PRINCIPLE IS THAT YOU DON'T LEAVE ANYTHING BEHIND.

EVERYTHING HAS TO BE CHOPPED UP VERY FINELY.

THE BONES ARE GROUND VERY SMALL,

THE BRAINS ARE MIXED INTO A KIND OF CAKE,

AND THAT'S WHAT THE VULTURES GET LAST.

THEY INSIST ON EVERYTHING DISAPPEARING

EXCEPT THE HAIR AND WHATEVER JEWELRY

THE INDIVIDUAL HAPPENED TO BE WEARING.

SO YOU CAN SEE A FEW BRACELETS OVER HERE,

WHICH ARE THE RATHER TOUCHING REMAINS FROM THE LAST FUNERAL.

THINGS THAT ARE USED FOR BODY CUTTING

ARE USUALLY LEFT IN THE CEMETERY.

THEY ARE CONSIDERED POLLUTING,

THEY ARE CONSIDERED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH DEATH,

AND IF YOU TAKE THEM HOME,

YOU NEVER REALLY KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO BE FOLLOWING YOU HOME.

Narrator: FOLLOWING A TIP FROM A LOCAL,

THE CLIMBERS TARGET A CAVE THAT MAY HOLD HUMAN REMAINS.

IT'S SITUATED AT 14,000 FEET, COMPLETELY UNEXPLORED,

AND POSES THE KIND OF TECHNICAL CHALLENGE

THE CLIMBERS LOOK FORWARD TO.

Pete: I THINK THAT MOST CLIMBERS

COME TO THESE POWERFUL PLACES IN THE HIMALAYA

BECAUSE WE FIND A SOLACE

IN THE KIND OF HOSTILE LANDSCAPE THAT WE CLIMB IN.

WE FIND A REJUVENATING POWER.

BUT WE ALSO FIND OURSELVES IN THESE LANDSCAPES

WHERE THE WEATHER, THE ROCK CONDITION,

OUR PARTICULAR OBJECTIVES IN IT PUT US AT HAZARD.

AND THERE'S AN EMOTIONAL SACRIFICE,

AN EMOTIONAL LIABILITY IN BEING IN PLACES LIKE THIS.

Kris: OKAY, RENAN, I'M CLIMBING.

Renan: GO AHEAD.

Kris: OH, IT'S SO GOOD!

Pete: I'M CONVINCED THAT SOME OF THE EARLIEST CLIMBERS

WERE CAVE PEOPLE.

NOT ONLY WERE THEY EXCELLENT CLIMBERS,

THEY WERE EXCELLENT CLIMBING WALL BUILDERS

BECAUSE THEY WERE ABLE

TO CARVE OUT THESE HANDHOLDS AND FOOTHOLDS.

THEY OBVIOUSLY HAD VERY LITTLE FEAR OF HEIGHTS.

Narrator: HISTORICALLY, THE PEOPLE OF MUSTANG

WOULD HAVE SUFFERED FREQUENT INVASIONS.

WARRING EMPIRES TRIED TO CONTROL THEIR STRATEGIC TRADE ROUTE.

FOR VILLAGERS, CAVES LIKE THESE COULD HAVE BEEN A REFUGE.

Pete: THEY COULD CLAMBER UP INTO THESE PLACES

AND THROW THESE GREAT SHEETS OF STONE OVER THESE SHAFTS.

THEY WERE PERFECT FORTS

FROM WHICH TO DEFEND THEMSELVES FROM ANY INVADING MARAUDERS.

Narrator: THE CLIMBERS THEN COME UPON AN ASTOUNDING FIND.

Pete: WE HAVE DEFINITE HUMAN REMAINS.

WE HAVE AN INTACT SKULL, BUT WITHOUT A JAWBONE.

WE HAVE A COMPLETELY INTACT VERTEBRAE AND PELVIS.

Mark: OKAY, PETE, THIS IS WHAT I'D LIKE YOU TO DO.

I'D LIKE YOU TO PULL SOME TEETH FROM THE SKULL,

AND THE TEETH I WOULD LIKE IN PARTICULAR

WOULD BE ANY OF THE MOLAR TEETH DOWN TO THE PRE-MOLARS.

Pete: THAT'S EASY. WE ONLY HAVE ONE MOLAR.

Mark: IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE A SKY BURIAL CONTEXT.

WOULD THAT AGREE WITH YOU AS WELL, PETE? OVER.

Pete: YEAH, WE ALL AGREE WITH THAT.

WERE THIS A SKY BURIAL,

CH MORE VIVISECTED,

MUCH BETTER CHOPPED UP.

Renan: HERE COMES THE ROPE!

Narrator: MIRACULOUSLY, THE CLIMBERS MAKE ANOTHER INTRIGUING DISCOVERY.

Kris: PETE, PETE, THIS IS KRIS CALLING.

DO YOU COPY?

Pete: GO AHEAD, KRIS, TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE IN THERE.

Kris: I JUST FOLLOWED RENAN INTO THE CENTRAL ROOM.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S OBVIOUSLY A BURIAL CHAMBER.

WE'VE GOT THREE SKELETONS IN HERE,

TWO OF WHICH HAVE INCLUSIVE MANDIBLE ON THE SKELETON.

THE ROOM ITSELF IS HIGHLY GEOMETRIC.

LOOKS LIKE AN ALTAR IN THE CORNER,

VERY BEAUTIFUL ARCHITECTURE.

NO REAL ILLUSTRATIONS ON THE WALLS.

Kris: I NEVER THOUGHT IN MY WILDEST DREAMS

I WOULD EVER BE RAPPELLING INTO ANCIENT CAVES

AND DISCOVERING MUMMIFIED BODIES.

THIS IS A CAREER DREAM.

Kris: ROCK!

Pete: HOW'S IT GOING, MARK?

Mark: IT'S GOING WELL. LOOKS LIKE YOU HAD A GREAT DAY.

Pete: IT WAS A BIG DAY.

Mark: WELL!

Pete: BUT THIS WAS....

Mark: OUR HUMAN SKULL. Pete: OUR HUMAN SKULL.

Mark: VERY NICE.

Pete: THE MANDIBLE WASN'T TO BE SEEN, BUT THAT WAS...

Mark: MAKES ME THINK THAT IT'S BEEN HEAVILY DISTURBED

BY PEOPLE COMING UP IN THERE AT SOME POINT IN THE PAST

AND MOVING THINGS AROUND.

CLEARLY AN ADULT.

ALL THE SUTURES ARE VERY WELL FUSED.

HOPEFULLY, IF WE CAN GET SOME DNA

OUT OF THE TOOTH THAT CAME DOWN.

IT'S GOT A BIG HOLE IN IT.

WOOF, THAT'S ONE NASTY CAVITY!

THIS WILL PROVIDE US WITH SOME GOOD INFORMATION

ABOUT WHAT ONE OCCUPATION OF THAT CAVE SYSTEM

WAS LIKELY TO BE.

[LAMA CHANTING]

Narrator: A LAMA IS CALLED IN TO GIVE A PUJA,

A CEREMONY WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE DECEASED

IS GIVEN OFFERINGS

AND THE NEARBY DIVINITIES ARE APPEASED.

THE LOCALS ARE INTRIGUED BY THE FIND.

THEY'RE INSPIRED TO LEARN MORE.

IN THE MORNING, THE DETAILED DOCUMENTING BEGINS.

ALL DATA WILL BE INCLUDED

IN A COMPREHENSIVE INVENTORY OF EVERYTHING THEY'VE FOUND.

THE LOCAL PEOPLE WILL KEEP THE SKULL AND ARTIFACTS.

THEY WANT TO BUILD A MUSEUM,

SO PEOPLE CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR DISTANT PAST.

Mark: LET'S DO THE OTHER SIDE.

NOW WE HAVE A BROADER SAMPLE.

WE'RE LOOKING AT PRE-700 A.D. FOR STARTERS,

AND THEN HOW MUCH EARLIER THAN THAT

BECOMES A REALLY INTERESTING RESEARCH QUESTION.

THIS IS PRECISELY THE KIND OF CAVES

WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR IN SOME WAYS.

NOW WE'VE GOT CAVES WITH HUMAN SKELETAL REMAINS

THAT COMPARE VERY FAVORABLY

TO THE CAVES WE SEE DOWN IN SOUTHERN MUSTANG

THAT THE NEPALI-GERMAN TEAM LOCATED BACK IN THE 1990s.

Narrator: WE KNOW FROM THE NEPALI-GERMAN WORK

THAT THERE WAS ONE GROUP WHO LIVED HERE 3,000 YEARS AGO,

BUT ANALYSIS OF DNA FROM THE TEAM'S SKELETAL REMAINS

NOW CONFIRMS THAT THERE WAS A MORE RECENT CULTURE,

600 YEARS AGO, THAT USED THE CAVES FOR THEIR DEAD.

REMARKABLY, DNA EVIDENCE INDICATES

THAT THE TWO GROUPS APPEAR UNRELATED.

THIS SUGGESTS MUSTANG HAS BEEN HOME

TO A MOSAIC OF DISTINCT CULTURES.

[BLOWING HORN]

WHY WOULD ANYONE COME HERE?

EVEN THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO, IT WAS AN UNFORGIVING PLACE.

THE KALI GANDAKI RIVER THAT FLOWS PAST THE CAVES

PROVIDES OUR ANSWER:

FOR MILLENNIA, CARAVANS AND CULTURES

HAVE FOLLOWED THE RIVER CORRIDOR.

CARBON DATING FROM SAMPLES OF GRAINS FROM THE CAVES

INDICATE THAT PEOPLE HAVE LIVED HERE FOR 3,000 YEARS.

SOME CARVED THE CAVES TO HOLD THEIR DEAD...

OTHERS USED THEM FOR DEFENSE...

AT LEAST ONE MORE CONVERTED THEM INTO SACRED SHRINES.

ONE FINAL CAVE SUGGESTS AN EVEN MORE COMPELLING,

SPIRITUAL REASON FOR COMING HERE.

THE GREAT TEACHER WHO BROUGHT BUDDHISM HERE, GURU RINPOCHE,

ALSO DID SOMETHING ELSE.

HE LOCATED AND THEN CONCEALED 108 REFUGES HE NAMED BEYULS.

ONE CAVE HAS THE QUALITIES OF SUCH A SANCTUARY.

THEY FOUND IT LAST YEAR AFTER A SHEPHERD TOLD THEM

ABOUT SHELTERING FROM A STORM THERE WHEN HE WAS A BOY.

THE CAVE IS A LAST REMNANT OF AN ABANDONED TEMPLE COMPLEX,

PRECARIOUSLY SITUATED AT THE TOP OF A RIDGE, AT 14,000 FEET.

WORD IS OUT ABOUT ITS ALLURE.

IN A SINGLE YEAR, OVER A HUNDRED PEOPLE

HAVE UNDERTAKEN THE ARDUOUS JOURNEY.

INSIDE ARE MASTERPIECES,

FRAGILE PAINTINGS IN A DISTINCT INDIAN STYLE,

EVOCATIVE OF THE EARLIEST DAYS OF BUDDHISM.

Charles: THE KHEMPO WAS EXPLAINING THAT THESE BELONG TO A SET

THAT ARE KNOWN AS THE 84 MAHASIDDHAS,

THE GREAT SAINTS AND WONDERWORKERS

OF THE TANTRIC BUDDHIST TRADITION.

EACH OF THESE IMAGES

HAS A FOUR-LINE INSCRIPTION UNDERNEATH IT.

AND THE STRUCTURE IS EXACTLY THE SAME IN EACH CASE.

SO LET'S TAKE AN EXAMPLE OF THIS INDIVIDUAL--

HE BELONGED TO A FISHING CASTE

AND HE WAS HIGHLY ACCOMPLISHED AT YOGIC TECHNIQUES.

HE WENT BEGGING IN THE STREETS, NAKED.

AND HOMAGE TO THAT LAMA WHO WAS CALLED CHANDALI.

Narrator: THE 84 MAHASIDDHAS WERE GREAT TEACHERS,

BUT THEY WERE ALSO REAL PEOPLE WHO LIVED VIRTUOUS LIVES.

THEY CAME FROM ALL PARTS OF THE SOCIAL STRATUM--

BLACKSMITHS, MUSICIANS, HOUSEWIVES, AND STREET SWEEPERS,

ALL PASSING ON THE DHARMA, THE WORD OF THE BUDDHA,

TO THOSE WHO WOULD LISTEN.

[CHANTING]

Charles: THE RUINS AROUND HERE ARE QUITE EXTENSIVE,

SO THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A RATHER SIZEABLE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY

LIVING HERE IN AN EXTREMELY REMOTE PLACE,

ABSOLUTELY IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE,

PERHAPS RECEIVING VISITORS AND PILGRIMS

WHO WOULD THEN PROVIDE THEM WITH PATRONAGE

FOR THEIR SURVIVAL IN THIS ENVIRONMENT.

[KHEMPO CHANTING]

Narrator: THE MAHASIDDHAS' TEACHINGS STILL RESONATE TODAY.

PILGRIMS WANT TO COME IN CONTACT WITH THEM,

INADVERTENTLY DAMAGING THE DELICATE MURALS.

Charles: THERE IS A SORT OF PIOUS VANDALISM GOING ON,

WHERE PEOPLE WILL COME THROUGH

AND TAKE LITTLE SAMPLES OF THE PLASTER, FOR INSTANCE,

TO PUT IN THEIR AMULET BOXES.

SO IT'S NOT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO DESTROY IT,

BUT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO TAKE

SOME OF THE BLESSINGS OF THE PLACE WITH THEM.

AND THEY WILL ALSO RUB THEIR HANDS ON THEM,

RUB THEIR HEADS ON THEM AND SO FORTH

IN ORDER TO GET THESE BLESSINGS.

Narrator: THIS DISCOVERY, DATED TO THE 14th CENTURY,

COMBINED WITH SOME OF THE OTHER CAVE SHRINES THE TEAM HAS FOUND,

SHOWS THAT THE GREATEST ARTISTS OF THE HIMALAYA,

IN A GOLDEN AGE OF TIBETAN ART, WERE DRAWN TO MUSTANG.

WHAT WAS IT THAT BROUGHT THEM SO FAR, SO HIGH,

TO PAINT ON THE CRUMBLING, IMPERMANENT WALLS

OF HAND-HEWN CAVES?

PERHAPS IT'S NOT JUST THE TEACHINGS OF THE MURALS

THAT ATTRACTS THE DEVOUT.

MAYBE THE EFFORT IN REACHING THIS HIGH CAVE TEMPLE,

THE SUFFERING INVOLVED IN GETTING HERE,

IS THE TEACHING.

THE RESEARCHERS HAVE CLEANED SOME OF THE MURALS

SO THE WORLD CAN SEE THESE GREAT TEACHERS

AS THEY WERE MEANT TO SOME 700 YEARS AGO.

WHAT IS EMERGING IS A PICTURE OF MUSTANG

AS AN OASIS OF ART AND SPIRITUALITY

NESTLED AMIDST A VAST LANDSCAPE OF LITTLE ELSE.

Charles: THE PERCENTAGE OF CAVES THAT WE'VE BEEN INTO

IS ABSOLUTELY MINISCULE,

AND THE DISCOVERIES THAT WE'VE MADE

IN MANY WAYS CHANGES THE HISTORY OF THIS PART OF THE WORLD.

THERE ARE PERHAPS UPWARD OF 10,000 CAVES.

HOW MANY HAVE WE BEEN INTO, HALF A DOZEN PERHAPS?

WE NEED TO GO INTO AS MANY OF THEM AS POSSIBLE,

MAKE SOME KIND OF BASIC INVENTORY,

AND IT'S GOING TO BE THE CLIMBERS

AND THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS AND THE ART HISTORIANS

WHO CAN START TO PIECE TOGETHER

THE ANCIENT AND MORE RECENT HISTORY OF THIS AREA.

AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE PEOPLE OF THIS AREA

ARE VERY, VERY KEEN TO KNOW.

Narrator: THEY'VE JUST SCRATCHED THE SURFACE

OF MUSTANG'S COUNTLESS CAVES,

EACH ONE MERITING FURTHER EXPLORATION

INTO A WORLD WHERE PEOPLE HAVE LIVED

AN ENLIGHTENED WAY OF LIFE FOR MILLENNIA.

Pete: AT THE TIME OF GURU RINPOCHE,

IN MANY WAYS IT WAS A TYPE OF SHANGRI-LA

BECAUSE THE KINGS OF TIBET

WERE TRYING TO CIVILIZE A HIGHLY WARLIKE PEOPLE.

AND THE ENTRANCE OF GURU RINPOCHE

WAS TO BRING THE TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA

AND TO TRY TO CIVILIZE PEOPLE

AND CREATE A LIFE THAT'S FAR BETTER.

PERHAPS THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN MUSTANG AT THAT TIME

WOULD HAVE SEEN THAT CIVILIZING FACTOR

AS CREATING A PARADISE

BECAUSE ONE WOULD NOT HAVE TO WAKE UP

AND SHARPEN ONE'S SWORDS,

ONE COULD BEAT ONE'S SWORDS INTO PLOUGHSHARES

AND BE LIVING AN AGRICULTURAL LIFE

AND HAVE A LANDSCAPE THAT COULD SUSTAIN THAT LIFE.

ONE THAT WOULD BE BUDDHIST IN NATURE

AND WOULD BE COMPASSIONATE FOR ALL SENTIENT BEINGS.

Narrator: PERHAPS GURU RINPOCHE PLANTED A SEED HERE IN MUSTANG

AND IT DID BLOOM

INTO A RELIGIOUS, ARTISTIC AND REJUVENATING BEYUL,

PROVIDING SACRED REFUGE

SOME OF US MIGHT DESCRIBE AS PARADISE.

[WOMEN SINGING]