Jharkot, also spelled Dzarkot or simply Dzar, is a traditional village belonging to the Village Development Committee (VDC) in Mustang, which is the northernmost District of Nepal's Gandaki Province. Jharkot is not far from Ranapauwi, the main village of the VDC Muktinath, where the famous Muktinath Temple is located. Jharkot, like Muktinath temple, is situated on the once popular Annapurna Circuit trek, which had been one of the most renowned trekking routes, before the roads from Pokhara to Muktinath to the east and Manang to the west of Thorung were constructed.
Jharkot is situated at an elevation of around 3500m (11,500 feet) above sea level. That's why the climate in Jharkot can be quite cold below freezing point especially during the winter months, whereas the summers are mild Like most of Mustang, Jharkot is situated in the rain shadow of the Himalayand and therefore has a dry climate.
The heydays of Jharkot were in the 17th century, when the rulers of the region now comprising the VDNs Kagbeni, Muktinath and Jhong (Baragaon region) took their residence here.
The heydays of Jharkot were in the 17th century, when the rulers of the region now comprising the VDNs Kagbeni, Muktinath and Jhong (Baragaon region) took their residence here.
Jharkot is a village of the Thakali people. Like the various Bhotia (Tibetan) ethnicities and Manang and Sherpa and other peoples mainly living in the high mountains and to the north of them (Transhimalaya region), Thakali people speak a Tibeto-Burman language. Thakali people live mainly in Mustang and constitute around 20% of the population of the district, they predominantly settle in the southern third of Mustang. In contrast to the Lo people, a Tibetan ethnicity forming the core population of Upper Mustang further north, the Thakali people practice a synthesis of Tibetan and Nepalese culture. The Thakalis have historically been involved in trade along the ancient salt route from Tibet to India, crossing the Himalayas via the valley of Kali Gandaki. The main festival of Thakali people is Toran-La, which falls on the same day as Holi, usually in the Gregorian month of March.
Jharkot is a picturesque fortress-like village nestled on a crest. Like Kagbeni, Jharkot was fortified indeed and has Khenis ("ghost eaters") as guardian statues at the former gates. Near the entrance of the village proper only tall walls in ruins remain from a former fortress. The highest point of Jharkot, just at the opposite end of the village, is marked by a red-coloured Buddhist monastery, which is the main attraction of Jharkot. It's simply known as Jharkot Gompa, or Ngorp in the Tibetan language. Like the central monastery in Kagbeni, the said monastery belongs to the Sakya-Pa, one of the four classical sects of Tibetan Buddhism. Shakya-Pa is mainly is based on the teachings of the 9th century Indian Tantric yogi Virupa and was introduced in Tibet in the 11th century. Like the earlier Tibetan sects Nyingma-Pa and Kadam-Pa, Sakya-Pa has become more prevalent in the periphery of Tibet, when the core region around Lhasa and Shigatse got dominated by the younger Gelug-Pa since the 15th century. The building of the Jharkot Gompa is from the 13th or 14th century. The monastery has earned a reputation as a center of healing arts and traditional Tibetan medical science.
The scenic views from Jharkot go to the main valley of Kali Gandaki to the west and a small tributary valley just to the north. The latter valley marks the border to Upper Mustang. The cliffs have holes, which are openings of artificial caves. Many more - and more impressive specimens - of such manmade ancient caves are found in Upper Mustang, more than 10,000 altogether, some of them multi-storey systems of tunnels and rooms. They are known as skye caves.
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The neighbouting village of Jharkot on the opposite side of the small gorge is Jhong (Dzong), bearing the same name as the river that formed the gorge, the Dzong Kola. Jhong also has a red-coloured Tibetan monastery belonging to the Sakya-Pa branch of Buddhism. It can be seen from Jharkot and Muktinath in a distance. It's called Sakya Dzong Chode Shedup Choephel Ling and was established in the 16th century and rebuilt in the 1960s by Buddhist monks that had to flee from Tibet.
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Jharkot is located in 20 km distance from Jomsom Airport, 10 km east of Kagbeni and 2 km west of Ranipauwa/Muktinath by motorable road