Limi लिमी | |
|---|---|
Village (Ward council) | |
 | |
| Nickname: Hidden Valley | |
 Limi (Ward No. 6) | |
  Limi Location in province Show map of Karnali Province Limi Limi (Nepal) Show map of Nepal | |
| Coordinates:30°17′N81°39′E / 30.29°N 81.65°E /30.29; 81.65 | |
| Country |  Nepal |
| Province | Karnali Province |
| District | Humla District |
| Rural Municipality | Namkha |
| Ward | Ward No.6 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Ward council |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,201.29 km2 (463.82 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 904 |
| • Density | 0.75/km2 (1.9/sq mi) |
| • Religions | Tibetan Buddhism |
| Time zone | UTC+5:45 (Nepal Time) |
| Website | namkhamun.gov.np |
Limi Valley is a high-altitude valley that forms the northernmost part of theHumla District of north-westernNepal. To its north, the Limi valley borders thePurang County ofTibet,China.
Limi is a ward council of theNamkha rural municipality of the Humla district, which itself is a part of theKarnali Province. Previously the whole valley was known as the Limi Village Development Committee (VDC). As of the1991 Nepal census, Limi valley had a population of 988 persons living in 169 individual households.[1] The population of the valley decreased to 904 individual according to2011 Nepal census.[2]
The Limi valley is drained by the Limi river, a tributary of the Humla Karnali river. This valley has only three settlements, the Dzang, Halji, and Til villages. Dzang lies at 3,920m, Halji at 3,700m, and Til at 4,100m above sea level.[3] Halji village is located on the southern slopes of theGurla Mandhata massif.[4]
To go to the Limi valley, one first needs to travel toSimikot, the headquarters of district Humla. Presently, the only way of traveling to Simikot, other than going on foot for several days, is to take a flight fromNepalgunj in the western Nepali plains. Limi valley can be accessed from Simikot by two routes.[5] One follows the upstream course of theHumla Karnali river from Simikot toHilsa; crosses the river at Hilsa, and climbs up the eastward trail to Limi valley. This route enters near Til village. Walking this route takes 5-7 days. The other route also begins by following the Humla Karnali river in an upstream direction, but diverges to turn north at the confluence of the Salli Khola and Humla Karnali rivers. This route goes over the 4,995m highNyalu Lagna pass, enters Talung valley, and after another day's march, enters the Limi valley near Takche, east of village Dzang. Walking this route takes 4-5 days. A rough motorable road has been built from the Sino-Nepal border near Lapcha La pass till Salli Khola; it connects the eastern end of Limi, near Dzang, by road toTaklakot in Tibet (China).
A permit is required to visit the northern areas of Humla, including Simikot and Limi valley.[6]
The local inhabitants of the Limi valley, called the Limey,[7] follow theDrikung Kagyu school ofTibetan Buddhism, and there is a smallgonpa in each village.[8] The Limey economy has traditionally been dependent on agriculture, supplemented by pastoralism and trade.[9] Over history and in the present times, the Limi valley community has had various kinds of close ties with the neighboring region of Tibet.[10][11][12][13][14] TheRinchenling gonpa at Halji is said to have been built byLotsawaRinchen Zangpo in the 11th century AD, and bears significant resemblances with theTabo monastery inSpiti valley, India - also said to have been built by Rinchen Zangpo.[15] Limi valley is also known for the Lapcha La pass, on the border with Tibet, from where one gets an expansive view ofLake Manasarovar and the distantMount Kailash on a clear day.[16][17]
Thesnow leopard,Himalayan wolf,Tibetan fox,Tibetan gazelle,kiang,argali,Himalayan brown bear, andHimalayan blue sheep have been reported from Limi.[18][19]Wild yak, once thought to be extinct in Nepal since five decades, was reported from the Limi valley in 2014.[20][21] Limi valley and its neighboring parts of upper Humla are rich in bird diversity.[22]
Since 2004, a series ofGLOFs have come threateningly close Halji Richenling monastery, while also destroying parts of the Halji village. Scientists have linked these GLOFs directly to global warming and climate change.[4][23][24]
On account of its geographic remoteness and the intactness of its culturally Tibetan heritage, the Limi valley has been called 'Shangri La' by some commentators.[25][26] In a similar vein, the Zen Buddhist teacherJoan Hallifax has called Limi valley a 'beyul'.[27] The IndianguruSadhguru visited Limi valley to view Kailash-Manasarovar from the Lapcha La pass in September 2021.[28]
