Slide Show (SD Quality) | Dr. Katia Buffetrille
Duration: 1 hr. 24 min.

Tibet is famous for its many sacred sites, but some of them have a special significance in the Tibetan world. Lapchi, an extremely remote valley in north-eastern Nepal that can only be reached on foot, is one of those places that every Tibetan dreams of visiting one day. The valley is located near the current political border between Nepal and Tibet, north of the eastern town of Lamabaghar in the Dolakha district; the region has belonged to Nepal since the signing of the agreement between China and Nepal in 1960. The fame of Lapchi in the Tibetan world is primarily linked to the Tibetan saint and hermit Milarepa (1040-1123), who spent several years there in meditation. The speaker spent several months in Lapchi as part of her research work; she describes this place of pilgrimage and shows the liveliness of both the lay and ordained communities.