It’s already been a decade since the monarchy’s end in Nepal. Regardless of that fact, people in Mustang still have the king.

In the heart of Mustang - Lo Manthang, locals there consider their “king” as the guardian. Despite the departure of monarchy, people there believe they have faith in their king rather than the ended monarchy.

Earlier some weeks ago, the locals of Lo Manthang celebrated Yartung Parba. To celebrate the three-day festival, they took permission from their king, Jigme Singi Parwal Bista.

Yartung Parba is the biggest festival in Lo Manthang. According to their culture, the king must give permission to celebrate the festival. Otherwise, the festival won’t be there. Even in this year’s Yartung Parba, nobody did anything without the king’s appearance.

“We respect our king. We do everything with his permission. Our belief in him hasn’t gone. It’s still here,” a local Chewang Gurung said. According to him, the works will not be done, if the king disagrees.

On the other side, Bista isn’t ready to call himself the king. He addresses himself as the normal being after the end of monarchy in Nepal. “I am not a king. It’s a reward for my ancestor’s good deeds. And I have gained respect because of them,” he said.

Since the massive earthquake in 2015, the palace has hardly been the same. Due to that fact, Bista and his family had to leave the palace. Right now, he runs Royal Palace Resort in Mustang. For a couple of years, he has proved himself to be a tourism supporter and employer to the youths in Mustang.