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Principality of Mustang, Nepal

image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 14 August 2008
modified from http://en.wikipedia.org

Nepal

I have contradictory information about the Principality of Mustang on the Nepal-Tibet border. The first flag I know of was published in Zászlóvilág, a Hungarian vexillological magazine, after a trip to the area by a Hungarian vexillologist. The flag has the Nepalese national colors in a different arrangement. Later I received different information from Michel Lupant who described many flags in use different from the reported one. I need some time for research about the topic. It seems that the later reported flags are the royal flag, a religious flag, and the religious chief's flag.

The Kingdom of Mustang consists only in 3 towns, among them Lo Mantang, the capital, and 24 smaller villages, in addition to 8 monasteries. The kingdom is also called Mastang and its sovereign is a subject of the king of Nepal (since 1795) and of Tibet. The sovereign is Tibetan and has the title of Raja in Nepalese and Lo Gyelpo (King of Lo) in Tibetan. The government is in the hands of seven noble families who are the only people with the right to marry into the royal house. In the beginning of the century the Raja was Jamian Pelbar, who died in 1905, and who was succeeded by Angun Tenzing Trandul. After the 1947 revolution this last abdicated and was succeeded by his son Angdu Nyingpo; after the premature death of this king in 1958 his father took back the throne but abdicated again in his other son Jigme Dorje randul, the 26th sovereign, still ruling.
Jaume Ollé, 28 October 2002

On http://www.worldstatesmen.org and http://en.wikipedia.org is the flag reported as vinous red with blue border and white sun at the center. So it is similar to the lower triangle in Nepali flag, but sun of Mustang has 16 rays, while that on current Nepal royal flag and proposal Nepal republic flag has 12 rays.
Jakub Grombíř, 6 February 2008

I have seen this alleged flag several times on internet, but I find it dubious. Mustang is an area of Tibetan culture, and the pattern of the flag doesn't fit with the traditional and religious patterns. It looks as if it had been designed by a Nepalese. Worldstatesmen also gives a royal flag which is swallow-tailed with a red field, blue borders on top and bottom, and white stripes between the blue and red parts, quite similar to the Nepalese national flag and very different from the known examples of flags from Tibetan cultures. http://www.4dw.net/royalark/Nepal/mustang.htm
Corentin Chamboredon, 7 February 2008