Himalaya Night
Wednesday, November 18, beginning at 8 p.m.
on WKAR-HD and WKAR-23

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WKAR Offers Programs About Himalayan Kingdom on Wednesday

WKAR will offer three programs, back-to-back, on Wednesday, November 18, focusing on the Himalayan Kingdom of Mustang.

Secrets of Shangri-la
8 p.m.

In the legendary Kingdom of Mustang, a remote corner of the Himalaya previously off-limits to outsiders, a team of explorers and scientists climbs for the first time into human-carved caves thousands of years old. They find priceless 14th-century wall paintings, ancient human remains and a centuries-old hidden library of sacred texts that may reveal some secrets about Shangri-la.

Lost Cave Temples of the Himalaya
9 p.m.

In a remote corner of the Himalaya, in the forbidden Kingdom of Mustang, mysterious caves, perched high on cliff faces and carved by humans thousands of years ago, have lain just beyond reach — until recently. In April of 2007, a team of climbers and scientists climbed inside the long-hidden chambers for the first time in modern history.

This film follows the riveting story, told by filmmaker Liesl Clark, about her husband, seven-time Everest summiter Pete Athans, and big-wall climber Renan Ozturk, who take on the dangerous job of climbing into the crumbling caves, searching for nine legendary cave temples called “kabum.” What they find goes far beyond their expectations, as their cameras document every hair-raising move. It’s an explorer’s dream … until the unexpected happens: A posse of local horsemen gallops up while Ozturk is perched high on a dangerously eroding cliff.

The climbers intend to document and preserve what may be inside the cave, but the site is sacred to the locals. Dramatically heightening the stakes, the villagers start pulling on the ropes, placing weight on the fragile anchors; they then demand payment. Should the team set a precedent by paying the locals to climb into their cave? Should they risk violating the sacred in a dangerous effort to preserve it?

Mustang: Journey of Transformation
10 p.m.

Lost in time, the Himalayan Kingdom of Mustang is one of the last sanctuaries of authentic Tibetan Buddhist culture. Long isolated by geography and politics, the people struggle to survive; the center of their culture, the 15th-century monasteries and the art within, are dangerously close to collapse.

Featuring His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Raja of Mustang and chief art conservator Luigi Fieni, this program tells the compelling story of efforts to rescue this ancient place from the brink of extinction and help spark a cultural renaissance. Richard Gere narrates.