Nepal Building and Darchula Bazaar

Location: Purang County, Ali Prefecture
Opening Hours: All day long
Admission Fee: None
How to Get There: Nepal Building and Darchula Bazaar is about 20 minutes' walk from Purang County.
Best Time to Visit: You can visit here all year round, but Nepalese will bring more goods to Purang in Summer.

About Nepal Building and Darchula Bazaar

The Nepal Building is situated in the north of Purang County. Unlike other concrete architectures, the Nepal Building is actually made up of countless caves on a hill, some of which used to be temples. Now, many Indians and Nepalese cross the international border to do business in Purang. That’s why local people tend to call this hill Nepal Building.

It is now a trading center comprising a number of distinct settlements separated by the Hunla Karnali River, known in Tibet as Mabja Tsangpo (Peacock River). Nepali traders come up from the Humla and Darchula regions in the extreme west of Nepal to trade a variety of goods, including rice, carried up from Nepal in huge trains of goods-carrying goats. Indians traded for Tibetan salt and wool in the Darchula Bazaar, a 15-minute walk south of Purang.

This bazaar consists of 6 or 7 rows of shops. In Darchula Bazaar, most vendors are Nepalese, bringing clothes, jewelry, coffees, and perfumes in, and taking wool and sheep back to Nepal. There are also some sellers from India, Tibet, and even inland China.

Purang is also the arrival point for the annual influx of Hindu pilgrims from India, intent on making a kora of Mount Kailash, which devout Hindus consider the abode of Shiva.

Tips of Nepal Building and Darchula Bazaar

It would be best if you managed your shopping time because when it’s getting dark, the seller will close the shops.