Once a town of stone buildings and tin roofs, Nyalam was known as Tsongdu[2] (Tibetan: ཚོང་འདུས[1]) and was part of the historical Tsang Province of Tibet before the annexation by China. Nepalese trans-himalayan traders called it Kuti (Nepali: कुती) and also 'The Gate of Hell' because the old trail down to the Nepalese border was very treacherous.
Today Nyalam is a fast-growing little town made of concrete buildings located on the Friendship Highway between Lhasa and the Nepal border. South of Nyalam the road drops abruptly through the gorge of the Matsang Tsangpo (a.k.a. Poiqu, Bhotekoshi River), which is the upper section or main tributary of Sun Kosi in Nepal.[2][3] The town is about 40 km from the Nepalese border and 150 km from Kathmandu.
Outside Milarepa's Cave, about 10 km north of Nyalam Town
"Police Attention: No distributing any unhealthy thoughts or objects." A trilingual (Tibetan - Chinese- English) sign above the entrance to a small cafe in Nyalam Town, Tibet, 1993.