A team of archaeologists and mountain climbers spent three weeks searching for the cave, The Times of London reported Saturday. They learned of the paintings from a shepherd who found them when he took shelter in the cave a few years ago.

The cave is in Lo Manthang, capital of Mustang, a semi-autonomous kingdom on the border between Nepal and Tibet. Mustang placed itself under the protection of Nepal in 1950 to avoid a Chinese takeover when Tibet was annexed.

The team, including two Nepalese archaeologists and an Italian art expert who helped restore the Sistine Chapel, have not revealed the exact location of the cave. In addition to the murals, they found manuscripts, pottery and gold and silver items.

The archaeologists say that the cave may have been used for burials.