Dolpo

Dolpo is a high mountain country on the Tibetan side of the Himalayan watershed. Sheltered from rain by the Dhaulagiri range, its valleys support scattered settlements of farmers and herders. The people of Dolpo share a Tibetan cultural heritage, and Bon traditions have endured alongside Buddhism. Mountain paths connect the valleys with Tibet and with the trade routes of the Kali Gandaki.

In the fourteenth century Dolpo came under the kingdom of Lo to the east. Its inhabitants paid taxes and travelled to Lo Monthang to provide labour. For a time during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries Dolpo was independent under rulers of the Ra Nag dynasty. In 1789 the expanding kingdom of Nepal conquered Lo and incorporated Dolpo as well.