Nangchen

Nangchen lies in the mountain country of eastern Tibet, along the upper Mekong known as the Dza Chu. Its kingdom emerged from a confederation of local groups in the thirteenth century and endured under a line of Tibetan kings. Monasteries of the Kagyu traditions became prominent in its valleys; Tana Monastery, founded in 1068, was one of its early religious centres.

The rulers of Nangchen maintained ties with both neighbouring Tibetan powers and the dynasties of China. Their authority encompassed lay communities and monasteries, whose relationships with the royal house shaped the kingdom. Mountain pastures and river valleys joined a network of religious centres across the land, giving Nangchen a distinctive place among the kingdoms of Kham, where valleys and high passes separated neighbouring centres of power.