The dry trench of the upper Kali Gandaki between the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna ranges, with the Thakali villages of Thak Khola (Thak-sat-se) below, Muktinath above and the Tibetan-speaking country of Lo at the top, where the salt caravans come out onto the plateau.
The deepest trade road on earth, and the one place a laden animal can walk through the mountains without a serious pass (the campaign board). The valley kingdom does not rule it; it trades along it. Lo Manthang and its kingdom are founded in 1380 (Wikipedia, citing a 2002 newspaper source), so in 1200 this is a corridor of villages and grazing with no named state.
The Dolpo page adds that Dolpo came under Lo only in the fourteenth century.
Who holds it
- Name
- Not known by name
- Title
- Village headmen of the trench
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not known
- Family
- not known
- Confidence
- low
Wikipedia's Kingdom of Lo page: Ame Pal founded the kingdom in 1380; the page says nothing about the valley before. The Thakali page has no history.
What it holds
- the Thakali villages
- Kagbeni and Muktinath
- Lo and its grazing
How things stand that morning
Open in the dry months; nothing is dated.
Wealth
Salt, wool, grain and the shaligram stone from the riverbed.
Military
No army is recorded and no number is known.
Customs
Tibetan Buddhist and Bon; the Thakali dhom priest (a later practice).
Tribute
Tolls taken by whoever sits at the villages; nothing is recorded.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1380 (later)Ame Pal founds the kingdom of Lo with its walled capital at Lo Manthang.Depends on: A local ruler's rise and the salt trade. Stopped by: Given only as a later event; it does not exist in 1200.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The campaign board and one thin page.
"The campaign board" is OMNIA's working map. These notes record where its earlier claims were checked against the sources.
On the map: Approximate.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.