Caravan to Lhasa

For centuries, Newar merchants of Kathmandu have operated business houses in Lhasa and conducted trade between Nepal, Tibet, and India. Traveling in great mule caravans, they transported wool, gold, musk, textiles and factory products across the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau over the trade route that forms part of the Silk Road. They built temples and created sculptures and paintings that stand as specimens of Buddhist art. However, the story of these traders and artisans who helped shape the commerce and culture of the Himalaya is little known. Caravan to Lhasa tells the story of a family of these merchant-adventurers from the 1920s to the 1960s.

“Kamal Tuladhar captures the spirit of a vanished era, one in which the sense of adventure and the willingness to take risks was not only essential for the success of trading ventures, but a way of life."

- ECS