The article begins by providing a historical background as well as experiences of Nepalis living in Tibet through six case studies that were conducted in 1974. It states how up until the 19th century, there were more Nepalis in Tibet than anywhere else in the world and more Tibetans in Nepal than people of Indian origin. This is attributed to the strong religious, cultural, and economic ties that existed between Nepal and Tibet then, which is evident in the many narratives that describe the frequent movement of Nepali monks, architects, traders, craftsmen, masons and builders to Tibet. However, after the 13th century, following the religious reform movement of Je Tsong Khapa, religious and cultural relations between the two countries waned and bilateral relations between the two countries became limited to mostly trade and commerce. The paper also distinguishes between Tibet-born Nepalis and Nepal-born Nepalis and their differential experiences in Tibet. For instance, since the Nepali traditional law of inheritance prohibited Tibet-born Nepalis from inheriting any property, the Tibet-born Nepalis were forced to opt for Chinese citizenship in 1960-1962. As a result, in the year 1974, the population of Nepalis in Tibet numbered 350, a figure which in 1920 was about 1600-1700 Nepalis, consisting of Newars and Nepalis with mixed parentage. Similarly, the operation of other Nepali institutions had also declined by 1974; while there was only one primary school for Nepali children in Lhasa, the dozen operative guthis had ceased to exist.

 Bista, D.B. 1980. Contributions to Nepalese Studies. 8:1, 1-19.