Dullu

Dullu, which lies several miles to the west of the Dailekh district capital, was an important centre of the Malla kingdom which ruled much of western Nepal and western Tibet between the 12th and 14th centuries. With the demise of the Malla kingdom Dullu-Dailekh became one of the baise (twenty-two) group of petty principalities in western Nepal.

Dullu contains an impressive and well-preserved stone pillar dated 1354, associated with Prithvimalla. It provides a genealogy of the Khasa Malla dynasty, stating that Prithvimalla’s ancestor Nagaraja was the founder who established the capital of the kingdom at Sinja near modern Jumla, with Dullu as its winter headquarters.

Dullu contains a number of stone pillars with inscriptions. These are referred to by D.R. Sharma as Kirti Khamba or Sthambha – pillars which bear inscriptions and may have small images or religious symbols. In addition, a number of small stone pillars line the roads of Dullu. These are referred to as Vir Khamba which, Sharma suggests, were established by government or individuals to commemorate the bravery of soldiers, or to mark territorial boundaries (Contributions to Nepalese Studies 24, 1997).

There is also a stone water tank or reservoir (naulo), which has a Buddhist chaitya on its top. The inscription on the reservoir states that it was built in 1358 by one of Prithvimalla’s ministers.

Until recently, Dullu was the site of a 19th century royal palace which housed the local ruler or rajah.  The palace was destroyed by the Maoists in 2003.