A Gurung ridge on the Mardi trail
Dhampus grew as a farming village on a sunny ridge above the Modi and Seti valleys, with water from springs and forests for fodder above. Gurung families, who call themselves Tamu, farmed millet, maize and rice on terraces carved down both sides, and sent their sons to the Gurkha regiments. The pension money, and later remittances from the Gulf and Malaysia, rebuilt many houses. Many households also kept bees, buffalo and goats, and some still do.
For decades Dhampus was a stop on the trail between Pokhara's valley and the villages of the Modi Khola, and later on early treks into the Annapurna Sanctuary. At the 1991 census about 2,750 people lived in its 547 households. As trekking grew, families opened tea houses along the path, and the area joined the Annapurna Conservation Area, which shapes how the forest is used and how lodges operate. Lodge owners agreed standards and prices through local committees.
The opening of the Mardi Himal route to teahouse trekking in the 2010s brought Dhampus a new role as a trailhead. A road now reaches the village, so jeeps can drop walkers at the top of the steps. The farms and the Gurung festivals continue alongside: Tamu Lhosar at the end of December, harvest work in October, and weddings in the cool months when soldiers come home on leave. Farming still sets the rhythm of the year.
