After its discovery in 1808 by the western world, Dhaulagiri was thought to be the highest mountain in the world. This lasted for 30 years before Dhaulagiri's place was taken by Kangchenjunga.In terms of rise above local terrain, Dhaulagiri is, in fact, almost unparalleled in the world. For example, it rises 7000m over the Kali Gandaki gorge to the southeast in about 30km of horizontal distance. The Kali Gandaki is especially dramatic since Dhaulagiri र Annapurna both stand near the river, giving a unique example of two Eight-thousanders facing each other over a deep valley.
