Drogön Chögyal Phagpa
The Mongols had interfered in the political affairs of Tibet since c. 1240, using the senior lamas of the Sakya monastery as middlemen. A Mongol administration was set up in 1268-69 and a census was taken. Central Tibet was divided into 13 "trikor" () or myriarchies. The temporal administrator of Mongolian Tibet was called "dpon-chen" ("ponchen") and resided in Sakya since about 1264. The abbot-rulers of the Sakya see enjoyed a precedence position, based on their personal ties with the Mongol great khans. This was in particular the case with Drogön Chögyal Phagpa (1235–80), who also held the position of Imperial Preceptor (Dishi) at the Yuan court. The succeeding Imperial Preceptors always belonged to the clergymen of Sakya although they did not always belong to the line of ruling abbots, the Khon family. Neither the abbot-ruler or "Dishi" were, however, viceroys of Tibet as sometimes stated. Nevertheless, the "Dishi" issued orders in the name of the supreme imperial authority which gave some of them great influence.