In spite of the position of Rinpungpa kinsmen in both Tsang and Ü, the political turmoil in Central Tibet continued. In 1492 Donyo Dorje invaded Ü and captured three districts. In 1498 he captured Lhasa where his forces maintained Rinpungpa power until 1517. The Rinpungpa were intimately allied to the Karmapa sect. The Gelugpa monks of Drepung and Sera were therefore impeded from celebrating the annual Monlam festival during the occupation of Lhasa.Tsepon W.D. Shakabpa, 1967, p. 88. Finally, in 1499, several officers under Donyo Dorje convened in Nêdong and decided to enthrone the Phagmodrupa heir Ngawang Tashi Drakpa. Tsokye Dorje appears to have handed over power without making trouble, and eventually died in 1510. He may have had an appeasing influence on political affairs, since his demise immediately triggered a violent conflict between Donyo Dorje and Ngawang Tashi Drakpa.Giuseppe Tucci, 1971, p. 229. A son of Tsokye Dorje, Ngawang Namgyal, later became the leader of the Rinpungpa faction.
