About Palpa

Palpa, queen of the hills beautiful place for tourist

remote village of palpa

Palpa (a historical place) is in Lumbini zone, named for the birthplace of Guatama Buddha. Palpa's high hills command an impressive view of Nepal in all directions with the great Madi Valley in the west and the Kali Gandaki River along its northern border. Palpa is made up on sixty-five VDC areas  and a municipality and a population of around 240 thousand people. The district, withTansen as its headquarters, covers an area of 1,373 km². It is situated at the southern slope of the Mahabhrat range, and the Himalayas. The main religion of the people of Palpa is Hinduism followed by Buddhism. There are also Muslims and Christians in small communities. Tansen was the capital of the Palpa kingdom ruled by the Sen Dynasty, before Nepal was united,. The history of Tansen dates back to the 16th century. Prithvi Narayan Shah, who united Nepal, mother was from the Sen Family. For years the Gorkha and Palpa kingdoms were in alliance and combined them took control of western Nepal. In 1806, Prithivipal Sen, the last king of Palpa, was asked to come to Kathmandu and he was beheaded. Palpa became parted of the Kathmandu kingdom and Tansen became the administrative city for the area. Members of the Shah and Rana family have ruled the region.

view of tansen

At an elevation of about 1350-m (4430 ft) above sea level palpa experiences a pleasant climate throughout the year.

There are many places in palpa district  which are quite interesting for visitors in terms of scenary and historical importance.I would like to maintain few places which shouldn’t be missed.

Tansen is a hill town, enterprising Newar traders and craftspeople and the rich culture of the Magar people and other groups who make up the town and area's population combine to make Tansen unique in Nepal. With views of the Himalaya from Shreenagar and rich natural environment all around, Tansen is one of the most scenic places in Nepal. As a gateway to Palpa and surrounding areas, it offers access to Palpa's variety and character of rural life, small towns, religious and historical sites. Though it boasts a busy market and is a centre in Western Nepal and the headquarters of the Palpa district, Tansen is quiet and pollution free. Kathmandu Valley and Tansen are much closer in their character: Newari houses, cobbled streets, Rana buildings, pagoda temples etc. 

view from srinagar

Mul dhoka

damaged darbar after maoist atatck

An ancient hill town Tansen-1350 meters above sea level is the administrative headquarters of Palpa district. It is a typical Nepali town with numerous fairs, festivals, religious and cultural events. The name Tansen has been derived from the Magar language tansing-means the northern settlement. Magars in Palpa district and Newars in Tansen town inhabit in majority and there are also Chhetris and Brahamins and others.

panoromic view

Tansen is the best and nearest hill station of west Nepal and northern states of India due to its location and climate. There are great views of the Madi Valley from town. From the close by hill call Srinagar Danda, there are excellent views of the Himalaya Mountains. The climate of Tansen is most pleasant throughout the year. In summer it stays mild and charming-hardly exceeds 28° degree Celsius. In winter it is quite warm and sunny -the temperature does not fall near freezing. Tansen Durbar was the palace of the provincial governor built in the Rana style. It has an impressive but run-down eastern gate called ‘Baggi Dhoka’ or ‘Mul Dhoka’. Outside the gate is a public square called ‘Sitalpati’. General Pratap Shamsher built this palace in 1927 AD. It is a four-storied building with sixty-three rooms, two meeting halls, and two minarets at two sides. The main gate of this palace is known as 'Baggi Dhoka' the biggest gate in the Kingdom. The ‘Durbar’ is known as a 'Singh Durbar of Palpa". But this ‘Durbar’ and ‘Mul Dhoka’ is affected during the war with Maoists last year and is now again started to reconstruct. Other attraction of tansen is a traditional three-tiered pagoda-style temple Amar Narayan Temple   built in 1806. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful temples outside of Kathmandu Valley. The temple was built by Amar Singh Thapa, who annexed Tansen to become part of Nepal.