Palpa

-Anil Koirala
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 population of some 240 thousand people. Palpa 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.
History:

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.

Tansen:

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. 

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.

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. There are some interesting walks in the area. It is a good to two hours walk to the Kali Gandaki River and the large, deserted Ranighat Palace. 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 is easily accessible through Siddhartha highway in-route and almost in between to Pokhara & Lumbini- the birthplace of Lord Buddha. The connection road to bus stop of Tansen is only 4 km.  

Tansen Durbar:

This 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.

Famous Destinations near Tansen:

Srinagar Danda:

‘Srinagar Danda’ is a 1600m high hill just north of Tansen, from where there are excellent views over the Kali Gandaki River of the Himalaya. We can see Annapurna and Langtang in the east. The 1650 meter high majestic ridge covered with dense pine forest in the south slope and natural vegetation with the National flower 'Rhododendron' in the North Slope is popular for naturalist. During a clear day, a magnificent view of long range of snowy mountains to the north and the vast expanse of Terai plains to the south can be seen. This provides unbroken peace and relaxation.

The green view of hills around is very enchanting, beautiful and calm. The tranquil Srinagar forest is equally pleasant. A bird’s eye view of Tansen with the green and plain Madi Valley on the background can be enjoyed. It is only the place from where one can see the vast expanse of Terai plains to the south and the long range of snowy mountains to the north. The main snowy peaks seen from here are Dhaulagiri : I- 8167 mtrs., Nilgiri-7061 mtrs., Annapurna: I-8091 mtrs., Hinchuli-6441 mtrs., Machhapuchhare-6997 mtrs., Manaslu-8157 mtrs., Ganesh Himal etc.

Ranighat (Ranimahal):
Ranighat palace is built by Khadga Shamsher JBR in 1894 AD., on monument of deep love with his queen Tej Kumari. It is very nice palace with the architectural point of view. It is built above a single huge stone near by Kaligandaki river. Ranimahal is popularly pronounced as ‘Tajmahal’ of Nepal. Here is the 2nd largest suspension bridge of Nepal and ‘Alamdevi Mandir’ across the river. ‘Siddapani cave’, ‘Hattidhunga’-huge elephant shaped stone, ‘Baikunthapahar’ - water falls, are on the way form Tansen.

Bhairavsthan:

This is the most popular temple in Palpa and also throughout the nation. Situated at 5 km North-west of Tansen on the Palpa-Gulmi, this temple also has the largest ‘Trishul’- a symbol of God Shiva, of Asia.  Every year during the Dashain, the greatest festival of Hindus of Nepal, people from different places come here to worship the god- ‘Bhairav’ and show homage by paying Him the blood of five different cattle- known as ‘Panchabali.’ 

Ridi:

Ridi is one of the historical places of Palpa. Situated at about 20 Km. north-west from the Palpa Headquarters – Tansen, it is also the place where the Ridi River and Kali Gandaki River meet. There is a popular Pagoda-style Rishikesh Mandir, thus contributing to the place being a pilgrimage site. In 1st Magh(15th January) every year, pilgrims from different corners of Nepal come here to take sacred bath in the river and then pay homage at the temple. Local people and businessman, some others from neighboring districts come to participate in a 3-day fair held during the same occasion. Transactions of local rugs (‘Kamlo’) brought from Jumla and Humla districts are one of the features in the fair. 

Popular Temples in Tansen:

Amar Narayan Temple:

This temple is a traditional three-tiered pagoda-style 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. There are some tanks near the temple, and many bat in the years nearby. The temple dedicated to lord Vishnu is famous for its erotic wooden carvings. The temple is a masterpiece of Nepalese architecture. The remarkable huge stone masonry wall surrounding the whole premises is called; the great wall of Palpa.  

Bhagawati Temple:

This temple, near the Tansen Durbar, was originally built in 1815 to commemorate the victory over the British at Butwal. In the area there are small temples dedicated by Ganesh, Saraswati and Siva. It was rebuilt by Col. Ujir Singh Thapa, the governor of Palpa in 1815 A.D. to commemorate the victory over British Indian troop in the battle front of Butwal. 

Siddhi Binayak Temple:

The temple of God Ganesh called siddhi Binayak, is situated at the slope of srinagar hill just above the town. Devotees visit this temple on every Tuesday. One can have a very good view of the town from here.  

Laxmi Narayan Temple:

It is situated at Basantapur-Tansen. It is constructed in Nepalese Pagoda style. Three main Hindu Gods namely Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the protector) and Shiva ( the destroyer ) are worshipped in this temple.

Bhimsen Temple:

Bhimsen is the strongest hero and worship him like a god for the protection of their property and safety of their business tours. It can be seen in the every settlement of Newars. One of the most ancient of such temples is situated at the heart of the town, at Sitalpati. It is built in Nepalese pagoda style.  

Palpa is popular for:

Bronze craft (Palpali Karuwa): 

Palpa is famous for various kinds of handicrafts and cottage industries. One of the most famous products of this district is a typical water-jug called Karuwa. It is made of bronze and available in different sizes. In Tansen, Taksar is the main area where the art of bronze crafting is still flourishing. People visiting Palpa are always eager to buy a Karuwa as a souvenir.  

Palpali Dhaka: 

It is quiet famous handloom industry and gained national and international fame. It needs skill and hard labor to weave this cloth. Similarly the Palpali Dhaka Topi (cap) has become a part or our national dress. There are several products of these clothes; Dhaka topis, shawls, purses etc. can be bought as a souvenir.    

Facilities:

Hotels and Restaurants:

Hotel the Bajra, Hotel Gautam Siddhartha, Hotel Srinagar, Hotel the White Lake is the good hotels in Tansen for staying on a reasonable payment. Nanglo West, a branch of a Kathmandu-based restaurant is the restaurant which serves Nepali and Newari food, and Western food. Doko Restaurant serves Tibetan as well as Newari food.

Getting there and back: 

There are direct bus services between Kathmandu and Tansen, between Pokhara and Tansen, between Bhairahawa/Lumbini and Tansen and between other different places. Several daily flights connect Kathmandu with Bhairahawa within 45 minutes, from where it takes about 2 hours to reach Tansen