TANSEN

Tansen, an ancient hill town, with its architecture strongly influenced by Newari migrants from the Kathmandu valley is waiting to be discovered by the tourists. Situated at the southern slope of the Mahabharat range; about half way from the Indian border to
Pokhara and the Himalayas, this town offers an opportunity to experience genuine Nepalese culture, away from westernized places like Thamel in Kathmandu or Lakeside in Pokhara. Old artistic Newari houses and cobbled streets shape the townscape. The town's hill, Shreenagar, allows breathtaking views of the Himalayan range from Dhaulagiri in the west to Ganesh Himal in the east.
Tansen is the district administrations headquarter of Palpa district, one out of 75 districts in Nepal, and since 1957 a Municipality. It is itself often referred to as Palpa, and its people (population approx. 13,000 in the core area) as Palpalis.
At an elevation of about 1350-m (4430 ft) above sea level the town experiences a pleasant climate throughout the year. The maximum temperature, even in pre-monsoon times, hardly exceeds 31°C (88 F) and only in December/ January the minimum temperature can fall below 10°C (50 F). The annual precipitation is about 1500 mm of which 90% falls in the monsoon season.

Shreenagar Hill
One of the most picturesque spots in the whole Palpa region, Shreenagar hill abounds in scenic grander and magnificent natural surroundings. A mere 30 minutes climb on foot or 10 minutes drive from the town of Tansen, One would reach the top of the hill which commands a unique spectrum of natural extravaganza-from the snowcapped Himalayan peaks in the north to the lush green wide expanse of plains of Terai in the south, and of course, the panoramic view of the Tansen town. The impressive meadow on the hill top is an ideal spot to view the breathtaking scenes of majestic Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and the famed twin peaks of Machhapuchare-the fishtail mountain. also, many beautiful short walks and excursions may be enjoyed from this point. To the comfort of the visitors, there are newly built facilities like cottages and camping sites on the top of the hill. An added attraction is a recently built ‘Twa-dewa’, a huge Newari style bronze lamp stand.



Amar Narayan Temple
Built in 1807 AD by Amar Singh Thapa, the temple of Amar Narayan is considered an important landmark of Tansen. It is built in typical Nepali Pagoda style for its historical and architectural significance. The intricate works of wood carvings in the temple are simply marvelous. The temple is surrounded by one meter wide stone wall-locally known as the ‘Great wall of Palpa’. Inside the temple-complex there are the temple of Lord mahadev, ponds, parks, rest houses and a natural water spring. Every morning and evening devotees gather in the compound and chant ‘Bhajans’ ( holy recitals)
 
 Tansen Durbar
Built in 1927 AD by Pratap Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana, the durbar is a grand imposing palace in the heart of the town. Once the seat of the Rana governors, the Durbar is now the district secretariat of Palpa district.

Sital Pati (shady restplace)
Sital Pati near Ason Tole, is the most popular square in Tansen. The square is named after the white octagonal shaped building, that lies in the middle of the square. The Sital Pati was built under the order of Khadga Shamsher, governor of Palpa from 1891- 1902. Khadga Shamsher, an ambitious politician, was exiled from Kathmandu after plotting against the Prime Minister.
The south corner of the square leads to Baggi Dhoka, the main gate to the Tansen Durbar, the former palace and today's district administration's headquarter. Baggi Dhoka is the gate where the chariots of religious festivals have to pass through. The fine woodcarvings on the buildings on both sides of the gate represent the fine Newari craftmanship. This Baggi dhoka leads to the palace grounds. The right route leads to the Bhagwati Temple, that was built in 1815 by Col. Ujir Singh Thapa to commemorate the victory over the British-Indian troops in the the battle of Butwal.
If you return to the Durbar grounds and continue your way to the palace itself, you will find an older, smaller palace, built in 1927. Today the Durbar houses the district's administration. There still exists a room called "the throne hall" in the Durbar's second floor.
The gate opposite to the palace leads to Makhan Tole, the main bazaar of Tansen that focuses the town's commericial activity, notably the sale of Dhaka cloth. Of woven cotton or muslin, this cloth is characterised by jagged, linear designs orginally made famous in Bangladesh. With principal colours of red, black and white, the cloth is used to make saris as well as "topis" (Palpali topi), the hat that is an intergral part of the national dress for men.


Bhagawati Temple
Built by Wajir Singh Thapa in 1814 AD to mark the victory over colonial British-India forces, the temple is a small structure but holds immense religions importance. Located near the Tansen Durbar, it is a pilgrimage of Palpalies. It is said that the original structure was remarkably bigger and beautiful. and it has undergone many physical adjustments, most recently after the great earthquake of 1934. In the month of august every year, a chariot procession of deities is taken out throughout the town with military honor to observe the historic battle.





Amargunj Ganesh
Before building the Amar Narayan temple in 1807 A.D. Amar Singh Thapa had built this temple. Architecturally, the temple bears the same style and character of Amar Narayan Temple. The temple has a big artistic ‘Rest House’ where a school has been run presently.





TANSEN TOWN
The town of Tansen is a prosperous looking- collection of red brick houses set on the steep hillside and is among the largest far-flung Newar trading posts scattered across the hills. Though the Newar community forms one of the major communities in this place now, the place originally belonged to the Magar community, one of the most delightful ethnic groups of Nepal.

Tundikhel, the large plateau in the southeast part of the town, near the bus park, is the best starting point to discover the fascinating destinations of the town. The former kings of Palpa made this artificial plateau when they needed a drilling and parade ground. Today Tundikhel is a popular gathering place for people to chat, walk and play in the afternoon. A statue of King Birendra marks the southwest corner of the Tundikhel; the building at the north side is the town hall.

Sights around the vicinity of Tansen
Ghorbanda - Kumal Gau (Potter's Village)

The village of Ghorbanda is on the way to Pokhara from Tansen. It is the best place to see the unique style of pottery making in Nepal. The articles produced here are traditional water pitchers, pots and "Handa" (a vessel with holes in the bottom; used for brewing rokshi, which is Nepali brandy).


Ranighat
Ranighat is the palace built on the banks of the Kali Gandaki river by Khadka Shamsher in remembrance of his beloved wife Tej Kumari. It takes about two hours to reach this place from Tansen. On the way, one has to pass through a small settlement called "Hatti Dhunga" (elephant stone).

Ramdi
A half days walk through fertile landscape shaped by terraced rice fields lead to Ramdi at the banks of the Kali Gandaki. Ramdi is a "Ghat" (cremation place) where people bring their deceased relatives for their final rites. Besides this, Ramdi is famous for its cave temples, where thefarmers from surrounding villages offer milk to protect their cattle from leopards and jackals.


Ridi
Ridi, sacredly located at the confluence of the Ridi Khola (stream) and the Kali Gandaki, is visited by pilgrims from Nepal and India who take holy bathes and worship at the temples. Additionally, like in Pashupatinath, in Kathmandu, old people
arrive and stay here to take their last breath and get cremated at the banks of the holy Kali Gandaki. Furthermore, Ridi is the locality for the biggest yearly fair of the area. The walk down to Ridi will take around five hours, rewarded by beautifullandscape. To return to Tansen, we suggest you takae a bus or jeep.




Bhairabsthan
A pleasant walk along the mountain ridge to the west of Tansen will bring you the alleged largest golden trident of Nepal. After walking roughly 9 kms, you will reach Bhairabsthan, a temple sitting atop a hillock. The temple's statue of Bhairab iis kept hidden, because it's sight is unbearably frightening and it is said that people who catch a glimpse of it are in danger of losing their liver. So even the priests worship the statue from behing a curtain.
The main days of worshipping for the common people are Tuesday and Saturday. In the yard of the temple you can see the largest golden trident of Nepal, the centre of the ceremonies. From the temple's terraces you again have a beautiful view of the Himalayan range.





 

 Satyawati Lake

To leave the beaten track and visit the site of an important fair, Satyawati lake, a bit more effort is needed. You have to take a morning bus to Butwal and get off at "Chaubis Mile"(Twenty four miles). From there you first descend to the valley of the river Tinau and then steeply ascend through dense jungle (it deserves the name here) to the pecuilar lake on the top of the mountain ridge. The lake is said to be the home of a goddess. To avoid backtracking and
to have impressive views of the Himalayan range, you should follow the ridge to the south and then descend through picturesque villages back to the road and take a bus to Tansen.

Getting There

From Kathmandu
Daily bus services (duration 8 - 10 hours)
7.00 a.m.: "Sitara bus" leaving from the new buspark in the north of Kathmandu.
6.30 a.m.: "Sajha bus" leaving from Sajha bus station in Patan Pulchowk.
5.00 p.m.: "Nightbus" leaving from the new buspark in the north of Kathmandu.
You can also fly from Kathmandu to Bhairahawa and take a bus up to Tansen. Unfortunately, there is no direct bus service and you have to change buses in Butwal.
From Pokhara
Daily bus service (duration 6-8 hours) 7.00 a.m. Tourist coach to Sunauli. You have to get off at Bartung junction and take a bus or jeep for the 4-km link road to Tansen.
From Chitwan
There are two possibilities to reach Tansen. Having made your way from the National Park to Narayanghat, you can either catch the "Sitara bus" or "Sajha bus" coming from Kathmandu on its way to Tansen (duration 4 -5 hours), both buses arrive around noon in Narayanghat Pulchowk; or take one of the several buses to Butwal (duration 2 - 3 hours) and change there for a bus to Tansen.
From Lumbini
Unfortunately, there is no direct bus service from Lumbini to Tansen. You have to change buses in Bhairawa as well as in Butwal.
From Butwal
It can be easily seen that Butwal is the most important traffic junction for Palpalis to nearly all destinations. Buses leave every 40 min. for Tansen, as do buses from Tansen to Butwal. The duration of the journey is approx. 2 hours.
From Sunauli
There is a daily tourist coach service from Sunauli to Pokhara. You have to get off at Bartung junction and take a bus or jeep for the 4km link road to Tansen. Several local buses leave Sunauli for Butwal, where you have to change a bus to Tansen.
From Bardia
There is a direct bus service twice a week from Guleria via Kohalpur to Tansen, and daily buses leave from Kohalpur to Butwal, where you can easily get a bus to Tansen. For departure times, connections and length of journey, please ask your hotel or lodge in Bardia National Park.
Accommodation
There are large number of low budget accomodation around the buspark. The approximate cost to stay a night or two around nice hotels range in price between US$5-US$15. "Srinagar", "The Bajra", "The White Lake" and "Gauri Shankar" are some of the decent hotels of this place.
Dining
There are large number of small restauants in the town, selling Nepali dishes and snacks. "Nanglo West" restuarant at Sital Pathi square is one of the excellent restuarants that serves western style, Palpali, Nepali, Indian and Chinese cuisine. Hotel Srinagar provides some western meals too.