Palpa was the seat of the Hindu Sen kingdom that ruled over this region from the 16th century for almost 300 years. Tansen itself was earlier the capital of the Magar Kingdom (Barha Magarat), one of the most powerful regional principalities before the rise of the Shah dynasty, and under King Mukunda Sen it came close to conquering Kathmandu in the 16th century; the name 'Tansen' comes from the Magar language, meaning 'northern settlement'. After local Magar kings lost influence in the 18th century, Tansen became a Newari bazaar town on the trade route between India and Tibet via the Kali Gandaki and Mustang, and under the Rana regime it served as a district administrative centre with governors' palaces. During the Nepalese Civil War, Maoists targeted Tansen several times, including a major assault on the historic Durbar compound in 2006. The medieval town of Tansen was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in the Cultural category on 30 January 2008.
Researched by the ChillNepal team from published sources. Spot something out of date? Tell us from the place's page.
