This hill town lays a
little less than 130 kms, as the road
wanders, southwest of Pokhara. For nearly
300 years, from the early 16th century,
Palpa was the headquarters of the old Sen
Kingdom, one of the various territories that
now is Nepal. A walled area in the center of
town that you enter through a huge door, Mul
Dhoka (main gate) is the old palace grounds
and the only real evidence of this former
kingdom, however. The town lies at 1250
metres and will feel wonderfully cool if you
have just left the Terai or come in from
India. Just to the north of the town the
forested hill of Srinagar provides views of
the surrounding valleys and of the Annapurna
and Dhaulagiri mountain ranges.
Excellent day walks can be made from here;
to Ranighat in the north, to Ridi in the
west or simply wandering about the
homesteads of the Madi valley in the south.
Wander the many trails of Srinagar Hill,
passing small Hindu shrines and climb to the
summit, the TV antenna at 1659 metres / Walk
through Nepal's biggest doorway and enter
Durbar Square in the center of town / Buy a
meter of "dhaka" cloth which is woven here
or buy a "chunni", a lady's scarf, another
speciality of the region / In the late
afternoon wander down to the Tundikhel
(playground), the only level area in town
and watch the football, cricket or
volleyball games / Get a map of the town
from Hotel The White Lake's travel agency /
Look at the elaborate wood carvings of the
Amar Narayan temple / Wander out to the
United Mission hospital (2 kms east of town)
and talk to some of Tansen's expatriate
community / Take a bus to Palpa Bhairab
Temple where, on Tuesdays and Saturdays,
many animal sacrifices take place.
