Travel Guide Tansen

Tansen (also known as Palpa) is a small town perched high in the mountains at an altitude of 1,300 metres. It's 2.5 hours from Lumbini on the road to Pokhara, making it an ideal place to stop off. A particularly well-preserved medieval town, well worth a visit. It was founded by Newar merchants and has kept its architecture, comparable to the towns of the Kathmandu valley. A monumental gate that could be crossed by an elephant - once a conventional means of transport - guards the entrance to the bazaar, where Newar-style brick houses stand. Tansen has the atmosphere of an operetta kingdom. This village remains faithful to its ancestral craft production: kitchen and household utensils are still made here in copper and bronze, and it's in this region that topi, the famous asymmetrical bonnet that is now part of Nepal's national costume (for men), is made.