kingdom · South Asia

Kingdom of Palpa

1493 CE – 1806 CE (approx.) · capital Tansen

A Sen hill kingdom of western Nepal ruled from Tansen, once the most powerful of the Chaubise Rajya before falling to Gorkha.

Origins

The Sen dynasty, claiming Rajput descent, established itself in the hills of Palpa in the late 15th century; Mukunda Sen is the best-known early ruler. He is said to have campaigned as far as the Kathmandu Valley, and his realm, centred on Tansen, was later divided among his sons into Palpa, the Kingdom of Makwanpur and other states.

Rule and society

Palpa was the leading state of the Chaubise Rajya, the twenty-four hill principalities of central Nepal, and controlled trade routes from the Gangetic plain into the hills. Its kings intermarried with the Gorkha and Tanahun royal families, and the town of Tansen developed Newar trading communities and temples.

Decline and legacy

Palpa resisted the Gorkha unification for decades, relying on marriage alliances with the Gorkha court and on its hill fortresses. It was finally annexed by the Kingdom of Nepal in 1806, and its last king, Prithvipal Sen, was killed in Kathmandu.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Palpa. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-palpa
MLA
“Kingdom of Palpa.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-palpa. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Palpa.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-palpa.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Palpa’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-palpa (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻