The summer capital of a Himalayan empire
From the 12th century a dynasty of Khasa kings ruled from Sinja, which Tibetan sources call Yatse. Their state, often called the Khasa Malla kingdom, grew into the largest power in the western Himalaya. At its height it held land from Mustang in the east to parts of present-day Uttarakhand in the west and Guge and Purang in western Tibet. Sinja was the summer capital; Dullu, lower and warmer in Dailekh, was the winter seat.
The Khasa kings were patrons of both Buddhism and Hinduism. Buddhist practice in the valley dates from at least the early 12th century and lasted until about the 16th; Hindu temples were built from around the 13th century. King Ripu Malla, who left an inscription at Lumbini in 1312, also left one here in Sinja at Sahubada. Cliffs at the edge of the valley carry some of the oldest writing in the Khas language that grew into Nepali.
After the 14th century the empire fragmented into the twenty-two Baise kingdoms, and Jumla, next door, became the leading power. Sinja slipped into obscurity as a farming valley. Excavations later uncovered palace foundations, a network of underground water pipes and a ring of large stone columns around the old settlement. In 2008 Nepal placed the valley on UNESCO's Tentative List for World Heritage.
