About 3kms from Pelling and few minutes walk further down from Pemayangtse Monastery is the  Rabdentse  ruins the 2nd capital of Sikkim, founded by the 2nd Chogyal of Sikkim Tensung Namgyal in the year 1670. In this palace,  Tensung Namgyal married three wife’s, first from Tibet, second from Bhutan and the daughter of Limboo king, Yo Yo Hang of Limbuwana eastern Nepal.  The 3rd Chogyal Chador Namgyal and his half sister, Paden Wangmoo (the daughter from Bhutanese mother) claimed throne against her brother, which  lead to the Bhutanese attack on Rabdentse and the fleeing away of Chador Namgyal for political shelter to Lhasa, and  loosing  Kalimpong  to Bhutan. The animity between two royal brother and sister did not end but went worse.The sister Paden could assassinate her brother Chador Namgyal at Borong Hotspring(1716). With the final wishes  of the dying king, sister Paden Wangmoo was caught and strangled to death and burnt at Samduptse (Namchi) before the king took his  last breath. Consecutively, Gyurmed Namgyal was the 4th Chogyal, Namgyal Phintsog was the 5th,and Tenzing Namgyal  the 6th all who ruled at Rabdentse. A Bhutia councilor Changzod Tamding’s  great conspiracy against the course of succession by Namgyal Phintsog after Gyurme Namgyal, is one historical incident that occurred at Rabdentse.Later with the strong intervention of  Lepcha councilor, Chanzo Karwang,the throne was sooner restored to Namgyal Phintsog. Towards the reign of Tenzing Namgyal the frequent Gorkha attack of Prithivi Narayan Shaha from the western boarder finally got the capital shifted to Tumlong. After shifting of capital Rabdentse palace took no longer time to take the shape of a ruin.

The site has been recently very fully excavated and restored by the Archeological survey of India .After the restoration one can now visit the  king’s bed room , assembley hall and kitchen,  Public courtyard and other palace  guards’ room etc. More attractive than that is the beautiful forest area one walks across through gentle stone footpath covering nearly half a kilometer to reach the palace site where surprisingly about 106 species of birds have been identified and recorded by a famous bird expert Mr. Rajen Pradhan. The palace area it self is noted view point and cozy hideout for nature lovers. More attractive tourism projects are proposed in this area. good view of Tashiding and other hills Rabdentse area. Take guide for more information.