Rabdentse, Capital ruins in Gyalshing district, India.

Rabdentse is a ruined hilltop capital in West Sikkim, built on a ridge with rectangular stone and brick walls in tan, brown and grey. A tall, flat-topped, nearly windowless block stands at the centre, with lower wall segments and a stepped platform to its left and column stubs to its right. The Archaeological Survey of India lists the site as a monument of national importance.

The site was founded as a royal capital in 1670 and served as the administrative center until its destruction by Gurkha forces in 1814. The fall marked the end of an era of royal power in the region.

The buildings here show how Buddhist traditions and royal practices were interwoven together. You can see this in the temple foundations and in how the structures were arranged across the site.

The ruins are reached from an ornamental yellow gate on the Pelling–Geyshing road; the walk from there through forest and past a lake takes about 15 minutes. The site lies on a ridge near upper Pelling, roughly 3 km away.

The ruins stand on a ridge about 3 km from upper Pelling, reached through an ornamental yellow gate on the Pelling–Geyshing road. The walk passes a lake and forested hills and takes about 15 minutes. From the ridge, the Khanchendzonga ranges are visible on one side and mountains and valleys on the other.