Ancient History of Nepal

In the beginning, Kathmandu valley was a lake. River Bagmati made its way to the south of the valley and the water drained outside. The Valley their became fertile and suitable for settlement and people started to live here.

Nepal’s recorded history began with the Kiratis, who arrived in the Kathmandu in the 7th or 8th century BCE from the East. The Kirats ruled for about 1225 years (800 BCE-300 CE), they had a total of 29 kings during that time. Their first and remembered king were Yotamba Haang, better known as Yolambor, who is mentioned in the epic Mahabharata.

The first record of the word ‘Nepal’ is found in ancient Indian annals such as Puranas from the 4th century A.D where an area is known as.’Newal‘ or sometimes as ‘Newar’ is mentioned, referring to what is now known as the Kathmandu valley. However, the area of the sovereign state of Nepal has changed from time to time during its history, expanding and shrinking in an area since ancient times.

Rule of Gopal dynasty in the history of Nepal:

In ancient time plenty of grasses were available in Kathmandu valley. So the Gopals came to the valley from Mathura (India) and settled here. Later on, they started to rule over the valley. Animal husbandry was their main occupation. They raised cows. The Gopals were also called “Neep” or “Nep”. It is said that ‘Nepal’ was named after their name. The first king of Gopal dynasty was King Bhuktaman. Eight Gopal kings ruled over Nepal for 521 years. The last king of Gopal dynasty was Yaksha Gupta.

Rule of Mahishpal dynasty in the history of Nepal:

After Gopals, Mahishpals came to power. They were also called Ahir or Abhir. The last king of Gopal dynasty, Yaksha Gupta was childless. So, after his rule, his relative Jaya Singh became the king of Nepal. The Mahishpal used to keep buffaloes. In Sanskrit buffalo is called Mahis. So they were started to be called Mahishpal. Only three kings of Mahishpal dynasty ruled for 161 years. The last king of this dynasty was Bhuvan Singh. Both animal husbandry and agriculture were the main occupations of the people in this period.

Rule of Kirants in the history of Nepal:

After Mahishpal, Kirant kings ruled over Nepal. In the beginning, Kirant people lived by hunting in the jungle. Later on, they started agriculture. The Kirants ruled over Nepal for about 1000 years. Present Gokarna was their capital. They worshipped Kiranteshwor Mahadev of Pashupati. King Sirijunga introduced the Sirijunga script to the Limbus which is still in use today. The Kirants were the ancestor of present Rai, Limbus of Nepal. Gasti was the last Kirat king. During the rule of seventh Kirant king, Gautam Buddha visited Kathmandu and spread Buddhism.

Rule of Lichchhavi in the history of Nepal:

After the defeat of Gasti, the Lichchhavi rule began in Nepal. Mandev, Amshuverma, Shiva Dev and Narendra Dev were some of the famous kings of Lichchhavi dynasty.

The Lichchhavis were rich in art and culture. They maintained good relations with Tibet, China, and India. They improved trade and made all around the development of the country. So the Lichchhavi period is called the “Golden Period” in the history of Nepal.

Nepal had been ruled throughout its history by the kings of different dynasties until the monarchy was abolished in 2063 BS. Nepal as a political region has been united by different kings of different kingdoms at various times in Nepalese history.

The ancient history of Nepal is obscured in various myths and legends. Besides, it was basically the history of Kathmandu valley. In the fifth century A.D.,over the the ‘Lichchhavis’over the valley. Before the Iichhbis’ rule the valley, the ‘Kiratis’ had ruled. There are tales that before the ‘Kiratis’ the valley was once ruled by ‘Abhiras’, though there exists no reliable historical evidence in support of this fact. ‘Lichchhavis’ ruled the valley up to thirteenth century A.D.

‘Lichchhavis’ were replaced by ‘Mallas’ in the 13th century A.D. The ‘Malla’ period was the flowering period for the Newari culture. Alter the death of King Yaksha Malla, the last ruler of the unified Malla Kingdom, the Kingdom was divided among his descendants, forming more Kingdoms. The multiplicity of the Kingdoms was the cause of weakness and they soon fell into a state of anarchy, which paved the way for their eventual unification by King Prithvi Narayan Shah of Gorkha.

Source : imnepal.com