Nepal Valley Formation and Kiratas

Creation of the "Nepal Valley"

• The Kathmandu Valley was a huge lake around 30,000 years ago.
• The lake eventually dried up, and the present settlement of the Kathmandu Valley was formed.

Kiratas in Kathmandu Valley

• The Kiratas may have traveled to the Kathmandu Valley after being displaced from their ancestral homeland by the Aryans.
• According to some Vamsavalis, the Kiratas took the Bagmati route from the south to enter the valley.
• The name "Kirata" is thought to refer to indigenous people roaming at the edge of Aryan settlements.

Gopalas and Mahispalas

• The Gopalas and Mahispalas were the first rulers of Nepal.
• The Gopalas ruled for eight generations, and the Mahispalas took over from them.
• The Gopalas were also known as the "Cow herders" and the Mahispalas as the "Buffalo herdsmen".

Dynasties of Nepal

• The Lichchavi dynasty was preceded by the Kirat dynasty, which had 32 kings.
• The Gopalas and Mahispalas were the predecessors of the Kiratas.
• The Vamsavalis, such as the Gopalarajavamsavali and the Bhasavamsavali, provide information about the dynasties of Nepal.

Settlements of the Kathmandu Valley

• The seven daughter groups of the Gopalas and Mahispalas occupied seven villages in the Kathmandu Valley.
• These villages have concentrations of Gwas and Hales.
• The seven villages are: Satungal, Boshigaun, Machchegaun, Taukhel (Tahakhel), Kirtipur, Lohankot, and Nagam (Panga).

Civilisation of the Kiratas

• The Kiratas were not just hunters, but had a sophisticated civilisation.
• They exported processed animal hide carpets to the Mauryan court as early as the fourth century BC.
• They had taxation and administrative structures, and built culture using brick and timber.
• They had carpenters, bricklayers, and eighteen different trades, often grouped as Seni or guilds.

Pringga of the Kiratas

• The Kirata settlement, called Pringga, was small but densely built in fallow high ground.
• The settlement had a street that linked the in-town sanctum (devakula or dyochhen) with its out-of-town hypaethral sanctuary (pithugwora or pith without roofs).
• The residents celebrated the ceremonial travel of the town's tutelary from the dyochhen to the pith and the associated rituals.

Dyochhens and Piths

• Dyochhens are temples within the town, and piths are outside the town.
• The temple of 'Matin' is a pre-Lichchavi brick and wood temple.
• The rectangular temples do not conform to the regular square tiered temples.
• These temples house Bhairava, Bhimsen, Bal-Kumari Ajima, and other Mother-Goddesses.

The Khat of the Kiratas

• Khats are in rectangular format, representing the temple of the God or Goddess.
• One of the oldest known festivals of Kathmandu is the Tunaldevi Festival of Hadigaon.
• In this festival, all the participating Khats, e.g. Mane-khat, Bhachhen-khat, Tunchhen-khat, and Dyochhen-khat, are rectangular.

This quiz is about the formation of the Kathmandu Valley and the history of Kiratas in Nepal. Learn about how the valley was formed and how the Kiratas settled in the area.