Written by: Ayan Basnet - 25019, Grade IX
Posted on: 17 September, 2021
The country situated in the foothills of the Himalayas between China and India, the history of Nepal is different from other countries in the region. Nepal remained as an independent country even when the other southern countries were under foreign rule. In various scriptures and Puranas, Nepal is described as a very ancient land. The mountains and hills that were formed about 130 million years ago, are now the attraction of animals. In Butwal in western Nepal, human remains found in the area make it clear that human habitation started in Nepal more than 10 million years ago. The first mention of the name Nepal is found in the Atharva Appendix. Although the exact date of the Atharva Appendix cannot be determined, it is believed to have been built between 500-600 BC. This also proves how old Nepal is and it's history too. In it, Nepal has been discussed with Kamru, Bideha Udumbar, Avanti (ancient countries) and many other countries. Nepal is also discussed in the original Buddhist writing/test known as "Sarvastivada", "Vinayak Vastu''.
It brings up the incident of Lord Buddha coming to Nepal with traders at the time of Lord Buddha. In the Mahabharata forest festival, Nepal is described as a country too. The Jain scriptures also mention Nepal in the essential formulas and the economics of Kautilya (which happened in the 4th century BC). Similarly, the Indian Gupta empire Samudragupta in the Allahabad records, Assam and Kirtipur mention Nepal as a neighboring state, while almost all up- coming sources refer to Nepal as an independent state. In the inscriptions of Nepal, The word Nepal is mentioned in the records found after 522 B.S. Thus, it is clear that this country has been known as Nepal since a very ancient time. Nepal was called Satyavati in Satya Yuga (periods), Tapovan in Treta Yuga and Mukti Sopan in Dwapar Yuga and Nepal in Kali Yuga. This is mentioned in our mythological texts. Ancient sculptures, architectures, and many other arts prove that the habitation in Nepal was present more than 9000 years ago. This shows that people who were probably of Kirant caste lived here about 1000 years ago.
The Kiranti are a tribe of wild and hill people who came from Central Asia, India and the Himalayas. There are unconfirmed histories that there were kingdoms of other castes like Gopal and Mahishpal in this country even before the Kirant period but due to lack of clear evidence, the time before the beginning of Kirant period is not considered as authentic history. King Yalambar of this period is considered to be the first Kiranti king. From 400 to 750 AD, Kathmandu, the current capital of Nepal, was ruled by the Licchavis. According to Kautilya's economics and travelogues of Chinese travelers, some brave men who come from Vaishali chased away kirants and established the Licchavi Dynasty. This period was also called the golden era of Nepali history because this period in Nepal had vast developments throughout the country. The first king of this period was King Mandev.
