Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal and it is
also the largest city in Nepal. It stands at an elevation of approximately
4,265 ft (1,300 m). It is an urban and suburban area of about 1.5
million inhabitants in the tri-city area in the Kathmandu Valley in
central Nepal, along the Bagmati River. The two other cities are Patan
and Bhaktapur. Kathmandu is located at 27°43'N 85°22'E (27.71667,
85.36667).
History
The Kathmandu Valley may have been inhabited as early as 900 BC,
but the oldest known objects in the valley date to a few hundred
years BC. The earliest known inscription is dated 185 AD. The oldest
firmly dated building in the earthquake-prone valley is almost 1,000
years old. It is said that the Buddha and his disciples spent some
time in the area of present-day Patan in the 6th century BC, although
there is no evidence for this. Four stupas around the city of Patan
said to have been erected by Charumati, daughter of Ashoka the Great,
a Mauryan king, in the 3rd century BC attest to the ancient history
present within the valley. As with the tales of the Buddha's visit,
there is no evidence supporting Ashoka's visit, but the stupas probably
do date to that century. The Kirats are the first documented rulers
of the Kathmandu Valley, the remains of their palace are said to
be in Patan near Hiranyavarna Mahavihara (called "Patukodon").
The Licchavi Dynasty whose earliest inscriptions date back to 464
AD were the next rulers of the valley and had close ties with the
Gupta Dynasty of India. The Malla Dynasty ruled Kathmandu from the
12th century till the 17th century when the Shah Dynasty under Prithvi
Narayan Shah conquered the valley as he created present-day Nepal.
Most of ancient Nepalese architecture present in Kathmandu today
is from the Malla era.
Kathmandu is also sometimes called "Kantipur".
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