Early ages [edit] Prehistory It appears that people who were probably of Kirat ethnicity lived in Nepal more

than 2,500 years ago. The Kirat are aboriginal tribe of Nepal Legends and Ancient times [edit] Though very little is known about the early history of Nepal, legends and docume nted references reach back to the first millennium BCE: The epic Mahabharata mentions the Kiratas among the inhabitants of Nepal. Ki rati king Yalambar had the dubious honor of being slain in the battle of the Mah abharata, in which gods and mortals fought alongside each other. Legend credits him with meeting Indra, the lord of heaven, who ventured into the Valley in huma n guise. It is said that during the battle of Mahabharata, Yalamber went to witn ess the battle with a view to take the side of the losing party. Lord Krishna, k nowing the intention of Yalamber and the strength and unity of the Kiratas, thou ght that the war would unnecessarily be prolonged if Yalamber sided with the Kau ravas. So, by a clever stroke of diplomacy, Lord Krishna cut off Yalamber's head . Also, the presence of historical sites, e.g., Valmiki ashram, indicates the presence of Sanatana (ancient) Hindu culture in parts of modern Nepal at that pe riod. According to some legendary accounts in the chronicles, the successors of Ne were the goplavai or "Cowherd family" are said to have ruled for some 491 years. T hey are said to have been followed by the mahaiaplavaa or "Buffalo-herder Dynasty", established by an Indian Rajput named Bhul Singh.[2] In a Licchavi period inscription (found on archeological stoneworks, which l ist mostly the dates and commissioners of these constructions, also communicate royal edicts, religious mantras or historical notes) mention the Kirata, that th rough the corroboration of local myths and the Vamsavalis, identify a people pri or to the Licchavi dynasty. Legendary accounts of the Kirati Period [edit] Nepal's very first recorded, though still legendary, history began with the Devk otas, who may have arrived from the west to the Kathmandu valley. Little is know n about them, other than their deftness as sheep farmers and great fondness for carrying long knives. According to the Gopalavamsa chronicle, the Kiratas ruled for about 1225 years (800 BCE300 CE), their reign had a total of 29 kings during that time. Their first king was Elam; also known as Yalambar, who is referenced in the epic Mahabharata. The 1st Kirata King Kushal laid the foundation of the Kirata dynasty after d efeating the last ruler of the Abhira dynasty. When Kiraats occupied the valley, they made Matatirtha their capital. The Kirat kingdom during the rule of Yalamb ar extended to Tista in the East and Trisidi in the West. It is said Yalambar ha d gone to witness the battle of Mahabharata between the Pandavas and the Kaurava s. He was so brave and powerful that Lord Krishna beheaded him prior to the batt le suspecting he might fight for the Kauravas. The 7th Kirata King 'Jitedasti' During the rule of the 7th Kirat King Jitedasti, Lord Gautam Buddha (BC 623-BC 5 43) is said to have come to the valley with his several disciples and to have vi sited holy places of Swayambhu, Guheswari, etc., and to have preached his religi ous teaching. The Kiratas of the valley refused to follow his doctrine but welco med Lord Buddha and his disciples.

The 14th Kirata King 'Sthunko' During the rule of the 14th Kirat King Sthunko, the Indian Emperor Ashoka is sai d to have come to the Kathmandu Valley with his daughter, princess Charumati. Du ring his stay in the valley, he is said to have four stupas built around Patan i n the four cardinal directions and one in the centre. He is said to have arrange d his daughter Charumati's marriage with a local young prince named Devapala. Pr ince Devapala and his consort Charumati lived at Chabahil near Pashupati area. L ater Charumati had the stupas of Devapatana built after the death of her husband in his memory. Charumati later on become a nun herself and built a convent wher e she resided and practiced Lord Buddha's doctrine. The 15th Kirata king 'Jinghri' During the rule of the 15th Kirata King Jinghri, another religious doctrine, Jai nism, was being preached by Mahavir in India. Bhadrabhau, a disciple of Mahavira Jaina, is said to have come to Nepal. But Jainism did not gain as much populari ty as Buddhism in Nepal. The 28th Kirat King 'Paruka' During the rule of the 28th Kirata King Paruka, the Sombanshi ruler attacked his regime many times from the west. Although he successfully repelled their attack s, he was forced to move to Shankhamul from Gokarna. He had a royal palace calle d "Patuka" built there for him. The 'Patuka' palace can no longer be seen, excep t its ruins in the form of a mound. Patuka changed Shankhamul into a beautiful t own. The 29th Kirat King 'Gasti' The last King of the Kirat dynasty was Gasti, a weak ruler, who is said to have been overthrown by the Somavanshi ruler Nimisha. This ended the powerful Kirata dynasty that had lasted for about 1225 years. After their defeat, the Kiratas mo ved to the Eastern hills of Nepal and settled down, divided into small principal ities. Their settlements were divided into three regions, i.e., 'Wallokirat' tha t lay to the East of the Kathmandu Valley, 'Majkirat' or Central Kirat region an d 'Pallokirat' that lay to the far East of the Kathmandu valley . These regions are still heavily populated by Kiratas (Rai and Limboo, Sunuwar, Yakkha etc.).