The Kirat people, who arrived in the area around 800 BCE, were

Nepal's first recorded settlers. The Indian Mauryan Empire

expanded its control over Nepal in the third century BCE, and
the Gupta Empire took it in the fourth.

The Licchavi Dynasty rose to power in the sixth century CE,

ushering in a time of outstanding artistic and cultural
accomplishments that included the construction of a number of
magnificent temples and palaces. A distinctive Newar culture
was created in the Kathmandu Valley under the Malla Dynasty,
which began in the 12th century and lasted until the late 18th.