Nepal's Kirat Era: The Lost Kingdom of the Kathmandu Valley

Before the Malla kings, before the Shahs, before even the Licchavis, the Kathmandu Valley was home to the Kirat people. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the earliest recorded dynasty of Nepal—the Kirat or Kirati rulers who held sway for nearly two millennia. They uncover the legend of King Yalamber, the first Kirat king who supposedly defeated the last of the Mahispal rulers, and examine the archaeological and literary evidence from the Gopal Raj Vamsavali and the Hindu epics. Lucas explains how the Kirat period saw the introduction of Buddhism to the valley, with the Buddha himself said to have visited the Kathmandu Valley. They discuss the Kirat king Dharmapala, who is mentioned in the Tibetan chronicles, and the mysterious Patan city that may have Kirat origins. The conversation also touches on the Kirat language and culture, still alive among the Kirat communities in eastern Nepal today, and the transition to the Licchavi era around the first century CE. This episode fills a crucial gap in the show's narrative, covering a period that predates even the famous Malla and Shah rulers.

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