https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Stone_inscriptions_in_the_Kathmandu_ValleyStone inscriptions in the Kathmandu Valley - Revision history2026-11-07T03:29:07ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stone_inscriptions_in_the_Kathmandu_Valley&diff=537648&oldid=prevMaryjoM897: put up a entry basic info - done2026-03-02T11:56:58Z<p>put up a entry basic info - done</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}<br />
[[File:Inscription in 14 languages by Pratap Malla.jpg|thumb|Inscription in 15 languages dated 1654 AD at Kathmandu Durbar Square.]]<br />
[[File:Della penna epitaph.jpg|thumb|Epitaph in Latin and Nepal Bhasa dated 1745 on the tombstone of Father Della Penna who was buried in [[Patan, Nepal|Patan]].]]<br />
[[File:Nepal bhasa tibetan inscription at swayambhu.jpg|thumb|Detail of stone inscription in Nepal Bhasa and Tibetan at Swayambhu.]]<br />
'''Stone inscriptions in the Kathmandu Valley''' ([[Nepal Bhasa]]:नेपाःमन्दःया ल्वंह पौत) refer to ancient stone slabs, pillars and pedestals with text carved on them. They are the most important sources for the history of [[Nepal]]. A vast majority of the inscriptions found in Nepal are from the [[Kathmandu Valley]] where they are an ubiquitous element at heritage sites. They consist of royal edicts and dedicatory notes on [[Hindu]] and [[Buddhist]] temples, [[stupa]]s, statues, water spouts and other architectural structures.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gutschow |first=Niels |year=1997 |title=The Nepalese Caitya: 1500 Years of Buddhist Votive Architecture in the Kathmandu Valley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IQp_957RRtAC&q=The+Nepalese+Caitya: |publisher=Edition Axel Menges |page=25 |isbn=9783930698752 |access-date=25 March 2014|language=en}}</ref> Stone inscriptions are locally referred as Lōhan Pau ([[Nepal bhasa]]:{{Script|Newa|𑐮𑑂𑐰𑐴𑑅 𑐥𑑁}}).<br />
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The early inscriptions are from the [[Licchavi (kingdom)|Licchavi]] period, and date from the fifth to the ninth centuries. They number more than 170, and are carved in [[Sanskrit]] language and [[Gupta script]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Vajracarya |first=Gautamavajra|title=Recently discovered inscriptions of Licchavi Nepal |url=http://www.thlib.org/static/reprints/kailash/kailash_01_02_02.pdf |journal=Kailash |pages= 117–133|access-date=9 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Arvind |first=Krishan Dev Agrawal |year=2010 |title=Importance of Nepalese Sanskrit Inscriptions |url=http://www.sanskrit.nic.in/DigitalBook/N/NepalesseInscriptions.pdf |location= New Delhi |publisher=Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan |isbn=978-81-86111-37-6 |access-date=19 March 2014|language=en}}</ref> Inscriptions from the 14th century onwards, which are the most numerous, are in [[Nepal Bhasa|Newar language]] (Nepal Bhasa) and [[Nepal script]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Clark |first=TW |editor-first=Thomas |editor-last=Albert Sebeok |title=Current Trends in Linguistics |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |year=1976 |page=253 |chapter=Nepali and Pahari |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JqYMTdBws40C&q=bibliogroup:%22Current+trends+in+linguistics%22}}</ref> The earliest dated inscription in Nepal Bhasa is dated [[Nepal Era]] 293 (1173 AD).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kpmalla.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Classical-Newari-Literature.pdf |title=Classical Newari Literature |last=Malla |first=KP|page=1 |access-date=19 March 2014}}</ref><br />
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==Oldest inscription==<br />
The oldest dated inscription in Kathmandu dates from the year 107 of the [[Shalivahana era|Saka era]] which corresponds to 184/185 AD. This date was accepted by all historians except Dinesh Chandra Regmi who assigned it to the Gupta era (started on A.D. 320). Paleo-graphically he says it to be close to Samudra Gupta's Allahabad inscription (A.D. 360). The inscription is carved in Gupta characters, also known as Brahmi script, on the pedestal of a statue of King Jayavarman. It was unearthed at a building site in Maligaon in 1992. The language is Sanskrit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://asianart.com/articles/jaya/index01_12.html|title=A Kushan-period Sculpture from the reign of Jaya Varma, A.D. 184/185|last1=Tamot|first1=Kashinath|last2=Alsop|first2=Ian|website=Asian Arts|access-date=25 March 2014}}</ref><br />
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Prior to this discovery, the distinction of the oldest dated stone inscription in the valley was held by an inscription carved on a pillar installed next to the [[Changu Narayan]] Temple in [[Bhaktapur]] which is dedicated to a Hindu deity [[Vishnu]]. It was inscribed in the year 383 which corresponds to 464 AD. It is written in the Sanskrit language and Gupta characters.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Riccardi, Jr |first=Theodore |date=Oct–Dec 1989 |title=The Inscription of King Manadeva at Changu Narayan |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |volume=109 |issue=4 |pages=611–620 |doi=10.2307/604086|jstor=604086 }}</ref><br />
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==Multilingual inscriptions==<br />
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Among the thousands of [[Newar language]] inscriptions scattered across [[Nepal Mandala]], or the Kathmandu Valley and its neighborhood, there are a few inscribed in other languages too. King [[Tutedhara#Royal_inscriptions|Pratap Malla]]'s polyglot inscription dated [[Nepal Era]] 774 (1654 AD) at [[Kathmandu Durbar Square]] is an example of his linguistic interest. The massive [[Tutedhara|stone with spouts]] to dispense water to travelers is carved in 15 languages including [[Greek language|Greek]], [[French language|French]] and [[Persian language|Persian]].<ref>{{cite book |title= Account of the Kingdom of Nepal |first= Father |last= Giuseppe |publisher= Vernor and Hood |location= London|year= 1799|pages= 313–314|access-date=14 March 2014 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vSsoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA307}}</ref><br />
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Three inscriptions written in [[Nepali language|Nepali]] (Khas Kura, Gorkhali) have been found in the Kathmandu Valley, all of them from the period in which Pratap Malla featured prominently in the politics of Kantipur. There is one at Makhan dated 1641 AD. Although it acknowledges Jaya Laxmi Malla, Pratap Malla's father, its date is very close to the formal commencement of Pratap Malla's ascension to the throne. Another at Guheswari bears the name Pratap Malla. Another famed stone inscription of Pratap Malla installed at [[Rani Pokhari]] pond contains writings in three languages: Sanskrit, Nepali and Nepal Bhasa. It is dated [[Nepal Era]] 790 (1670 AD) and describes the construction of Rani Pokhari and its religious significance.<ref>{{cite book |last=Clark |first=TW |editor-first=Thomas |editor-last=Albert Sebeok |title=Current Trends in Linguistics |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |year=1976 |page=253 |chapter=Nepali and Pahari |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JqYMTdBws40C&q=bibliogroup:%22Current+trends+in+linguistics%22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://moste.gov.np/Rani_pokhari |title= Historical and Environmental Study of Rani Pokhari |last= Tribhuvan University Teachers' Association |date= June 2012 |publisher= Government of Nepal, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology |pages=4–5 |access-date=14 March 2014}}</ref><br />
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A large stone inscription containing texts in Nepal Bhasa and [[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]] is installed at the Swayambhu stupa complex. It records the renovation of the stupa during the years 1751-1758.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ehrhard |first=Franz-Karl |title=A Renovation of Svayambhunath-Stupa in the 18th Century and its History |url=http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/ancientnepal/pdf/ancient_nepal_114_01.pdf |journal=Ancient Nepal |pages=1–8 |access-date=14 March 2014}}</ref> The epitaph on the tombstone of a [[Capuchin Order|Capuchin]] [[missionary]] named [[Francesco della Penna]], who died and was buried in [[Patan, Nepal|Patan]] in 1745, contains texts in [[Latin]] and Nepal Bhasa.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lévi |first=Sylvain |year=1908 |title=Le Népal: étude historique d'un royaume hindou |url=https://archive.org/details/lenpaltudehisto00lvgoog |publisher=E. Leroux |page=[https://archive.org/details/lenpaltudehisto00lvgoog/page/n118 107]|access-date=17 March 2014}}</ref><br />
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==Gallery==<br />
<gallery><br />
File:Nepal Bhasa stone inscription at Swayambhu.jpg|<div align ="center">Inscription at Swayambhu, Kathmandu.</div><br />
File:Dhalasikwa inscription of nepal era 1021.jpg|<div align ="center">Inscription of Nepal Era 1021 (1901) at Dhalasikwa, Kathmandu.</div><br />
File:Nepal bhasa inscription dated nepal sambat 902.jpg|<div align ="center">Nepal Bhasa inscription dated Nepal Sambat 902 (1782) at Swayambhu.</div><br />
File:Asan inscription nepal sambat 1044.jpg|<div align ="center">Inscription in Nepal Bhasa at Asan dated Nepal Sambat 1044 (1924).</div><br />
File:Inscription in Nepal script.jpg|<div align ="center">Inscription in Nepal script at Swayambhu, Kathmandu.</div><br />
File:Inscription in Nepal script dated Nepal era 821.jpg|<div align ="center">Inscription in Nepal Bhasa and Nepal script dated Nepal era 821 (1701).</div><br />
File:Balambu stone inscription.jpg|<div align ="center">Inscription at Balambu</div><br />
File:Kamalachhi inscription.jpg|<div align ="center">Inscription dated 25 March 2014 at Kamalachhi</div><br />
</gallery><br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:History of Kathmandu]]<br />
[[Category:Epigraphy]]<br />
[[Category:Newar language]]<br />
[[Category:Nepali language]]<br />
[[Category:Sanskrit inscriptions]]<br />
[[Category:Nepalese inscriptions]]</div>MaryjoM897