Kathmandu (Nepali: काठमाडौं, Nepal Bhasa:यें) 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 (27.71667, 85.36667). ^*

History

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Archeological finds within the Kathmandu Valley show it to have been inhabited as early as 900 BC. It is noted that the Buddha and his disciples spent some time in the area of present-day Patan in the 6^th century BC. Four stupas around the city of Patan erected by Ashoka the Great, a Mauryan king, in the 3^rd century BC attest to the ancient history present within the valley. 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 Kathamndu from the 12^th century till the 17^th century when the Shah Dynasty under Prithvi Narayan Shah conqured the valley as he created present-day Nepal. Most of ancient Nepalese architecture present in Kathmandu today is from the Malla era.

According to legend, the area was a lake in the past, but Manjushri, a disciple of the Shakyamuni Buddha, cut open a hill to the south and allowed the water to flow out, making the region habitable. The origin of the present name is unclear, but one of the more likely theories is that it was named after Kastha-Mandap ("temple of wood" in Sanskrit), after a pagoda carved from the single tree on the order of King Lakshmi Narasingha Malla in 1596.

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