Kirata Rule, Demographic Continuity, and the Narrative of Displacement in Ancient Nepal: A Textual Re-examination of the Gopalarajavamsavali and Hodgson's Accounts

In the ancient history of Nepal, the Kirata period is regarded as the foundation of political, social, and linguistic structures. Using the Gopalarajavamsavali, considered the oldest authentic historical text of Nepal, and the nineteenth-century materials of Brian Houghton Hodgson as primary foundations, this research note examines the nature of Kirata rule, their geographical distribution, and the prevailing narrative of their displacement. Specifically, through a grammatical and textual analysis of the original Sanskrit phrase "tamarjjanakosakitattadbhava ye" in the Gopalarajavamsavali, this study clarifies the semantic distortion caused by the unwarranted addition of the temporal word "now" (ahile) in modern translations. Furthermore, drawing upon non-Sanskrit toponyms recorded in Licchavi inscriptions, this paper demonstrates that while the Kirata kings were defeated by the Licchavis, the Kirata subjects and general population remained continuously in the Kathmandu Valley. By examining Hodgson's recording of local oral folklore alleging that the fourteenth-century Mallas expelled the Kiratas from the valley, this paper shows that this claim represents an anachronism. Ultimately, it concludes that the ancient Kirata population gradually assimilated into the agrarian and working classes of Newar society.