Kathmandu: History, Former Names & Timeline

Old city in a Himalayan valley whose Malla palace squares and stupas record Newar culture.

Map showing Kathmandu in 1930 — Border map for 1930. See the world in 1930.

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<p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Interactive map: <a href="https://chronicamaps.com/en/city/kathmandu">Kathmandu: History, Former Names &amp; Timeline</a> · Chronica Maps</p>

Former names of Kathmandu

From	Name	Note
AD 723	Kantipur
1600	Kathmandu

Timeline of Kathmandu

Year	Event
1482	The Malla kingdom divides and Kathmandu becomes a kingdom of its own
1768	Prithvi Narayan Shah conquers Kathmandu and unifies Nepal
1934	The Nepal–Bihar earthquake
1951	The rule of the hereditary Rana prime ministers ends
2015	The Gorkha earthquake

Who ruled Kathmandu

Derived from the border maps; each row runs until the next recorded border change.

Period	State
500 BC–401 BC	Unclaimed / no data
400 BC–324 BC	Proto-Tibetan cultures
323 BC–201 BC	Unclaimed / no data
200 BC–101 BC	Thai
100 BC–599	Unclaimed / no data
600–799	Kanauj
800–999	Tibetan Empire
1000–1599	Tibet
1600–1649	Islamic and Hindu states
1650–1782	Mughal Empire
1783–today	Nepal

Nearby cities

Patna · about 236 km
Varanasi · about 351 km

Questions about Kathmandu

What was Kathmandu called in the past?

Kathmandu has been known as Kantipur (from AD 723). Its present name dates from 1600.

Which states have ruled Kathmandu?

On the historical border maps from 500 BC to today, Kathmandu lies within 8 different states: Proto-Tibetan cultures, Thai, Kanauj, Tibetan Empire, Tibet, Islamic and Hindu states, Mughal Empire, Nepal.

What are the key dates in the history of Kathmandu?

1482: The Malla kingdom divides and Kathmandu becomes a kingdom of its own. 1768: Prithvi Narayan Shah conquers Kathmandu and unifies Nepal. 1934: The Nepal–Bihar earthquake. 1951: The rule of the hereditary Rana prime ministers ends. 2015: The Gorkha earthquake.

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.