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54-546: Van Driem (2001) posits that the Mahakiranti languages besides Kiranti proper are Newar , Baram , and Thangmi . Baram and Thangmi are clearly related, but it is not yet clear if the similarities they share with Newar demonstrate a 'Para-Kiranti' family, as van Driem suggests, or if they are borrowings. He sees Lepcha , Lhokpu , and the Magaric languages (in the narrow sense, whether or not Chepangic proves to be Magar) as

108-707: A habitable land. According to Gopal Banshawali, Krishna cut the gorge with his Sudarshana Chakra to let the water out. He then handed the drained valley to the Gopal Vansi people, who were nomadic cow herders. Kathmandu valley is bowl-shaped. Its central lower part stands at 1,425 m (4,675 ft). Kathmandu valley is surrounded by five mountain ranges: Shivapuri hills (at an elevation of 2,732 m (8,963 ft)), Phulchowki (2,762 metres or 9,062 feet), Nagarjun (2,128 metres or 6,982 feet), Champadevi (2,278 m (7,474 ft)) and Chandragiri (2,551 m (8,369 ft)). The major river flowing through

162-623: A local language. Newar is taught in schools of Sikkim. The exact placement of Newar within the Tibeto-Burman language family has been a source of controversies and confusion. Robert Shafer classified Newar as part of his Bodic division of Sino-Tibetan. George Van Driem classified Newar within the Mahakiranti grouping but he later retracted his hypothesis in 2003. Moreover, he proposed a new grouping called "Maha-Newari" which possibly includes Baram–Thangmi . T. R. Kansakar attributes

216-492: A name for the language was coined by Brian Hodgson in 1847 and since then used by most western scholars. The term "Newari" is considered by many Newars to be inappropriate as it is the Sanskritisation of "Newar". "Newar" is generally believed to be related to the word "Nepal", possibly derived by the replacement of the 'la' sound with a 'ra' sound, a common practice in historical documents from Nepal. Historically,

270-524: A neat classification. A classification (based on Glover's ) indicating a percentage of shared vocabulary within the labeled branch and an approximate time of split: Example: Karen etc Example: Sunwar Tamang , Manang , Gurung , Thakali , Kaike , Tibetan , Sherpa Examples: Limbu Chepang Baram–Thangmi Pahri or Pahari (unrelated to other "Pahari" languages of the region) Dolkha Newari Modern Nepal Bhasa ɫ "%" indicates lexical similarity/common vocabulary between Newar and

324-618: A shared retention of a far older trait. He retracted his proposal in 2004. Newar language Nepal Historical : Gorkha Kingdom Newar ( English: / n ə ˈ w ɑː r / ; 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑐮 𑐨𑐵𑐲𑐵 ‎ , nepāla bhāṣā ) is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people , the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala , which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal . The language

378-705: A sophisticated urban civilization not seen elsewhere in the Himalayan foothills. They are known for their contributions to art, sculpture, architecture, culture, literature, music, industry, trade, agriculture and cuisine, and have left their mark on the art of Central Asia. Newa architecture consists of the pagoda , stupa , shikhara , chaitya and other styles. The valley's trademark is the multiple-roofed pagoda which may have originated in this area and spread to India, China, Indochina and Japan. The most famous artisan who influenced stylistic developments in China and Tibet

432-509: Is a bowl-shaped valley located in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal . It lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of the Indian subcontinent and the broader Asian continent, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several pilgrimage sites for Hindus and Buddhists . The valley holds seven World Heritage Sites within it. The Kathmandu Valley is the most developed and

486-468: Is a cultural and political hub of Nepal. The Kathmandu Valley was accorded the status of a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the year 1979. This is an incomplete alphabetical list of notable temples and monuments in Kathmandu Valley. Seven of these are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites . This valley hosts a UNESCO World Heritage Site with seven preserved locations: the centers of

540-567: Is also used. Newar is spoken by over a million people in Nepal according to the 2001 census. With an increase in emigration, various bodies and societies of Newar-speaking people have emerged in countries such as the US, the UK, Australia, and Japan. Newar was Nepal Mandala 's (then only known as Nepal) administrative language from the 14th to the late 18th century. The continued official use of Newari into

594-850: Is an additional official language in Sikkim for the purpose of preservation of culture and tradition in the state. The official weekly publication Sikkim Herald has a Newar Edition. The Information & Public Relations Department also broadcasts news bulletin in Newar. Nepal Bhasa is included as elective mother tongue subject in schools by Curriculum Development Committee. Tribhuvan University offers Bachelors, Masters, Mphil and PhD degree in Nepal Bhasa. Expatriates can study Nepal Bhasa at Bishwa Bhasa Campus in Kathmandu. Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Kirtipur Municipality are teaching Nepal Bhasa as

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648-405: Is considered to be the first woman to publish literature in Nepal as her poems are the earliest dated literature in Nepal authored by a woman. An example of the language used during this period is provided by the following lines from a poem written by Briddhi Lakshmi . dukha hāṅā hāṅā parabata jina lhvaneṅa maphuta, madata vipatiyā udhāra I can no longer bear the mountain of grief; there

702-554: Is currently known as Sajha Prakashan . On 7 September 1995, the cabinet of ministers decided to use "Nepala Bhasa" instead of "Newari". On 13 November 1998, the Minister of Information and Communication issued another directive to use the name Nepal Bhasa instead of Newari. However, the Central Bureau of Statistics has not been doing so. A colloquial term is Newa Bhaay ( Devanāgarī : नेवा: भाय्, IAST : Nevāḥ Bhāy)

756-602: Is during this period that the earliest dated document written entirely in Newar was written, a palm-leaf manuscript preserved in Uku Bāhā, a Buddhist monastery in Lalitpur , which dates from 1114. Following is a line from the document which mostly deals with business transaction. bivu mikhā tivu maduguna chu sāta duguna valhe replace for what is lost, with a remaining object or gift rightly sold out, give some clothes. The first inscription written entirely in Newar set up by

810-577: Is in turn posited to be related to Tibeto-Kanauri in a Himalayish branch, largely equivalent to other scholars' Bodic. Benedict (1972) included Newar and Chepangic, but not Magaric. He mistakenly classified Vayu as Chepangic and thus named the family Bahing–Vayu. After a field visit to Bhutan, van Driem, the original proponent of this hypothesis, collected data on the Gongduk language which made him realize morphological traits common between Kiranti and Newar are not unique to either Kiranti or Newar but

864-514: Is known officialy in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, a name that has been historically used for the language. The term " Newari " is also used to refer to the language, although the Indic -i suffix is considered inappropriate by some Newar speakers. The language served as the official language of Nepal during the Malla dynasty since the 14th century till the end of dynasty in 1769 during which the language

918-612: Is no salvation for the grieved Newar began to be sidelined after the Gorkha conquest of Nepal and the ouster of the Malla dynasty by the Shah dynasty in the late 18th century. Since then, its history has been one of constant suppression and struggle against official disapproval. Following the advent of the Shahs, the Gorkhali language became the court language, and Newar was replaced as

972-580: Is ubiquitous in sources from the Malla dynasty to refer to the language. The earliest occurrences of the name Nepālabhāṣā ( Devanāgarī : नेपालभाषा) or Nepālavāc ( Devanāgarī : नेपालवाच) used to refer to the language, can be found in the manuscripts of a commentary to the Nāradasaṃhitā , dated 1380, and a commentary to the Amarkośa , dated 1386. Some inscriptions from the Malla Dynasty refer to

1026-624: The Licchavi period (approximately 400–750) contains frequent use of Sino-Tibetan words especially for proper nouns. Almost 80 percent of the names of places, taxes and merchandise used in the inscriptions are Tibeto-Burman in origin. It suggests that Newar existed as a vernacular language since at least the Lichhavi Dynasty . According to the Gopal Raj Vamshavali , a 14th century Newar language history book, before

1080-532: The Licchavis of Vaishali conquered Nepal , it was ruled by the Kirata and the language they spoke, which is referred by historians such as Shrestha as Kiranti, is believed to be the old form of the Newar language. For instance, in an inscription from 594 located in present day Bhaktapur , the area is referred as khopṛiṅa which closely resmbles the classical and modern Newar name for the city , khopa. It

1134-596: The Nepal Mandala . Until the 15th century, Bhaktapur was its capital, when two other capitals, Kathmandu and Patan , were established. Until the 1960s, the Kathmandu Valley was known as the Nepala Valley or Nepa Valley . In 1961 the valley was listed as Kathmandu District , which began referring to the valley as Kathmandu Valley. The term Nepa Valley is still used among Newar people and local governments, while senior citizens still tend to refer to

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1188-496: The Shah dynasty is shown by the 1775 treaty with Tibet , which was written in the language, but it was gradually replaced in official use by Gorkhali. From the early 20th century until democratization , Newar suffered from official suppression. During this period, the use of the language for business and literary purposes was declared illegal, and Newar authors were fined or imprisoned. The Language Commission of Nepal recommended Bagmati Province to provide Nepal Bhasa (Newar)

1242-439: The 14th century, Newar was given the status of national language by Jayasthiti Malla . Since then, most of royal decrees, official proclamations and public notices set up by the monarchs appeared in Newar. Jayasthiti Malla himself commissioned many works in Newar like the Gopal Raj Vamshavali , a manuscript about the history of Nepal dating to 1389. From the 14th century onwards, an overwhelming number of stone inscriptions in

1296-697: The Bodic languages closest to Mahakiranti. Matisoff's Mahakiranti includes the Newar and the Magaric languages along with Kiranti. He groups Mahakiranti with the Tibeto-Kanauri languages (in which he includes Lepcha) as Himalayish . Bradley (1997) adds Magar and Chepang to van Driem's Mahakiranti and calls the result Himalayan. This, along with his "Bodish" (equivalent to Tibeto-Kanauri), constitutes his Bodic family. Ethnologue (15th ed.) posits Magaric, Chepang, and Newar alongside Kiranti; Mahakiranti

1350-867: The Kathmandu Valley , where they are a ubiquitous element at heritage sites, are in Newar. The period from 1428 to 1769 is considered a Golden Age for Newar Literature . Many monarchs of the Malla dynasty themselves started composing hymns and dramas in Newar. Noted royal writers include Mahindra Malla , Siddhi Narsingh Malla , and Ranajit Malla . Still, there are numerous works of literature from this period with anonymous authors. Some non royal authors include Keshav Udās, Brisabhānanda and Biladātāsingha. Some notable women who wrote literature in Newar during this period include, Jagatakeshari from Banepa , Briddhi Lakshmi (queen consort of Bhaktapur ), Riddhi Lakshmi (mother of Bhupalendra Malla ), Jaya Lakshmi (queen consort of Yoga Narendra Malla ). Among them, Riddhi Lakshmi

1404-611: The Kathmandu Valley is the Bagmati River. The valley is made up of the Kathmandu District , Lalitpur District and Bhaktapur District covering an area of 220 square miles (570 km ). The valley consists of the municipal areas of Kathmandu, Patan , Bhaktapur, Kirtipur and Madhyapur Thimi ; the remaining area is made up of a number of municipalities and rural municipalities in Lalitpur district. The valley

1458-399: The Kathmandu Valley leading to the indigenous Newars becoming a minority. During the period 1952 to 1991, the percentage of the valley population speaking Newar dropped from 74.95% to 43.93%. The Nepal Bhasa movement arose as an effort to save the language. Newars have been fighting to save their language in the face of opposition from the government and hostile neighbours from the time of

1512-403: The Kathmandu Valley. The 1500-year history of funerary architecture in the valley provides some of the finest examples of stone architecture found in the subcontinent. A caitya is placed in almost all courtyards in cities like Patan . Stone inscriptions in the Kathmandu Valley are important sources for the history of Nepal. Kathmandu Valley has total population of 2,996,341. In 2015,

1566-535: The Kathmandu Valley. According to Swayambhu Puran , the Kathmandu Valley was once a lake, deemed by scientists as Paleo Kathmandu Lake . The hill where the Swayambu Stupa rests had lotus plants with flowers in bloom. One story says that the God Manjusri cut a gorge at a valley called Kashapaal (later called Chobhar) with a sword called Chandrahrasha and drained away the waters in order to establish

1620-575: The Linguist Glover, Newar and Chepang language must have diverged around 2200 BC. It is estimated that Newar shares 28% of its vocabulary with Chepang. At the same time, a very large and significant proportion of Newari vocabulary is Indo-European in origin, by one estimate more than 50%, indicating an influence of at least 1,600 years from Indo-European languages, first from Sanskrit, Maithili, Persian, and Urdu and today from Hindi, Nepali and English. The Sanskrit language stone inscriptions of

1674-508: The city of Patan that are said to have been erected by Charumati , a purported daughter of the Maurya emperor Ashoka , in the third century BCE, attest to the ancient history present within the valley. As with the tales of the Buddha's visit, there is no evidence supporting Ashok's visit, but the stupas probably date to that century. The Licchavis , whose earliest inscriptions date to 464, were

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1728-449: The difficulty about the placement of Newar to the inability of scholars to connect it with the migration patterns of the Tibeto-Burman speakers. Since Newar separated from rest of the family very early in history, it is difficult or at least arbitrary to reconstruct the basic stratum that contributed to present day Newar speech. He underscored the point that the language evolved from mixed racial/linguistic influences that do not lend easily to

1782-574: The economic hub of Nepal. It is popular with tourists for its unique architecture, and rich culture which includes the highest number of jatras (festivals) in Nepal. Kathmandu Valley itself was referred to as "Nepal Proper" by British historians. As per the World Bank, the Kathmandu Valley was one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in South Asia with 2.5 million population by 2010 and an annual growth rate of 4%. In 2015, Kathmandu Valley

1836-457: The indigenous inhabitants and the creators of the historic civilization of the valley. Their language is today known as Nepal Bhasa . They are understood to be the descendants of the various ethnic and racial groups that have inhabited and ruled the valley in the two-millennium history of the place. Scholars have also described the Newars as a nation . They have developed a division of labour and

1890-412: The language as deśabhāṣā ( Pracalit Script : 𑐡𑐾𑐱𑐨𑐵𑐲𑐵 ‎ , lit.   ' language of the country ' ) and svadeśabhāṣā ( Pracalit Script : 𑐳𑑂𑐰𑐡𑐾𑐱𑐨𑐵𑐲𑐵 ‎, lit.   ' language of one's own country ' ). Similarly, Father Cassiano da Macerata, a Capuchin missionary who visited Nepal in the 1740s referred to the language as Nepalese. The term "Newari" as

1944-469: The language of administration. However, Newar continued to remain in official use for a time as shown by the 1775 treaty with Tibet which was written in it. A few of the new rulers cultivated the language. Kings Prithvi Narayan Shah , Rana Bahadur and Rajendra Bikram Shah composed poetry and wrote plays in it. Newar suffered heavily under the repressive policy of the Rana dynasty (1846–1951 AD) when

1998-402: The language, Nepal Bhasa , which literally means Nepal Language , originates from Nepal . Historically, Nepal was only used to refer to the Kathmandu Valley and its surroundings, where the language was native to. A larger region surrounding the valley is known as Nepal Mandala . Therefore, the language spoken in Nepal Mandala became known as Nepal Bhasa. The name "Nepal Bhasa"

2052-405: The largest urban agglomeration in Nepal with a population of about 5 million people. The urban agglomeration of Kathmandu Valley includes the cities of Kathmandu , Lalitpur , Bhaktapur , Changunarayan , Budhanilkantha , Tarakeshwar , Gokarneshwar , Suryabinayak , Tokha , Kirtipur , Madhyapur Thimi , and others. The majority of offices and headquarters are located in the valley, making it

2106-602: The next rulers of the valley and had close ties with the Gupta Empire of India. The Mallas ruled the Kathmandu Valley and the surrounding area from the 12th until the 18th century CE, when the Shah dynasty of the Gorkha Kingdom under Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered the valley as he created present-day Nepal. His victory in the Battle of Kirtipur was the beginning of his conquest of the valley. The Newars are

2160-513: The other languages in the branch. The date indicates an approximate time when the language diverged. ɞ Van Driem labelled this branch as "Parakiranti" and included it together with Kiranti branch to form Maha Kiranti group. However, he would later drop this hypothesis. ʌ All languages within this branch have extensive Indo-Aryan vocabulary. It is hypothesised that either ancient IndoAryan admixture happened before Newar-Thangmi-Baram split or that Thangmi-Baram borrowed through Newari. According to

2214-469: The percentage of Newar speakers in the Kathmandu Valley dropped from 75% to 44% and today Newar culture and language are under threat. The language has been listed as " Definitely endangered " by UNESCO . On 6 May 2024, Newar, along with Tamang and Nepali was declared as the official language of Bagmati Province . Similarly, Newar is given official status in several city governments of Nepal including Kathmandu . The official and historical name of

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2268-424: The regime attempted to wipe it out. In 1906, legal documents written in Newar were declared unenforceable, and any evidence in the language was declared null and void. The rulers forbade literature in Newar, and writers were sent to jail. In 1944, Buddhist monks who wrote in the language were expelled from the country. Moreover, hostility towards the language from neighbours grew following massive migration into

2322-645: The repressive Rana regime till today. The movement arose against the suppression of the language that began with the rise of the Shah dynasty in 1768 AD, and intensified during the Rana regime (1846–1951) and Panchayat system (1960–1990). Kathmandu Valley The Kathmandu Valley ( Nepali : काठमाडौं उपत्यका ), also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley ( Nepali : नेपाः उपत्यका , Nepal Bhasa : 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः), National Capital Area,

2376-479: The royal family also dates from this period; a stone inscription from Bajrayogini Temple of Rudra Malla from 1127 ( NS 293). The Newar language of the Medieval era (879 to 1769 CE) is referred as Classical Newar . It is further classified into Early Classical Newar, used from 879 to 1482, when the period of three kingdom started and Late Classical Newar, from 1482 to 1769, when the Malla dynasty ended . In

2430-936: The status of official language, alongside Tamang . The commission also recommends Nepal Bhasa (Newar) for official status in specific areas and purposes in Province No. 1 and Gandaki Province . At local levels, Nepal Bhasa (Newar) has official status in Kathmandu Metropolitan City , Lalitpur Metropolitan City and Kirtipur Municipality Chandragiri Municipality , Shankharapur Municipality, Tarkeshwor Municipality of Kathmandu district; Banepa Municipality , Dhulikhel Municipality of Kavre district; Godavari Municipality of Lalitpur district; and Bhaktapur Municipality , Madhyapur Thimi Municipality of Bhaktapur district have recognized Nepal Bhasa in some ways. Similarly, Bhimeshor Municipality has recognized and made policy-level decisions for Dolakha Nepal Bhasa. Newar

2484-572: The term nevārabhāṣā ("newar language") to refer to the language. In the 1920s, the language known as Khas Kura, Gorkhali or Parbatiya was renamed to Nepali . Conversely, the term Gorkhali in the former national anthem entitled "Shreeman Gambhir" was changed to Nepali in 1951. Gorkha Bhasa Prakashini Samiti (Gorkha Language Publishing Committee), a government institution established in 1913 (B.S. 1970) for advancement of Gorkha Bhasa, renamed itself as Nepali Bhasa Prakashini Samiti (Nepali Language Publishing Committee) in 1933 (B.S. 1990), which

2538-575: The term "Newar" itself was rarely used, only finding use in the travelogue of some of the Capuchin missionaries who visited Nepal during the Malla dynasty . Only two sources from the Malla dynasty use the term "Newar" to refer to the language or its script; the multilingual stone inscription of Pratap Malla uses " nevāra ākhara " ("newar alphabet") to refer to the Pracalit script and another stone inscription set up by Pratap Malla in 1652 uses

2592-443: The three primary cities, Kathmandu Hanuman Dhoka, Patan Durbar Square and Bhaktapur Durbar Square , the two most important Buddhist stupas, Swayambhunath and Boudhanath and two famous Hindu shrines, Pashupatinath temple and Changu Narayan . In 2003, UNESCO listed the sites as being "endangered" out of concern for the ongoing loss of authenticity and the outstanding universal value of the cultural property. The endangered status

2646-669: The valley as Nepal . The term Swaniga ( Nepal Bhasa : 𑐳𑑂𑐰𑐣𑐶𑐐𑑅, स्वनिगः) is used to refer to three cities namely Yén (Kathmandu), Yala (Lalitpur) and Khwapa (Bhaktapur) The Pahari name Kathmandu comes from a structure in the Durbar Square called by the Sanskrit name Kāsṣtha mandapa "Wooden shelter". This unique temple , also known as the Maru Sattal , was built in 1596 by King Lakshmi Narasimha Malla. The entire structure contained no iron nails or supports and

2700-521: Was Araniko , a Newar who traveled to the court of Kublai Khan in the 13th century AD. He is known for building the white stupa at the Miaoying Temple in Beijing . At present, people from other parts of Nepal tend to migrate to the valley for a better life due to its high level of cultural and economic development. Even with urbanization taking place, the Newars have sustained their culture in

2754-459: Was hit by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake . The earthquake caused thousands of deaths and the destruction of many infrastructure across the Kathmandu Valley, which included the towns of Lalitpur, Kirtipur , Madhyapur Thimi , Changunarayan , and Bhaktapur. Kathmandu is also the largest city in the Himalayan hill region . Historically, the valley and adjoining areas made up a confederation known as

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2808-499: Was lifted in 2007. In the past, Tibetan Buddhist Masters including Marpa, Milarepa, Rwa Lotsava, Ras Chungpa, Dharma Swami, XIII Karmapa, XVI Karmapa and several others visited and travelled in the Kathmandu Valley. However, the largest group of Tibetans came in the 1960s. Many settled around the Swayambhunath and Boudhanath Stupas. Many other famous Lamas known throughout the world have their Buddhist monasteries and centers in

2862-428: Was made entirely from wood. Legend has it that the timber used for this two-story pagoda was obtained from a single tree. The Kathmandu Valley may have been inhabited as early as 300 BCE, since the oldest known objects in the valley date to a few hundred years BCE. The earliest known inscription is dated 185 CE. The oldest firmly dated building in the earthquake-prone valley is over 2,000 years old. Four stupas around

2916-483: Was referred as "Nepal Bhasa", a term which literally means "Nepalese Language". However, the language is not the same as Nepali , an Indo-Aryan language and the current official language of Nepal , which only got the name Nepali in the 1930s. Literature in Newar is one of the oldest in Nepal, dating back to at least 600 years ago. From the start of the Rana dynasty in the 1840s until democratisation , Newar suffered from official suppression. From 1952 to 1991,

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