Kathmandu City Tour

The ancient history of Kathmandu is described in its traditional myths and legends. According to Swayambhu Purana, the present day Kathmandu was once a lake called Nagdaha. The lake was drained by Manjushree, who established a city called Manjupattan and made Dharmakar the ruler of the land.[16][17][18]
Very few historical records exist of the period before the medieval rulers Licchavis. According to Gopalraj Vansawali, a genealogy of Nepalese monarchs, the rulers of Kathmandu Valley before Licchavis were Gopalas, Mahispalas, Aabhirs, Kirants, and Somavanshi.[18][19] The Kirata dynasty was established by Yalambar. During the Kirata era, a settlement called Yambu existed in the northern half of old Kathmandu. In some of the Sino-Tibetan languages, Kathmandu is still called Yambu. Another smaller settlement called Yengal was present in the southern half of old Kathmandu, near Manjupattan. During the reign of the seventh Kirata ruler, Jitedasti, Buddhist monks entered Kathmandu valley and established a forest monastery at Sankhu.