Journey through the people, cities and ideas that shaped Nepal, from early communities to the republic of today.
Follow early kingdoms, Licchavi and Malla rule, Shah unification, the Rana regime, democratic movements and the federal republic.
Explore 10 historical periods, the rulers and heads of government, and 64 chapters of territorial change.
Kings, regents, regional authorities, presidents and prime ministers of Nepal.
A Journey Through the Ages
Nepal connects Himalayan communities and the Kathmandu Valley through early kingdoms, Licchavi and Malla rule, Shah unification, the Rana regime and the republic. Explore 623 events across ten periods.
1,800,000 BCE – 501 BCE
Stone Age sites, Kirat kings recorded from about 800 BCE and the Shakya republic of Kapilavastu belong to this long span, with the Buddha's life dated c. 563 or c. 480 BCE in dispute. Evidence is archaeological and traditional, so dates and borders are approximate.
500 BCE – 879
Ashoka's pillar at Lumbini dates to 249 BCE, and the Licchavi kingdom ruled the Kathmandu Valley with inscriptions from 464 under Manadeva and later Amshuverma. Raghava Deva then began the Nepal Era on 20 October 879, ending the Licchavi period.
880 – 1200
The Thakuri dynasty, traced to Raghavadeva in 879, is mostly associated with Nuwakot, while Gunakama Deva founded Kantipur and the Karnat dynasty rose at Simraungadh in 1097. A modelled estimate puts the population near 1.5 million in the year 1000.
1201 – 1768
Malla kings ruled the Kathmandu Valley from about 1201, Jayasthiti Malla codified law after 1382, and the valley split into Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur after 1482. The Khasa kingdom of the west broke into the Baise and Chaubise principalities before Gorkha's conquests.
1769 – 1814
Gorkha's army took Kathmandu on 25 September 1768 and Bhaktapur in 1769, then pushed east to the Teesta and west across Kumaon and Garhwal to the Sutlej. The 1788-92 war with Tibet ended with tributary status to Qing China.
1815 – 1845
The Anglo-Nepalese War, fought from 1 November 1814, ended with the Treaty of Sugauli on 4 March 1816, which cost Nepal about one-third of its land and set the Mahakali and Mechi borders. Two Terai strips returned on 11 December 1816.
1846 – 1950
Hereditary Rana prime ministers ruled in the shadow of the Shah kings from 1846 to 1951, and Nepal regained the Naya Muluk Terai districts, 9,207 square kilometres, in 1860. The Britain treaty of 21 December 1923 replaced Sugauli, and censuses recorded 5,638,749 people in 1911 and 6,283,649 in 1941.
1951 – 1989
The monarchy regained power after 1951, and the China-Nepal boundary treaty of 5 October 1961 settled the northern line, followed by a protocol on 23 January 1963. Censuses show 8,256,625 people in 1954 and 15,022,839 in 1981, while Sikkim merged into India in 1975.
1990 – 2005
A multiparty system returned in 1990, and the Maoist People's War of 1996-2006 caused approximately 13,000 deaths according to Wikipedia, with figures and responsibility contested. Censuses counted 18,491,097 people in 1991 and 23,151,423 in 2001, a growth of about 25 percent.
2006 – present
Nepal abolished the monarchy on 28 May 2008 and adopted a federal constitution on 20 September 2015 creating seven provinces. The 2021 census counted 29,164,578 people and a 2024 estimate gave about 31.1 million; 2024-26 political items need refreshing.
From the Kirata, Shakya and Licchavi to the Malla kingdoms, Greater Nepal and the Federal Republic, 1.8 million years ago – 2026
From the Kirata kings, the Shakya republic of Kapilavastu and the Licchavi of the Kathmandu Valley to the Thakuri, the Khasa Malla and Karnat kingdoms, the Malla kings of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, the Gorkhali unification under Prithvi Narayan Shah, the Anglo-Nepalese War and the Treaty of Sugauli, the Rana regime, the Panchayat era and the Federal Democratic Republic. Watch the Nepal lands change year by year, with the empires around them; Naya Muluk and the Kalapani area are flagged overlays and the dashed shapes are approximate.
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Trade, migration and religious exchange linked the Kathmandu Valley and Himalayan communities with neighbouring regions.
Licchavi, Malla and Shah rule shaped political authority, cities and cultural traditions.
The end of Rana rule, democratic movements, conflict and the transition to a federal republic reshaped Nepal’s institutions.
Events and ruler profiles retain the references supplied with the dataset. Structural and display checks do not establish historical accuracy. The research report records unverified ruler links, single-source events, gaps and conflicting dates; recent events remain subject to revision.
The supplied map retains its credits, references and territorial caveats. Historical states, context layers and approximate zones distinguish regional authority from modern borders. Kashmir is shown through administered and proxy outlines, with disputes identified in the map; East Nepal is included in its historical context.
Population estimates describe differing territories and periods. Ranges for an ancient city or a whole civilisation are not treated as counts for modern Nepal. Images are pending; this microsite uses a gradient and a generic ruler placeholder.
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