Reference
A History of Nepal
A concise, reliable history of Nepal from the Gorkha unification to the republic.
Licchavi Kingdom of Nepal
Kingdom
Level 2
c. 400 CE – c. 750 CE
Classical Nepal kingdom known from its Sanskrit inscriptions.
- Capital
- Kathmandu valley
- Region
- Himalaya
- Duration
- 350 years
- Main period
- Gupta Empire & Regional Powers
Approximate extent.
At a glance
Move along the chart to read any year; click a ruler or event to open the map there.
Rulers
- Manadeva I Kingc. 464 CE – c. 505 CEChangu Narayan inscription.
- Amshuverma Kingc. 605 CE – c. 621 CE
Selected rulers; gaps in the list are not gaps in the dynasty.
Key events
| Year | Event | Place |
|---|---|---|
| c. 464 CE | Manadeva I's Changu Narayan inscription Earliest dated inscription of Nepal. |
Changu Narayan |
Sites & monuments
Swayambhunath
Religious monument · c. 450 CE
📚 Recommended reading on the Licchavi Kingdom of Nepal
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📄 Research papers
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
Politics, violence and war in Kāmandaka's Nītisāra
Ideas of kingship, power and war in the Nītisāra, an early medieval text on statecraft.
🕸 Connections 14 links
Explore connections full screen ↗Everything on YugMap linked to this page — and why. Hover a dot in the graph, or pick from the list.
🗂 Era 1
- Ancient IndiaPart of this era
⏳ Periods 1
- Gupta Empire & Regional PowersBelongs to this period
🏛 Kingdoms & empires 4
- Gupta Empire 240 CE – 550 CEExisted at the same time (150 years)
- Pallava Dynasty 275 CE – 897 CEExisted at the same time (350 years)
- Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) Dynasty 500 CE – 647 CEExisted at the same time (147 years)
- Chalukyas of Badami 543 CE – 753 CEExisted at the same time (207 years)
👑 Rulers 2
- Manadeva I 464 CE – 505 CERuled it
- Amshuverma 605 CE – 621 CERuled it
⚔ Events 1
- Manadeva I's Changu Narayan inscription c. 464 CEHappened in it
📍 Places & sites 1
- Swayambhunath c. 450 CEA place of this polity
🔧 Technology 2
- Nalanda Mahavihara 3rd century BCE – 13th century CEMade or discovered in this time
- The rust-resistant iron pillar Ancient periodMade or discovered in this time
📄 Research 1
- Politics, violence and war in Kāmandaka's Nītisāra Upinder Singh · 2010Research on this topic
📚 Books 1
- A History of Nepal John WhelptonRecommended reading
Contemporaries
Powers that coexisted with the Licchavi Kingdom of Nepal for a significant part of its history. The bar shows when, within its own span.
Anuradhapura Kingdom ★
Sri Lanka · c. 437 BCE – c. 1017
Overlap: 350 years
Gupta Empire ★
Gangetic Plain · c. 240 CE – c. 550 CE
Overlap: 150 years
Pallava Dynasty ★
South · c. 275 CE – c. 897 CE
Overlap: 350 years
Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) Dynasty ★
North · c. 500 CE – c. 647 CE
Overlap: 147 years
Chalukyas of Badami ★
Deccan · c. 543 CE – c. 753 CE
Overlap: 207 years
Chahamanas (Chauhans) of Shakambhari ★
West · c. 650 CE – c. 1194
Overlap: 100 years
Kalabhra Interregnum
South · c. 250 CE – c. 600 CE
Overlap: 200 years
Vakataka Dynasty
Deccan · c. 250 CE – c. 500 CE
Overlap: 100 years
Kadamba Dynasty
South · c. 345 CE – c. 525 CE
Overlap: 125 years
Western Ganga Dynasty
South · c. 350 CE – c. 1000
Overlap: 350 years
Kamarupa
Northeast · c. 350 CE – c. 1140
Overlap: 350 years
Alchon Huns (Hunas)
Northwest · c. 460 CE – c. 560 CE
Overlap: 100 years
Maitraka Dynasty
West · c. 475 CE – c. 776 CE
Overlap: 275 years
Rai Dynasty of Sindh
Northwest · c. 489 CE – c. 632 CE
Overlap: 143 years
Later Guptas of Magadha
East · c. 490 CE – c. 750 CE
Overlap: 260 years
Maukhari Dynasty
Gangetic Plain · c. 550 CE – c. 606 CE
Overlap: 56 years
Gauda Kingdom (Shashanka)
East · c. 590 CE – c. 626 CE
Overlap: 36 years
Pandya Kingdom (First Empire)
South · c. 590 CE – c. 920 CE
Overlap: 160 years
Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi
Deccan · c. 624 CE – c. 1075
Overlap: 126 years
Karkota Dynasty of Kashmir
North · c. 625 CE – c. 855 CE
Overlap: 125 years
Brahmin Dynasty of Sindh (Chach)
Northwest · c. 632 CE – c. 712 CE
Overlap: 80 years
Turk Shahis
Northwest · c. 665 CE – c. 822 CE
Overlap: 85 years
Kalachuris of Tripuri
Central · c. 675 CE – 1212
Overlap: 75 years
Umayyad Caliphate — Sindh province
Northwest · c. 712 CE – c. 750 CE
Overlap: 38 years