| Nepal is mentioned in Hindu scriptures such as the Narayana Puja and the Atharva Siras (800-600 BC). Neolithic tools found
in the Kathmandu Valley indicate that people have been living in the Himalayan region for at least 9,000 years. It appears
that people who were probably of Tibeto-Burman ethnicity lived in Nepal 2,500 years ago. Around 1000 BC, small kingdoms and
confederations of clans arose in the region. From one of these, the Shakya confederation, arose a prince named Siddharta
Gautama (563–483 BC), who later renounced his royalty to lead an ascetic life and came to be known as the Buddha ("the
enlightened one"). By 250 BCE, the region came under the influence of the Mauryan empire of northern India, and later became
a vassal state under the Gupta Dynasty in the fourth century CE. From the late fifth century CE, rulers called the Licchavis
governed the area. The Licchavi dynasty went into decline in the late eighth century and was followed by a Newari era, from
879, although the extent of their control over the entire country is uncertain. By the late 11th century, southern Nepal came
under the influence of the Chalukaya Empire of southern India. Under the Chalukayas, Nepal,s religious establishment
changed as the kings patronised Hinduism instead of the prevailing Buddhism.
By the early 12th century, leaders were emerging whose names ended with the Sanskrit suffix malla ("wrestler"). Initially
their reign was marked by upheaval before the kings consolidated their power over the next 200 years. By the late 14th
century much of the country began to come under a unified rule. This unity was short-lived; in 1482 the region was carved
into three kingdoms: Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhadgaon.
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