KATHMANDU, March 15: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has initiated a process to revive the native names of its historic, cultural, and religious sites, and to bring them into practice. 

According to KMC, the work of confirming the names with cultural experts, archaeologists, linguists and historians has already started by searching for ancient names from the study of local settlements, temples, religious shrines, sattal, and stone spouts of significant historical and cultural importance.

According to Ashaman Sangat, the coordinator of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office's Heritage and Tourism Committee, the initiative commenced from five wards initially: Wards 5, 6, 7, 18, and 24 within the metropolis.

Thus far, it has been confirmed that the historical name of what is commonly known as Handigau is Nara, and Bauddha has been identified as Khasyor or Khasti in ancient records. Similarly, the current Chabahil was historically referred to as Chabahi, Naradevi as Ngeta, and Makhan as Mankha.

This program aims to restore the historical, cultural, and archaeological identities of the city and is supported by the Center for Integrated Urban Development.

The revived names will be prominently displayed in scripts including Ranjana, Devanagari, and English. As per researcher Asmita Shrestha, the name plates will feature a background of red and black, reminiscent of the colors of Hakupatasi, the traditional attire of Newari women. 

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