Cāruvatī Thūpa: Kirat period inscription from Nepalmandal
by Kashinath Tamot

From a booklet presented at the annual meeting of the Newah Organization of America, Maryland, USA
27 May 2017

text and photos © asianart.com and the author except as where otherwise noted

June 07, 2025 (first draft: June 06, 2017)

(click on the small image for full screen image with captions.)

The inscription on a brick retrieved from Chabahil stupa of Kathmandu, Kathmandu Valley is the earliest inscription from Nepalmandal, being of the third century BCE (fig. 1).

Fig. 1. The face of the brick discovered by Rajyalaksmi Duwal on Jan. 25, 2003. Above, a dharmachakra symbol and below, in Brahmi script, चा रु व ती थू प cā ru va tī thū pa. Photograph by Yalamber Tamot.

“Caruvati thupa” is the present day Chabahil stupa of Kathmandu. It is also called Dhando chaitya (chaitya = stupa) after the Licchavi King Dharmadeva (c. 440-460 CE) the father of the historic King Manadeva (464-505 CE), who renovated the stupa in the 5th century. It was renovated periodically: the last renovation was done about 150 years ago.

In the 2002 rainy season, the Chabahil stupa showed signs of breaking and splitting, and rain was about to enter into it.

Tapassi Dhamma (b. 1970), a Theravada bhiksu residing in the nearby Buddhist Carumati Vihar and others raised their voices for a restoration of the stupa. Tshodzi Tulku of Ladakh donated five hundred thousand Rupees to start the renovation. The “Committee for Restoration of Shree Dhando Chaitya" was formed, and the work began on November 17, 2002. Eventually, all the parts of the Trayodasha Bhuvan (13 worlds) - the spire of the stupa - were dismantled. Eventually the renovation was completed and a consecration restoring the life of the stupa was performed on March 5, 2004 by Nyingmapa Guru Thiltso Rimpoche amidst a great function.

During the period of renovation. while washing bricks, on 27 December, 2002, an inscribed brick was found, on which was written 'Cāruvatī' in Brahmi script and "Cāruvatī dhaṃde" and "Hetuprabhā" in Bhujinmol script (of Newalipi) (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Brick found on Dec. 27 2002, inscribed above with a dharamacharka in the center and swastikas left and right, and below, in the middle 'Cāruvatī' in Brahmi script, and below that in two lines, 1) 'Cāruvatī dhaṃde' and 2) 'Hetuprabhā' in Bhujinmol script (of Newalipi). Photograph by Yalamber Tamot.

After this discovery, all of the other bricks of the spire (Trayodasha Bhuvan) were carefully cleaned, hoping there might be further inscribed bricks.

After about a month, on 25 January 2003, after taking tiffin at about 1 pm, a worker, Rajyalaksmi Duwal (b. 1983, Chwachhen, Bhaktapur) (fig. 3) discovered another inscribed brick. After cleaning the brick, she handed it over to Bhiksu Tapassi Dhamma standing nearby. Bhiksu Tasassi handed over the brick to Mr. Prakash Darnal, the Technician Representative of the Department of Archeology (DOA). The brick was inscribed with “Cāruvatī Thūpa" in Brahmi script, similar to the script of the Lumbini pillar inscription of the emperor Ashoka. The brick was taken to the DOA where chemical treatment was done.

Fig. 3. Rajyalaksmi Duwal, who discovered the brick of Fig 1 on Jan. 25, 2003. Photograph by Yalamber Tamot.

On coming to know that a brick inscribed in Brahmi was found, on January 27, I went to the DOA with my son Yalamber Tamot, an experienced photographer, and we took measurements and close-up photos, courtesy of Mr. Darnal.  (Fig. 1) Then Yalamber and I ran up to Chabahil and took a photo of Rajyalaksmi Duwal, who found the historic brick (fig. 3).

The size of the brick is 35.5 x 23 x 7 cm. and the weight is 9 kg. (Darnal 2005:43). The DOA handed over four inscribed bricks, several Kushan coins, and Licchavi, Malla, and Shah period images of deities and miniature bronze stupas retrieved from the chaitya on 16 April 2003 to the National Museum, Chhauni. Interested people and bhiksus went there from time to time to see the historic brick, but alas, it was kept in a corner of a store-room. Ten years after receiving the items, in the beginning of 2014, the museum exhibited these items in the Buddhist Art Gallery.

The history of Nepalmandal has been extended five hundred years from the 2nd century AD to the 3rd century BC by the finding of this brick inscribed in Brahmi script, "Cāruvatī Thūpa".

This is the only inscriptional evidence of the Kirat period in the history of Nepalmandala. The word 'thūpa' (Skt. stupa, New. thura = thū) suggests that there were people there who spoke Magadhi Prakrit (Pali) at that time. Cāruvatī is named Charumati in the vernacular chronicles as the name of the daughter of Ashoka, who the chronicles recount was married to a Nepalese prince Devapal of Devapatan. The evidence of this inscribed brick lends credence to the stories mentioning Ashok's dharmayatra (religious voyage); the inscription on the Lumbini pillar is evidence of his visit there, and this inscribed brick suggests that his religious journey may have also brought him to the Nepal valley.