Origin of The Name
The terms "Nepal" and "Newar" are phonetically different forms of the same word. Nepal is the learned Sanskrit form and Newar is the colloquial Prakrit form. A Sanskrit inscription dated 512 AD found in Tistung, a valley to the west of Kathmandu, contains the phrase “greetings to the Nepals” indicating that the term "Nepal" was used to refer to both the country and the people. The term "Newar" referring to "inhabitant of Nepal" appeared for the first time in an inscription dated 1654 AD in Kathmandu. It is discussed whether 'Nepal' may be a sanskritization of 'Newar', or 'Newar' may be a later form of 'Nepal'. According to another explanation, the words "Newar" and "Newari" are vulgarisms arising from the mutation of P to V, and L to R. Similarly, according to the National Archives of India, Nepal is also said to be the same word as Newar Napa.
Read more about this topic: Newa People
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