Gopala Dynasty

Gopala Dynasty
Gopala Dynasty of Kathmandu valley is described in Gopalraj Chronicle.
General meaning of “Gopala” is cowherd that is called a clan or cast who keeps on cows or milk man.
According to religious resources, Gopala was found to be derived the meaning of go+pali+na, this means the king or cowherd.
There is a story of Gopala named “Neepa” clan which is described in Gopalraj chronicle and Gandaki Mahatmya, according to these resources, Nepal was ruled by “Neepa” administrators around 1200 to 1000 BC.
The scholar Gyanmani Nepal has written that Nepal was ruled by Gopala, the cast of “Neepa” or “Nepa” and the name of Nepal was also related to these names. Gyanmani has added that these Neepa sect first came from North West Nepal and a branch of this clan went to Mathura Brindaban of India. Scholar Daniel Right has also written the story of Lord Krishna who had killed the demon Danashur and established the human livelihood in the valley with the group of people to whom he had brought from Mathura with him. This story is also reliable to related of Mathura Brindaban from where Gopalas had come from to establish Gopala Dynasty.
Before Gopala, there were the tribes group
“Naga” in the valley and Gopalas got victory upon them and established first Kingdom in the valley.
According to Gopalraj Chronicle, one of the Gopala named “Nepa” had a brown cow named “Bahurhi” used to milk on the floor in particular place near Bagmati river of present Pashupati area. He saw the mystery himself and he dug the ground where the cow had milked, found the flame of “Jyotirlinga’ of Pashupati.
The name of Gopala was Bhumi Gupta ( Some scholar has said Bhuktaman ).
According to the Chronicle of Daniel Right, the first king of Gopala Bhuktaman who was made king by the sage “Ne”
There were eight rulers in Gopala Dynasty, they ruled over Kathmandu valley for 505 years and 3 months, according to the scholar Dhana Bajra
Bajracharya
D. Right has written this figure of 521 years. The Gopala kings were Bhumi Gupta, Jaya Gupta, Dharma Gupta, Harsa Gupta, Bhim Gupta, Mani Gupta, Bishnu Gupta and Jeen Gupta.
The first dynasty of Nepal the Gopala kings, it was found “Gupta” in their last name. In the inscriptions of Lichchavi, the mother of Bhauma Gupta had written “Aabhiri” on her last name. In this connection, Gupta and Gopala were same cast or clan who had been in the valley might had been from India as cowherd and they settled here as farmer or cowherd.
At that time first practice of farming and cowherd was started and had made a livelihood in Kirtipur, Thankot, Balambu, Tistung Palung.
The kingdom of this dynasty was spread up to Dudhkoshi in the east, Trishuli in the west, Nilakantha hill ( Gosaikunda ) in the north and Chitlang in the south, ( Kirk Patrick ).

Major contribution of Gopalas The importance of Gopala dynasty is regarded to the connection of naming Nepal.
Many scholars have agreed that Gopalas were the transmit clan of “Neepa” and the name of Nepal was also meant from the word “Neepa”.
They started habitants of the valley and started the train of province and is known the first ruler (Dynasty) of Nepal,
They established Pashupatinath.
Gopalas were the founder of civil society of Nepal or they were the founder or beginner of modern civilization.