Nepal Mandala (Nepali: नेपाल मण्डल) is an ancient confederation on the Indian subcontinent, marked by cultural, religious, and political boundaries which lies in present-day central Nepal. According to the Outline History of Nepal, Nepal consisted of three kingdoms during the first medieval period: Khas within the west, Karnataka within the south, and Nepal Mandala within the center. Bhaktapur was the capital of Nepal Mandala until the 15th century when three capitals, including Kathmandu and Lalitpur, were established. In the ancient days, long before Nepal was mapped in the world, the Kathmandu Valley was known as Nepal Mandala. One of the verifications for this is a Gyaneshwar inscription that dates back to the reign of Jayadeva Malla in the 13th century that mentions the Kathmandu Valley as a mandala. It is also believed that the valley is in the form of Cakrasamvara—the most important Buddhist esoteric deity that is surrounded by the sites of eight Bodhisattvas. Over time, th...