Stone inscriptions in the Kathmandu Valley

They consist of royal edicts and dedicatory notes on Hindu and Buddhist temples, stupas, statues, water spouts and other architectural structures.

King Pratap Malla's polyglot inscription dated Nepal Era 774 (1654 AD) at Kathmandu Durbar Square is an example of his linguistic interest.

The massive stone with spouts to dispense water to travelers is carved in 15 languages including Greek, French and Persian.

[8] Three inscriptions written in Nepali (Khas Kura, Gorkhali) have been found in the Kathmandu Valley, all of them from the period in which Pratap Malla featured prominently in the politics of Kantipur.

Another famed stone inscription of Pratap Malla installed at Rani Pokhari pond contains writings in three languages: Sanskrit, Nepali and Nepal Bhasa.

[11] The epitaph on the tombstone of a Capuchin missionary named Francesco della Penna, who died and was buried in Patan in 1745, contains texts in Latin and Nepal Bhasa.