The capital city whose name is derived from the wooden temple Kasthamandap is Kathmandu.
The name comes from the Sanskrit words kashtha, meaning “wood,” and mandapa, meaning “pavilion” or “shelter.” Kasthamandap stood in Kathmandu Durbar Square and was a large, traditionally wooden public building. It was also known as Maru Satta in Nepal Bhasa.
The original structure was destroyed by the powerful April 2015 Nepal earthquake, along with many other historic buildings in the square. Archaeological investigations after the collapse found evidence suggesting that its oldest parts dated to the Licchavi period, between roughly 450 and 750 CE. The building was later reconstructed using traditional methods.
Kathmandu is Nepal’s capital and largest city, while Bhaktapur and Lalitpur are separate historic cities in the Kathmandu Valley. Lalitpur is also commonly called Patan, so it is a frequent source of confusion in questions about Nepal’s valley capitals. The city has also been known historically as Kantipur and is called Yen in the Newar language.