The article attempts to analyze the river names of the Nepal valley from an ethno-linguistic perspective. The river is an unmistakable element in the topography of any settlement, more so in agricultural settlements where the river may be their life-line. River names are, therefore, an important index to the linguistic, cultural, and above all, ethnographic history of a settlement. Here in this article, ancient river names of the Nepal valley are examined as evidence of prehistoric ethnic contacts between the aborigines and the Indo-Aryan immigrants. Different strata of river names are documented as evidence of the process of cultural absorption and Sanskritization. It includes a sketched map of main rivers of the valley. (Rajeev Ranjan Singh 2007-01-25)