Chhaimale


Chhaimale is a village and former Village [Development Committee (Nepal)|Village Development Committee] that is now part of Dakshinkali Municipality in Kathmandu District in Province No. 3 of central Nepal. At the time of the 2011 [Nepal census] it had a population of 4,216 living in 968 households.

Toponymy

Linguistic origin

  • Linguistic family: Indoeuropean
  • Language: Sanskrit

    Etymology

“Chhai” comes from an old word meaning shade or coolness. “Male” refers to the sheltered side of a hill or a green area. It is said that the place was named for being a cool, shaded, and green area.
Chhai means “shade, shadow” — likely from the Nepali root छायाँ , which means “shadow” or “shade”; ultimately derived from Sanskrit छाया .
Male is a local name or toponymic suffix, possibly of indigenous or regional origin with uncertain etymology. The toponym Chhaimale is descriptive in nature, referring to a shaded or sun-protected area, combining a Sanskrit-derived root with a local suffix.