A fast, searchable open-access digital archive documenting 700+ verified Nepali surnames, gotras, ancestral lineages, and kuldevtas. Designed to preserve cultural heritage and demographic clarity through clean, accessible web software and automated data pipelines.

🚀 Live Interactive Web App: Launch Cast in Nepal Archive (/cast-in-nepal/) ↗


🌟 Overview

Nepal’s social and cultural landscape comprises a rich tapestry of ethnic groups, clans, gotras, and ancestral traditions. However, finding accurate, structured information about surname origins, gotras, and associated kuldevtas has traditionally been scattered across fragmented physical texts or unverified forum posts.

Cast in Nepal solves this by providing:

  • A single centralized, verified repository of 700+ Nepali surnames.
  • Detailed mappings of Gotra (गोत्र) and Kuldevta (कुलदेवता) for each clan.
  • Cultural lineage, ethnic community affiliation, and regional roots.
  • An instantaneous, zero-latency client-side search experience.

🚀 Key Features

1. Instant Real-Time Search & Filtering

  • Search across English transliterations and Nepali Devanagari script.
  • Instant filtering by surname, gotra, caste category, or kuldevta with sub-millisecond response time.
  • Responsive card and table views optimized for mobile and desktop screens.

2. Verified Genealogical & Demographic Data

  • Detailed breakdown of 700+ verified surnames categorized across communities.
  • Lineage associations tracing historical clan branches and ancestral ties.
  • Clear distinction of gotra traditions and clan deity (कुलदेवता) observances.

3. Automated Dataset Engineering

  • Data ingestion and transformation pipelines powered by Python (build_dataset.py).
  • Automated data normalization, duplicate reconciliation, and JSON schema validation.
  • SEO-optimized architecture with automated sitemaps and structured metadata.

🛠️ Tech Stack & Architecture

ComponentTechnologyPurpose
FrontendVanilla HTML5, CSS3, JavaScriptLightweight, zero-dependency, ultra-fast client-side indexing
Data ProcessingPythonDataset compilation, cleansing, and schema validation (build_dataset.py)
Data FormatJSON / Static DatasetFast client-side querying without requiring an expensive backend server
SEO & IndexingSemantic HTML, XML SitemapMaximum discoverability on search engines

🌐 Explore the Project