The colophons of ancient manuscripts, dated as late as the 20th century, refer to Kathmandu as  in Nepal Mandala. Mahānagar means "great city". The city is called  in a vow that Buddhist priests still recite to this day. Thus, Kathmandu is also known as . During medieval times, the city was sometimes called Kāntipur (). This name is derived from two Sanskrit words –  and .  is a word that stands for "beauty" and is mostly associated with light and  means place, thus giving it the meaning, "City of light".