Malla dynasty (Nepal)

For other uses, see Malla (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Khasa Malla kingdom.

Malla confederacy
मल्ल वंश
Malla saṅgha
c. 1201–25 November 1769
Approximate location of the Malla confederacy in the 15th century as per A Historical Atlas of South Asia[1]
Scan of map of Nepaul, present-day Kathmandu Valley and surrounding areas in Nepal
Scan of map of Nepaul, present-day Kathmandu Valley and surrounding areas in Nepal
CapitalBasantapur
Largest cityKathmandu
Common languages
Religion
Hinduism
Buddhism[8]
GovernmentUnitary absolute monarchy
LegislatureNone (rule by decree)
Historical eraMedieval Nepal
• Established
c. 1201
• Disestablished
25 November 1769
CurrencyMohar
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Thakuri dynasty
Kingdom of Nepal
Today part ofNepal

The Malla dynasty (Nepali: मल्ल वंश:;Malla vanśa) also known as the Malla confederacy, was the ruling dynasty of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal from 1201 to 1779. This dynasty was founded by Arideva Malla. Though the latter Mallas were regarded as belonging to the Raghuvamsha dynasty, they were also seen as continuations and descendants of the Licchavi dynasty. Later Malla kings also traced one section of their lineage from Nanyadeva, the founder of the Karnat dynasty of Mithila.[9] The term malla means wrestler in Sanskrit. The first use of the word malla in the Kathmandu Valley began in 1201.

The Malla period stretched over 600 years, as they presided over and flourished the Newar civilization of Nepal Mandala which developed as one of the most sophisticated urban civilisations in the Himalayan foothills and a key destination on the India-Tibet trade route.[10] During the Malla Dynasty, Nepal Bhasa was the official language,[2][11][12] while Sanskrit and Maithili also held significant importance as literary languages during this period.[7][13][14]

Clockwise from top-left: (a) Kathmandu Durbar Square, the Royal palace of Malla King of Kantipur (b) Patan Durbar Square, the Royal palace of Malla King of Patan(c) Bhaktapur Durbar Square, the Royal palace of Malla King of Bhaktapur, as they all looked during 1850s.
  1. ^ Schwartzberg, Joseph (1992). A Historical Atlas of South Asia. University of Chicago Press. p. 40. ISBN 9780195068696.
  2. ^ a b Lienhard, Siegfried (1992). Songs of Nepal: An Anthology of Nevar Folksongs and Hymns. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidas. ISBN 81-208-0963-7. Page 3.
  3. ^ Tuladhar, Prem Shanti (2000). Nepal Bhasa Sahityaya Itihas: History of Nepalbhasa Literature. Kathmandu: Nepal Bhasa Academy. ISBN 99933-56-00-X. Page 37.
  4. ^ Tumbahang, Govinda Bahadur (2010). "Marginalization of Indigenous Languages of Nepal" (PDF). Contributions to Nepalese Studies. 37 (1): 73–74. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  5. ^ Vajracarya, Dhanavajra and Malla, Kamal P. (1985) The Gopalarajavamsavali. Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden GmbH.
  6. ^ Widdess, Richard (2013). Dāphā: Sacred Singing in a South Asian City: Music, Performance and Meaning in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Farnham, England: Ashgate. p. 43. ISBN 9781409466017.
  7. ^ a b Yadav, Ramawatar (2011). "Medieval Maithili stagecraft in the Nepalamandala: the Bhaktapur school". Contributions to Nepalese Studies.
  8. ^ Locke, John Kerr (1980). Karunamaya: The Cult of Avalokitesvara-Matsyendranath in the Valley of Nepal. Kathmandu: Sahayogi Prakashan for Research Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies, Tribhuvan University. p. 308.
  9. ^ Brinkhaus, Horst (1991). "The Descent of the Nepalese Malla Dynasty as Reflected by Local Chroniclers". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 111 (1): 118–122. doi:10.2307/603754. JSTOR 603754.
  10. ^ Gellner, David N. (1986). "Language, Caste, Religion and Territory: Newar Identity Ancient and Modern". European Journal of Sociology. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  11. ^ Pal, Pratapaditya (1974). The arts of Nepal II.: Painting. Brill Archive. p. 8. ISBN 978-90-04-05750-0.
  12. ^ Vannini, Fulgentius (1977). Christian Settlements in Nepal During the Eighteenth Century. University of California: Capuchin Ashram. p. 30.
  13. ^ Widdess, Richard (2013). Dāphā: Sacred Singing in a South Asian City: Music, Performance and Meaning in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Farnham, England: Ashgate. p. 43. ISBN 9781409466017.
  14. ^ Guy, John (1992). "New Evidence for the Jagannātha Cult in Seventeenth Century Nepal". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 2 (2): 213–230. doi:10.1017/S135618630000239X. ISSN 1356-1863. JSTOR 25182509.


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