Kings of Bhaktapur

Introduction to Naresa Malla

King Naresa Malla ruled the Kingdom of Bhaktapur from 1637 A.D. to 1644 A.D. for a mere seven years. He was succeeded by his son Jagat Prakash Malla. He is also called Narendra Malla in some chronicles. During his short reign in Bhaktapur, he lost a battle to King Pratap Malla of Kathmandu and also minted coins in his name.

Reign of Naresa Malla

Chronology of Naresa Malla

Naresa Malla was born into the Royal Malla Family of Bhaktapur as the Son of Jagajyotir Malla, the Poetic King of Bhaktapur. After the reign of Jagajyotir Malla which had ended by 1637 A.D., Naresa Malla was crowned the King of Bhaktapur.

The Tradition of Malla Kings was to mint new coins to celebrate their new reign as the King. It was practiced by nearly every Malla King. However, the Coin of Naresa Malla seems too vague and confusing to guarantee that it was his coin.

There are several inscriptions and documents that have proven the reign of Naresa Malla. In some documents, he is also mentioned as Narendra Malla. It has led to confusion about whether Naresa Malla and Narendra Malla are the same Kings or not. For the sake of simplicity, they are considered as one.

Some of His Inscriptions are:

  1. A small inscription that was highly damaged was discovered in one of the villages of Thimi, Bhaktapur.
  2. An Inscription on the Temple of Taleju of Bhaktapur Palace near the image of Laxmi. In this Inscription, Naresa Malla has been given the Title of King of Kings.
  3. A Stone Inscription found in Bode

During his reign a famous Battle took place between Kathmandu ruled by Pratap Malla and Bhaktapur itself. After the death of Laxminarasimha in 1641 A.D., Pratap Malla climbed the throne of Nepal.

After the rise of Pratap Malla, the stability between the Kingdoms of Kathmandu Valley declined. Their Fathers, Siddhi Narsingh Malla, Laxminarasimha Malla, and Jagajyotir Malla had maintained peace in Kathmandu Valley which didn’t last after them.

Pratap Malla was an ambitious King and started to encroach on the territory of both Bhaktapur and Patan. While Patan didn’t retaliate, Bhaktapur certainly did and it was in this battle that Naresa Malla lost to Pratap Malla. In the Inscription of Pashupatinath, he bravely claimed to have defeated The King of Bhaktapur.

Other than the defeat against Pratap Malla, the reign of Naresa Malla or Narendra Malla was very stable and short. After his death at a premature age, he was succeeded by his son Jagat Prakash Malla who ruled from 1644 A.D. to 1673 A.D. Unlike his Father, Jagat Prakash Malla was an ambitious and artistic King.

Conclusion

To Conclude, the reign of Naresa Malla was quite short and lacked important developments in the arts and culture of Bhaktapur. In his Short Reign as well, The Kingdoms of Kathmandu Valley started to combat and battle against each other and saw periods of Battle that lasted till their conquest by Prithvi Narayan Shah.

References

  • Regmi, Dilli Raman. “Medieval Nepal” Four Volumes. Firma K, 1965-66
  • Shaha, R. (2001). Ancient and Medieval Nepal. India: Manohar.
  • Slusser, Mary S Nepal Mandala, “A Cultural Study of the Kathmandu Valley Two Volumes” Princeton University Press, 1982 C.E.
  • Levi Sylvain: Le Nepal, Etuda Historique d’um royaume Izindou, 3 volumes, Paris, 1905
  • Subedi, Raja Ram, 2061, “Nepalko Tathya Itihas,” Sajha Prakashan
  • Sangraula, Narayan Prasad, 2068, “Prachin tatha Madhyakalin Nepal,” Kankai Publishers and Distributors
  • Petech, Luciano. Medieval History of Nepal Volume II. Rome, 1985

Citation

Pokhrel, A. (2023). King Jagajyotir Malla – Itihasaa. Encyclopedia of Nepali History. https://itihasaa.com/bhaktapur/jagajyotir-malla/