King Rudradeva

Introduction to Rudradeva

King Rudradeva was the King of Nepal during the Dark Ages when he shared the throne of Nepal with three different Kings dual rulers as well as Triple Rulers.

He ruled Nepal for a significantly long time as his name appears with three different Kings. No Significant Development or Changes happened during the reign of King Rudradeva.

He ruled Nepal from 1008 A.D. to 1015 A.D., 10 years after the Great King Gunakamadeva and Raghavadeva. His significance lies in the pattern in which the Kingdom of Nepal was shared during the Pre-Medieval Period between two or even three Kings.

( He refers to Rudradeva)

Rudradeva and Nirbhayadeva

First, He shared the throne of Nepal with Nirbhayadeva. The Inscription that proves the dual reign of him and King Nirbhayadeva is that of 1008 A.D. which is 10 years after King Gunakamadeva. Therefore, King Nirbhayadeva solo reigned Nepal before being joined by King Him.

In the Inscription of 1012 A.D., the name of King Nirbhayadeva doesn’t seem to appear concluding that King Nirbhayadeva was probably deceased. Instead, the name of King Rudradeva’s Grand Nephew Bhojadeva.

Rudradeva and Bhojadeva

An inscription dating back to 1012 A.D. seems to stress that he was ruling jointly with King Bhojadeva. This Inscription was discovered in Patan where Bhojadeva has been mentioned as his son’s son. This Inscription was dedicated to setting upon an image in a temple.

Three Years later, he was sharing the throne of Nepal with two Other Kings. The One King was Bhojadeva whereas the other was Lakshmikamadeva.

Rudradeva, Bhojadeva and Lakshmikamadeva

An Inscription that dates back to 1015 A.D. has hinted that Nepal even had three Kings in a single period. The Three Kings of Nepal were King Rudradeva, King Bhojadeva, and King Lakshmikamadeva.

Although the triad of the ruling couldn’t have lasted for more than a decade, this has shown the delicate nature of Pre-Medieval Nepal.

King Bhojadeva also seemed to have been a King alone for a certain time, although the exact dates aren’t known. The precise relation between Lakshmikamadeva and him hasn’t been established although it has been argued that he was certainly a relative.

Conclusion

Most of the Chronicles of Nepal have omitted the name of the significant King and mentioned King Udayadeva and King Lakshmikamadeva only. The Inscriptions discovered at Patan have certainly shed light on the regnal years of King Rudradeva and the dual and even triple reign that existed during the Dark Ages of Nepal.

References