Introduction of Aditya Malla

Aditya Malla, the younger son of Jitari Malla, ruled the Khas Malla Kingdom from 1312 A.D. to 1327 A.D. After completing his education from “Bhotan Shasyamath,” he returned to Jumla and took over the empire after the death of his brother and father.

As he described himself as ‘Param Bhattaraka Maharajadhiraj,’ it is understood that he was a sovereign ruler. King Ripu Malla was ruling Nepal before Aditya Malla.

He burnt the cities of Kathmandu Valley and used Dharmashastras as the basis of law and Justice. Sadly, the reign of the Khas Malla Dynasty ended because of the death of Aditya Malla’s son and the monkhood of his grandson.

Reign of Aditya Malla

Aditya Malla completed his early education at Bhotan Shasyamath and returned to the Khas Malla Kingdom to discover the empty Throne. He began ruling as a Sovereign King and continued for 15 years from 1312 A.D. to 1327 A.D.

His reign is confirmed by some of his inscriptions. An Inscription from 1315 A.D. and another inscription from 1318 A.D. have acted as reliable pieces of Evidence of his reign over the Khas Malla Kingdom.

King Aditya Malla was a Scholar and Religious King according to his inscriptions and historical sources.

As he became more powerful, he taxed the Kathmandu Valley twice the original tax. During his time, Rudra Malla passed away in the Kathmandu Valley, and King Harisimhadeva of Tirhut had also fallen.

Contributions of Aditya Malla

Economic Prosperity

Aditya Malla also collected heavy taxes from the Kathmandu Valley and other regions under its Suzerainty.

Geographical Expansion

Aditya Malla attacked Kathmandu Valley and earned a considerable amount of money from it. He used this money to expand the eastern border of the Khas Malla kingdom to Nuwakot.

Religious Tolerance

He wrote a copperplate to the lama caste of his kingdom. As the Lama Caste was in large numbers in the Khas Kingdom, he wanted to appease them.

Conclusion

According to the inscription of Taghwai Monastery, Aditya Malla’s son Kalyan Malla had died during his reign. Since Kalyan Malla’s son had gone to Tibet as a monk, there were no suitable princes to run the kingdom after his reign.

His grandson Pratap Malla did not pay much attention to governance as he did not marry because he was a monk.

He spent his life in Tibet and did not return to Jumla, which led to a situation where a suitable person had to be selected, and the government had to be changed. Punya Malla of the Pal Dynasty was made the King of the Khas Malla Kingdom after Aditya Malla.

References

  • Regmi, Dilli Raman. “Medieval Nepal” Four Volumes. Firma K, 1965-66
  • Adhikari, Suryamani. The Khas Kingdom. Nirala Publications, 1988
  • Subedi, Rajaram. “Karnali Pradeshko Madhyakalin Itihas”. Sajha Prakashan, 2054 B.S.
  • Petech, Luciano. Medieval History of Nepal Volume II. Rome, 1985
  • Vajracharya, Dhana Vajra. “Karnali Pradeshko Itihasik Ruprekha“. Bhim Prasad Shrestha, 2028 B.S.
  • Sangraula, Narayan Prasad, 2068, “Prachin tatha Madhyakalin Nepal,” Kankai Publishers and Distributors
  • Sangraula, Narayan Prasad, 2068, “Prachin tatha Madhyakalin Nepal,” Kankai Publishers and Distributors

Citation

Pokhrel, A. (2023). King Aditya Malla – Itihasaa. Encyclopedia of Nepali History. https://itihasaa.com/khas-kings/aditya-malla/