Lichhavi King

Introduction to King Bhimarjunadeva

King Bhimarjunadeva was the King of the Lichhavi Dynasty who ruled Nepal from 631 A.D. to 641 A.D. after which King Narendradeva proclaimed his ancestral throne. He co-ruled Nepal with Jisnu Gupta from 631-633 A.D. and Visnu Gupta, the son of Jisnu Gupta from 633 A.D. to 641 A.D. He inherited the throne of Nepal after King Dhruvadeva.

To this Date, Nine Inscriptions have been found that mention Bhimarjunadeva as the King of Nepal. He isn’t an important King in Lichhavi’s History as no significant development or reforms happened during his reign.

Gopal Raja Bansawali has attributed 35 Years to the reign of King Bhimarjunadeva which is highly unlikely. The Evidence obtained from the Inscription suggests Bhimarjunadeva ruled Nepal for 10 Years.

King Bhimarjunadeva has been provided the title of “Gaddhisinkulka Jhanda Jasto” which means he was the flag of the Royal Family of Nepal. In one of the Inscriptions of his found in Thankot, The Title of Maharaja has been stripped from the name of the King suggesting that internal conflict was happening as the title is later reinstated.

It is during his reign that Jisnu Gupta proclaims the Title of Deva, previously held only by Lichhavi Kings. After the death of Jisnu Gupta in 633 A.D., his son Visnu Gupta publishes an inscription alone without the name of Bhimarjunadeva indicating the King-Like position of Gupta in Nepal.

Character of King Bhimarjunadeva

The Character of Dhruvadeva has also been exaggerated several times in many inscriptions. One of the Inscriptions states that he is always tense about the situation of his citizens.

He was also more glorious than the Bright Light of the Sun. Plus, he has been mentioned to have earned money because of his pure and high-grade actions. These characters were also attributed to King Manadev and King Amshuverma.

The Chinese Traveller Huan Tsang mentions that the King was a Kshatriya who belonged to the Lichhavi Dynasty. He mentions that the King was honest, soft, and pure in nature. The King believed in Buddhism according to Huan Tsang.

End of Bhimarjunadeva

The Grandson of King Shivadeva First, Narendradeva obtained help from Tibet to attack Nepal. He brought an army and defeated the Gupta Family and Bhimarjunadeva. The then Patriarch of the Gupta Family, Visnu Gupta was killed in the War. The whereabouts of his haven’t been mentioned since the event which happened in 642 A.D.

Inscription of Bringareshwor

The Inscription of Bringareshwor clearly highlights the insignificance of Bhimarjunadeva in comparison to Bisnu Gupta. Visnu Gupta has been described with a large number of epithets in comparison with him.

Inscription of Bhimarjunadeva

Conclusion

He ruled Nepal alongside Jisnu Gupta and Visnu Gupta from 631 A.D. to 641 A.D. He was a weak and soft-hearted King who was easily controlled by Gupta Family.

References

  • Regmi, D. R. (1983). Inscriptions of Ancient Nepal. India: Abhinav Publications.
  • Vajracharya, Dhanavajra “Lichhavikalka Abhilekh” INAS, 1973
  • Vajracharya, Dhanavajra, and Kamal P. Malla. “The Gopalraja Vamsavali” Nepal Research Centre Publications, 1985
  • Regmi, Jagadish Chandra. “Pracin Nepalko Rajnitik Itihas” Royal Nepal Academy, 2035 B.S.
  • Poudel, Nayanath “Bhasa Vansavali Part I” Puratatva Prakashan Mala, 2020 B.S.

Citation

Pokhrel, A. (2023). King Bhimarjunadeva – Itihasaa. Encyclopedia of Nepali History. https://itihasaa.com/lichhavi-kings/bhimarjunadeva/