King Udayadeva

Introduction of King Udayadeva

King Udayadeva is a weak King of the Lichhavi Dynasty who ruled Nepal in 621 A.D. after the death of Amshuverma. He, the father of King Narendradeva, was the son of King Shivadeva.

He succeeded Amshuverma as the second Maharajadhiraja of Nepal. Amshuverma had Udayadeva to be his heir. As Princess Bhrikuti was born in 624 A.D., three years after the passing of King Amshuverma, some historians have claimed that Udayadeva was her father.

He ruled Nepal for around two years before being overthrown by Dhruvadeva with the aid of the mighty Jisnu Gupta, the grandson of Bhaum Gupta. He sought refuge in China, where he tragically passed away.

In order to overthrow the Gupta Family and retake the throne of Nepal, his Son Narendradeva invaded the country in 642 A.D. Some have even compared King Narendradeva with his ancestor King Manadeva First.

Life and Reign of King Udayadeva

King Udayadeva‘s early life is shrouded in mystery. As the son of King Shivadeva, he was raised in Managriha, the royal residence of the Lichhavi Kings. Amshuverma took his place, though.

As a result, he was forced to wait 16 years after which he succeeded Amshuverma as King of Nepal in 621 A.D. He became the first of Lichhavi Kings to proclaim the title of “Maharajadhiraja”.

The only inscription discovered during Udayadev’s reign was that of Chitlang, in which he is given the title “Bhattarak MaharajaDhiraja Shree Udayadeva,” proving that he had indeed succeeded to the throne of Nepal.

Moreover, the Inscription claims that he had received the blessings of Pashupatinath‘s foot, indicating that he had genuinely turned into a devotee of Lord Shiva. Amshuverma was a devotee of Shaivism as well.

After Udayadeva became the King of Nepal, Abhir Guptas led by Jisnu Gupta started to interfere in the court of Nepal.

Inscriptions in the names of King Dhruvadeva and Jisnu Gupta appear three years later, in 524 A.D., raising the possibility that Jisnu Gupta took his crown. Jisnu Gupta’s influence allowed King Dhruvadeva to ascend to the throne of Nepal.

King Udayadeva was forced to seek shelter in Tibet under Sonsgtren Gampo after being removed from the throne. Bhrikuti, his daughter, is rumored to have wed Songstren Gampo. He desired to retake the Nepali throne. But he passed away in Tibet.

Gopal Raja Bansawali

When discussing this period’s history, Gopal Raja Bansawali introduces Jishnugupta and Vishnu Gupta as the kings who overthrew the SuryavanshI dynasty, represented by Udayadeva and succeeded him as ruler.

It’s interesting to note that Gopal Raja Bansawali also remembers the Licchavi monarchs Dhruvadeva and Bhimarjundeva, who reigned at the same time as Jishnu Gupta and Vishnu Gupta.

Inscription of Chitlang of Udayadeva

Conclusion

The History of King Udayadeva isn’t significant for his reign but for how the Gupta Family claimed the throne of Nepal and even removed the King to claim it, putting his brother Dhruvadeva on the throne.

Also, his son, Narendradeva returned to defeat the Gupta Family and reclaimed the Ancestral throne of the Lichhavi Dynasty.

References