Rajalladevi

Introduction to Rajalladevi

Rajalladevi was the wife of Jayastithi Malla and ruled Nepal as the de-facto queen until her death at the age of 39. She was born into the Tripura Royal Family in Nepal in 1346 A.D. and was orphaned at an early age. She was taken care of by her grand aunt, Devaladevi, who also acted as the queen regent of Nepal until the young girl came of age.

Rajalladevi was married to Jayastithi Malla at the age of 8, and after the death of Devaladevi, she became the de facto ruler of Nepal. She had three sons, and she was also the grandmother of Yaksha Malla.

Reign of Rajalladevi

Rajalladevi was born into the Tripura Royal Family of Nepal in 1346 A.D. as the first and only child of Nayakadevi, the de-facto ruler of Nepal who died 10 days after her birth. Her father was a man from Tirhut named Jagatasimha, who also died in imprisonment. Therefore, she was an orphan from an early age. She was taken care of by her Grand Aunt, Devaladevi.

The Inscriptions during her reign stated that Devaladevi had to struggle a lot to grow the child. As she was an Orphan and their family was the De-Facto Rulers of Nepal, Devaladevi had to continue maintaining the Family’s Political Power as well. She cooperated with The Chief Minister at the time name Anekarama Mahath.

After Rajalladevi reached the age of Eight in 1354 A.D. she was married to a man named Jayastithi Malla. In the Documents and Inscriptions, he has been mentioned as Stithi Raja Malla or Jayastithi Raja Malla. The Identity of Jayastithi Malla has been a matter of controversy.

However, it has been generally accepted that he arrived from the Southern Part of Nepal, most probably from Tirhut Kingdom. Devaladevi was also the Last Queen of Tirhut Kingdom, hence it makes sense.

After the marriage of Rajalladevi, Devaladevii acted as the Queen Regent of Nepal till her death in 1366 A.D. After her death, the young princess of 24 years became the De-Facto Queen of Nepal and Jayastithi Malla became the Prince Consort or King Consort of Nepal. Her Husband started to increase his influence and power over Nepal by allying himself with Chief Minister Jayasimharama, the son of Chief Minister Anekerama.

Rajalladevi also maintained her relations with Jayasimharama and the Feudal Lords of Patan who has just accepted her as their De-Facto ruler. She was also the real power behind the Puppet King Jayarjunadeva who held no importance in Nepal.

Through continuous Union and Alliance, Jayastithi Malla started to be loved by the Nobles of Kathmandu and started to act as the De-Facto Ruler of Nepal with Rajalladevi. After the instance, Jayasimharama was slowly ousted from Power.

By 1382 A.D., Jayastithi Malla claimed the Title of King and officially started ruling Nepal from Bhaktapur. It happened with the help of Rajalladevi who played an important role to remove Jayarjunadeva from actual Power and establish her husband in the Position.

Rajalladevi supported her Husband but unfortunately, she died in 1385 A.D. The Fact that Jayastithi Malla couldn’t have risen to the throne of Nepal without her’s assistance shows her importance in Jayastithi Malla’s rise. Also, before 1382 A.D., he was just a Prince Consort to Rajalladevi.

So, she was the true source of Power. She also gave birth to three Sons named Jayadharma Malla, Jayajyotir Malla, and Jayakirti Malla. She was also the grandmother of Yaksha Malla.

Conclusion

Rajalladevi was the famous Wife of Jayastithi Malla and was the de-facto ruler of Nepal till her death. She was born in 1346 A.D. and was married to Jayastithi Malla in 1354 A.D. at the age of Eight Years. She died in 1385 A.D. at the young age of thirty-nine years.

References