Kings of Patan

Introduction to Kings of Patan

Kingdom of Patan was founded by Ratna Malla, the son of Yaksha Malla in 1482 A.D. and lasted till 1768 A.D. for 286 years. It was the most unstable Kingdom of the Three Kingdoms. After the death of the First of the Kings of Patan, the Feudal Lord or Mahapatra named Visnusimha started ruling The Kingdom of Patan in 1536 A.D.

After it was defeated by Sivasimha Malla in 1599 A.D., his grandson gained independent control and brought the Golden Ages of Patan from 1618 A.D. to 1685 A.D. During this period, the Kingdom of Patan saw artistic, architectural, territorial, and Economic Development and Prosperity with the Krishna Mandir, Palace of Patan, etc. being built.

List of Kings of Patan

No.	Rulers of the Kingdom of Patan	Time in A.D.
1	Raya Malla + Brothers and Nephew	1482-1536
2	Visnusimha	1536- 1556
3	Purandarasimha with his brothers+Alone	1556-1596
4	Sivasimha Malla	1596-1617
5	Siddhi Narsingh Malla	1618-1661
6	Srinivasa Malla	1661-1685
7	Yoganarendra Malla	1685-1705
8	Lokaprakasa Malla	1705-1706
9	Indra Malla	1706-1709
10	Mahindra Malla	1709-1715
11	Riddhinarsimha Malla	1715-1717
12	Bhaskara Malla	1717-1722
13	Yogaprakasa Malla	1722-1729
14	Visnu Malla	1729-1745
15	Rajyaprakasa Malla	1745-1758
16	Visvajit Malla	1758-1760
18	Jayaprakash Malla	1761
19	Ranajita Malla	1762-1763
20	Jayaprakash Malla	1763
21	Dalamardana Shah	1764-1765
22	Tejnarasimha Malla	1765-1768

Ratna Malla (1482-1520 A.D.)

Ratna Malla was the first King of the Kingdom of Kathmandu and Patan and ruled them from 1482 A.D. to 1520 A.D. He was the second eldest son of Yaksha Malla and the main cause of the Division of Nepal. He was an energetic and ambitious ruler who used any means possible to achieve his goals.

He killed twelve feudal Thakuri lords who opposed his ascension to the throne. He established relations with the Kingdom of Palpa and conquered Nuwakot. He also built a Small Taleju Temple in Kathmandu and begun issuing Copper Coins.

Visnusimha (1536-1556 A.D.)

Visnusimha was the King of the Kingdom of Patan from 1536 A.D. to 1556 A.D. He established Patan as a Separate Kingdom from Kathmandu. He was bestowed with the Epithets of King of Kings and the Wisest of Kings during his 20-year reign. He practiced both Vaishnavism and Shaivism. His three sons succeeded him as kings of Patan. Visnusimha died in 1556 A.D.

Purandarasimha (1556-1596 A.D.)

Purandarasimha was a king of the Kingdom of Patan for 40 years, from 1556 A.D. to 1596 A.D. He succeeded his father, Visnusimha, and ruled with his brothers until they died. After their deaths, Purandarasimha ruled alone for 16 years. In his inscriptions, Purandarasimha is described as a Courageous King with all the Kingly Qualities. The Conquest of Sivasimha Malla ended his reign.

Sivasimha Malla (1596-1617 A.D.)

Sivasimha Malla was the son of Mahendra Malla and ruled the Kingdom of Patan from 1596 to 1617 for 39 years. He conquered Patan from Purandarasimha by 1596 A.D. and established his son as its governor. Later, his grandson, Siddinarsimha Malla became its King after his Mother’s insistence.

Siddhi Narsingh Malla (1618-1661 A.D.)

Siddhi Narsingh Malla was the greatest king of the Kingdom of Patan, ruling it for 43 years from 1618 AD to 1661 AD. He maintained diplomatic relations with the rulers of Gorkha, the Indian plains, and the Terai Region of Nepal. He built the famous Krishna Temple of Patan. He was a religiously motivated King. He made his son, Srinivas Malla, the Joint Ruler of Patan by 1649 A.D. He abdicated the throne by 1661 A.D. and died a decade later.

Srinivas Malla (1661-1685 A.D.)

Srinivas Malla was a king of the Kingdom of Patan, Nepal and ruled from 1661 A.D. to 1685 A.D. He established Political Hegemony over the Kathmandu Valley. He erected Taleju Bhawani in his Palace’s Courtyard. His Minister, Bhagirath Bhaiya, actively assisted him in the Administration. He also left the throne of Patan and abdicated after which his son Yoganarendra Malla became the King of Patan in 1685 A.D.

Yoganarendra Malla (1685-1705 A.D.)

Yoganarendra Malla was the King of the Kingdom of Patan from 1685 to 1705 A.D. He became king at the age of 18. He accused Bhagirath Bhaiya and killed him. He additionally started Political Conflicts with Kathmandu and Bhaktapur with active raids. He also engaged in Poetry, Music and Arts. He died at the age of 38 without a legitimate Male Heir.

Lokaprakasa Malla (1705 A.D.)

Lokaprakasa Malla became the King of the Kingdom of Patan after his grandfather’s death, as he was the only legitimate heir. He was the son of Yogamati, the sister of Yoganarendra Malla. He died of smallpox after ruling for only 11 Months. A Coin was issued with his and his mother Yogamati’s Name on it.

Indra Malla (1706-1709 A.D.)

Indra Malla was the son of Manimati and Buddha Malla. He was King of the Kingdom of Patan from 1706-1709 AD. He succeeded Infant King Lokaprakasa Malla who had died of smallpox after ruling for 11 months.

Indra Malla was the grandson of Srinivas Malla. He also minted a coin in his reign but died in 1709 A.D.

Mahindra Malla (1709-1715 A.D.)

Mahindra Malla was an illegitimate son of Yoganarendra Malla and ruled the Kingdom of Patan as a child from 1709 A.D. to 1715 A.D. He was made the King of Patan as an infant and died by the age of 9 or 13.

Rddhinarasimha Malla (1715-1717 A.D.)

Rddhinarasimha Malla was the King of the Kingdom of Patan from 1715-1717 A.D. and the last heir of the Srinivas Malla and Siddhi Narsingh Malla family. He succeeded to the throne after the deaths of Lokapraksa Malla, Indra Malla, and Mahindra Malla.

Bhaskara Malla (1717-1722 A.D.)

Bhaskara Malla was the King of the Kingdom of Patan from 1717 A.D. to 1722 A.D. till his death. After the death of Rddhinarasimha, Patan lacked an heir, and Bhaksara Malla was brought to be made King. He also died five years after ruling Patan.

Yogaprakasa Malla (1722-1729 A.D.)

Yogaprakasa Malla was crowned King of Patan as a puppet ruler to Yogamati after the death of Mahendrasimha or Bhaskara Malla of Kathmandu. He reigned over Patan from 1722 A.D. to 1729 A.D. He was a Weak Puppet King according to Historians.

Visnu Malla (1729-1745 A.D.)

Visnu Malla was the King of the Kingdom of Patan from 1729 to 1745 A.D. He was a Religious King who built small temples, conducted Yagyas and endowed gifts to Temples. He allied with Gorkha. He also minted several coins in his name. He constructed other minor architectures. He adopted Rajyaprakasa Malla as the heir of Patan and died in 1745.

Rajyaprakash Malla (1745-1758 A.D.)

Rajyaprakash Malla was the King of the Kingdom of Patan from 1745 to 1758. He succeeded Visnu Malla and was the son of King Jagajjaya Malla and the brother of Jayaprakash Malla.

He became a Royal Prisoner with actual Power. He lost territories to Gorkha. He further lost his Eyesight and was eventually replaced by Visvajit Malla.

Visvajit Malla (1758-1760 A.D.)

Visvajit Malla was made the King of the Kingdom of Patan at the age of 18 after the previous king turned mad. He was young and weak and could be easily manipulated. He ruled the Kingdom of Patan from 1758 A.D. to 1760 A.D. During his reign, Prithvi Narayan Shah tried to conquer Patan, but it was difficult since Patan, Kathmandu, and Bhaktapur had already united. He was killed by an Angry Husband of one of his mistresses whose Father was a Minister.

After him, Jayaprakash Malla, Ranajita Malla and Dalmardan Shah were also made Kings.

Tej Narsingh Malla (1765-1768 A.D.)

Tej Narsingh Malla was the King of the Kingdom of Patan for three years, from 1765 A.D. to 1768 A.D. He became king after the failure of Dalamardan Shah to handle a blockade imposed by Prithvi Narayan Shah. During his reign, Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered Kirtipur, which belonged to Patan and, eventually, Patan. He was attempted to be restored to Power but the plan failed.

Conclusion

The reign of the Kings of Patan was filled with instability, internal conflict, and battles. It is the most unstable Kingdom of the Three Kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley. After the 1700s, nearly 15 Kings ruled Patan with an average of four years of reign. Despite that, the Kingdom of Patan saw prosperous development of Arts, Architecture, and Religion during the reign of Siddhi Narsingh Malla.

References