Chapters
Introduction to Rajyaprakash Malla
Rajyaprakash Malla was the King of Patan from 1745 A.D. to 1758 A.D. He succeeded Visnu Malla and was the son of King Jagajjaya Malla and the brother of Jayaprakash Malla. Despite being mistreated by Jayaprakash Malla, Rajyaprakash Malla earned the trust of Visnu Malla, who adopted him as his successor.
During his reign, the Kingdom of Gorkha infiltrated many lands of Patan, and Rajyaprakash Malla passed a law to prevent the cutting of trees in Kirtipur. His reign was marked by instability and chaos caused by the Gorkha invasion.
Rajyaprakash Malla lost his eyesight and became a royal prisoner without any actual power. His only remaining son died, causing him great grief, and he lost territories to Gorkha. He was eventually replaced by Visvajit Malla.
Reign of Rajyaprakash Malla
Rise
Rajyaprakash Malla was one of the younger sons of Jagajjaya Malla who ruled Kathmandu from 1722 A.D. to 1734 A.D. After the death of Jagajjaya Malla, Jayaprakash Malla ascended to the throne of Kathmandu.
However, he had a huge dislike for his Brothers. It is said that he was mistreated many times by Jayaprakash Malla. Therefore, he had to leave Kathmandu and take shelter in Patan. Patan was ruled by Visnu Malla, who had married the Sister of Rajyaprakash Malla.
After Rajyaprakash Malla arrived in Patan, he was immediately provided with a Great Position. After the passing of Time, Visnu Malla adopted him as the successor of Patan because Visnu Malla lacked an heir of his own.
Later, Rajyaprakash Malla was also made witness to the religious activities and donations conducted by Visnu Malla.
Events
Ultimately, Visnu Malla died in 1745 A.D. after which Rajyaprakash Malla was crowned the King of Patan. During his reign, The Kingdom of Gorkha infiltrated many lands of Patan. It was very troublesome for Patan.
Therefore, he passed a Law in Kirtipur that belonged to Patan. It says that No One in the Fort of Kirtipur should try to cut trees and anyone disobeying the order would have to pay heavy financial compensation.
The Reign of Rajyaprakash Malla was highly long and ruled for 13 years until his death. His Reign was full of instability and the chaos engendered by the invasion of Gorkha.
During his years, there were several Kazis that influenced his decisions and were quite problematic for Patan. They slowly increased their power and became the Most Powerful during the end of Rajyaprakash Malla’s reign.
Fall
Also, Rajyaprakash Lost his eyesight during the later years of his reign which could be due to the conspiracy of the Kazis. He lost his eyesight in 1752 A.D. It is said that he became a Royal Prisoner without any actual Power.
During the end of his reign, Rajyaprakash Malla became nearly insane. His Only remaining Son also died which caused the ultimate grief. He also lost the territories of Thankot and Balambu to Gorkha. Finally, he was replaced by Visvajit Malla.
Conclusion
Rajyaprakash Malla was the King of Patan from 1745 A.D. to 1758 A.D. and succeeded Visnu Malla as the King of Patan. He was the Son of King Jagajjaya Malla and the Brother of Jayaprakash Malla. He had several coins in his name as well. He was the Trusted Witness of Visnu Malla.
His Reign in Nepal was full of troubles for himself and the Country because of Chaos, Instability, and Uncertainty. His Reign was quite tragic and saddening as he was the rare Blind King of Nepal who turned Insane, similar to Laxminarasimha Malla.
References
Citation
Pokhrel, A. (2023). King Visvajit Malla – Itihasaa. Encyclopedia of Nepali History. https://itihasaa.com/patan/visvajit-malla/