Kings of Patan

Introduction to Tej Narsingh Malla

Tej Narsingh Malla's Reign on Nepal Sambat Date

Tej Narsingh Malla was the ruler of The Kingdom of Patan for three years from 1765 A.D. to 1768 A.D. He was enthroned on 1765 A.D. April as the King of Patan after the failure of Dalamardan Shah, the previous King.

During the reign of Tej Narsingh Malla, Prithvi Narayan Shah managed to conquer Kirtipur which belonged to Patan. He also conquered Patan in 1768 A.D. ending his short unfortunate reign.

Rise of Tej Narsingh Malla

The Rise of Tej Narsingh Malla to the throne of Patan during the time of the Great Crisis and Blockade was simple.

After the murder of King Visvajit Malla in 1760 A.D., Jayaprakash Malla and Ranajita Malla were invited to be the King of Patan. During this period, Prithvi Narayan Shah initiated a huge blockade against Patan. Therefore, Dalmardan Shah, the Brother of Prithvi Narayan Shah became the King of Patan in the hopes that the blockade would be weaker.

However, it was not. Therefore, Dalmardan Shah was removed from the throne of Patan in 1765 A.D. After the removal of Dalmardan Shah, Tej Narsingh Malla was kept on the throne of Patan in 1765 A.D. as the last effort to prevent the blockade. However, the blockade worsened to an extreme point.

Reign of Tej Narsingh Malla

At the beginning of the reign of Tej Narsingh Malla, Prithvi Narayan Shah initiated a dangerous Blockade against Kirtipur and lay siege on the Fort of Kirtipur. As Kirtipur belonged to Patan, they were supposed to protect it.

However, the opposite happened. The fort of Kirtipur was continuously seized for 6 months after which they gave up and surrendered themselves to Prithvi Narayan Shah. Kirtipur was conquered by P.N. Shah in 1766 A.D. on March 12th.

The Fall of Kirtipur meant that The Kathmandu Valley including Patan was completely surrounded by the Kingdom of Gorkha. Finally, Tej Narsingh Malla knew that his reign would come to an end. During his last years as King, he also minted some coins in his name.

Fall of Tej Narsingh Malla

In the Year 1768 A.D., Prithvi Narayan Shah told Jayaprakash Malla, the King of Kathmandu to surrender himself. However, he solemnly denied it. He even went to the point of declaring that he would rather die than surrender himself. Therefore, Prithvi Narayan Shah invaded Kathmandu in 1777 A.D. in the Month of Ashoj, and Jayaprakash Malla was forced to retreat to Tej Narsingh Malla.

Unfortunately, within a month, Prithvi Narayan Shah sent a message to him to surrender but he also ran away to Bhaktapur at the shelter of Ranajit Malla.

Eventually, Prithvi Narayan Shah defeated Bhaktapur in a war in 1768 A.D. and asked for the Last Wish of Tej Narsingh Malla. He said that he wanted to rule Lalitpur. Prithvi Narayan Shah was so angered by the remark that he arrested and imprisoned him.

Many Years after the Reign of Prithvi Narayan Shah, he was tried to be assassinated by the followers of Tej Narsingh Malla in Thimi. However, they were all killed ending his last hopes of his. He ultimately died without having hopes of becoming the King of Patan again ended.

Conclusion

Tej Narsingh Malla was the ruler of the Kingdom of Patan from 1765 A.D. to 1768 A.D. He ascended to the throne after Dalamardan Shah’s failure to handle the blockade imposed by Prithvi Narayan Shah. His reign was short-lived, and he died without hopes of becoming the King of Patan again.

References

  • Regmi, Dilli Raman. “Medieval Nepal” Four Volumes. Firma K, 1965-66
  • Shaha, R. (2001). Ancient and Medieval Nepal. India: Manohar.
  • Slusser, Mary S Nepal Mandala, “A Cultural Study of the Kathmandu Valley Two Volumes” Princeton University Press, 1982 C.E.
  • Levi Sylvain: Le Nepal, Etuda Historique d’um royaume Izindou, 3 volumes, Paris, 1905
  • Subedi, Raja Ram, 2061, “Nepalko Tathya Itihas,” Sajha Prakashan
  • Sangraula, Narayan Prasad, 2068, “Prachin tatha Madhyakalin Nepal,” Kankai Publishers and Distributors
  • Petech, Luciano. Medieval History of Nepal Volume II. Rome, 1985

Citation

Pokhrel, A. (2023). King Tej Narsingh Malla – Itihasaa. Encyclopedia of Nepali History. https://itihasaa.com/patan/tej-narsingh-malla/