King Narasimhadeva

Introduction of King Narasimhadeva

Narasimhadeva was the son of King Gangadeva and grandson of King Nanyadeva, who ruled Tirhut Kingdom in Nepal from 1188 A.D. to 1227 A.D. After his father’s peaceful reign, he ascended to the throne as the successor.

King Narasimhadeva kept friendly and diplomatic relations with Muslim Kings. He protected the Tirhut Kingdom from the invasion of Muslim Kings. He also developed the Maithili Language and built Haihattadevi Temple in memory of his Queen Saubhagyadevi.

Reign of King Narasimhadeva

King Narasimhadeva climbed to the throne of Tirhut Kingdom after the death of his Father Gangadeva in 1188 A.D. The reign of Narasimhadeva isn’t conclusive well. According to Gopal Raja Bansawali, he ruled Nepal for Thirty-One Years whereas other sources mention him ruling for 39 Years.

The reign of his Father Gangadeva was relatively peaceful and prosperous. Gangadeva had managed to make the Tirhut Kingdom dominant in the Mithila Region.

On the Other Hand, his reign seems quite paradoxical. The Traditional Literature has mentioned that he was a strong warrior King who was brave and magnificent. According to K.P. Jaiswal, Narasimhadeva was a weak King with no significant events happening during his reign.

Two of the Ministers of King Narasimhadeva, namely Ramaditya and Vikramaditya were important parts of the Tirhut Kingdom.

They promoted and preserved the Language, Literature, and Culture of the Mithila region as per historical sources.

Relation with Muslims

Muslim Invaders were invading the Indian Sub-Continent from the Middle East during the reign of Narasimhadeva. He decided to form a good relationship with them.

Some Historians have argued that he actually paid them early taxes. Anyways, his friendly relationship with Muslim rulers proved to be beneficial for the kingdom.

When Muslim invaders attacked Simraungadh, his peaceful relationship with them prevented any significant impact on the kingdom. He maintained the independent existence of Mithila by paying tribute to the Muslim invaders.

Contributions of Narasimhadeva

During his reign, the Maithili language was highly developed in Mithila. He built the Haihattadevi temple in memory of his queen Saubhagyadevi. In the Temple of Haihattadevi, King Narasimhadeva also wrote an inscription that was important to understand his reign.

Relation with Nepal

According to Gopal Raja Bansawali, he ruled for 31 years. During the 2nd decade of his reign, Ari Malla had just become the First King of the Malla Dynasty in Nepal in 1200 A.D. Hence, there could have been some contact between the Tirhut Kingdom and the Malla Kingdom.

Some historical sources have also mentioned that The Malla Kingdom was under Tirhut. This claim lacks any possibility as later Tirhut Kings attacked the Malla Kingdom. If they actually ruled the Malla Kingdom, there wouldn’t be the need to attack the Mallas.

In the Later Years of the reign of King Narasimhadeva, they would slaughter valley dwellers wherever they found them. Therefore, peace and security in the valley were not maintained until the fall of the Tirhut Kingdom.

Conclusion

King Narasimhadeva’s important contribution is undoubtedly the construction of the Haihattadevi temple and his attempt to negotiate with Muslim Imperialists of India.

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