hugmi Res�arch (?rivnte) Ltd, Kathrr�ndu: October 1, 1972.
Ragrni Research Series Year 4, No. 10, Edited By, Hahesh C. Regrni.
Contents
Page · 1.· From Ratna Mnlla To Narasirnha Malla ••• 181 2. Guthi Land J.cquis ition For BalAju Gardens ••• 189 3. King P rithvi Narayan Shah's Military Campaigns, 1764-1767 ••• 190 !.- Botel Offerings To Goddess Trileju •• • 195 5. l'.n Order Of King Darnoor Shah Of Gorkha ••• 196 6. An Inscription lnstallud During Tha Reign Of Rajalla Devi • •• 198 7 •.Appointxoont Of Chi13f Of Gunpowder 1''actory In Thimi •• • 200
Regrni Research (Privaw) Ltd, Lazimpat, Kathmandu, NE-pal.
Compiled by Ragrni Research (Private) Ltd. for private study and research. Not rrinont for public sale or display. 181.
x ·From Ratna Malla To· Narasimha Malla
By
Surya Gnyawali. Bikram... . (Continued From Previou� Issue)·
J,ccording to tho v�mshavalis, Ratna Malla inw1ded Nuwakot and defeated its Thakuri King. He brought thP. fruits grown in Nuwakot and offered th,:i · same· to th"' ptem le of P�s_hupotinath. Ratna Malla had invaded Nuwakot afti�r c�tablishing his supremacy ·in Kathmandu. According to the Vamshavalis, fu1tnc1 Malla had built the huge temple of' Tul�ja in Kathmandu in 621 Nepal er3 (1501 A .D. }. Goddoss. Tulaja and a knowledge of her esoteric rites "r.::i regr-,rded as symbols of State. power. in Nepal. The Vmnshavalis toll us ttiA't ;2,vcry King pas.:;cd on tha·se rites of Godciess to his eldest son, thcit is, his heir, befoI"o breathing his last. Ratna Malla is said to have been instructed in theso rites by Yaksha Malla at the time of the latter's death. The priests and courtiers are said to have played a deceitful role in this r�gard. Thd Vamshavali� state that Ratna Malla carried the , sHord and shield of Goddess. Tulaj a to Patan after the death ot his fE!th•.:r. This explains why Hatnc1 Malla constructed the templ0 of TulajA in Kathn1nndu in 1501 A.D. This also [.)roves that he ruid becone the independent King of' Kathmandu by that time.
Hnving s�abilizod his rule in Kathmandu, Ratnii Malla brought into circulation coppur ccins b-::aring the effigy of a lion. 'lliese coins circu letl.:d 311 over Nepal. Th2ro wr:s no shortage cf copper needed f0r minting cc,ins, becauso copper deposits were located in Chi tlang neart>y. The. embh:m of lion chosen by Ratnn Malla ap9ears to be. the traditional one adopted by Nepal. Reference has alrear:!y been made to thP, fact that. Shivadeva or p S.1dashiw1dev.<.1, who rulAd N':! al 300 years b<::fore Ratna· · Malla, had minte(l Suki bearing the effiey of a lion.
. • X . .. . Surya Bikram Gny�wali, N3pal Upatyakako Madhyakalin Itihas (Medieval History of N�;pcil Valley). Kat�ndu: Royal Nepal Ac�demy, 2019 (1962). ChBpter XII: t•natna Malla Dekhi Nara simha Malla Sanima;" (From Ratna Mn 118; To Narasimha Malla), FP •. 121-135.
Contd••• l.82 .
J.ccording to thd Vc:mshavalis, Bhotes called 11KukuII s ntered into Nc-•prl durine the reign of Ra tna Mcilln , c:nd caused much hDrassment to the locc,l fJt:.: cple . These Bhotos probably move d into Nuwa ko t from the north and h<'rllss:d the loca l people in various ways . Ratna Ma lla was not in a pos ition to fight and subdue them throue; h his own str,,ngtt•• Moreover, -he could not nfford to la nve Kathma ndu ,1 t thEittilllG in view of interna l dis�ension[i . Hence , accor1ing to the Vamshavnlis , Ratna Ma lla sent five Ma ithi li Brc! hii''m�: t,_ , Palpa to ask th� S8n King, who wa s his discipL=.: , to he lp him in SU[Jprcs:; inc the enemy . The idanti�y of the Sen King ha s not been establishE:d. 'l'b ·, bi.story of Pa lpa too is silt-mt on this point.
lfowovf')r, mor1:, important than tho arriva l rif th,� Bh0 te Kukus anr.1 t hc flid extended by the King of Palpa in subduing them is the fa ct that Rata�: lialfa had ma do Birta land grnnts to four Khasa communities aft,3r this war'. 'Ihc Khasas r"fcrrc:d t'.) in the Vamshnva lis we re probably Chhotris livin•i: in the hill r0eian.
1 Khasns hr:id cpter-od into Nepal r:ift-:,r !, ditya Malla s attack,. Ra tna N<• ll,' brought thorn t0 his Kingdom under his patrona e;e . It is not surprisinc tlr; i. •·:·. 1 rai6ed a ccntingr:n t of' troops from amoni; th(' Khasas'. Hl-} trusted tho Kh:.;;: :..; b.:: cc1use l�Yth h.c:.J n,JthinG to do with intl';rnal conflicts and w1:,rc-, loynl t;', thu ir mastf;rs by nature'.
i�ccordine to thd VGmshr•va lis, it wa s during this period that Muslim traders enter.jJ int,.;, N,,pal. They s-::t up coIT1llt1rciol houses in N,,pal, tbr,_,u ;:b wh ich .they tradtld wi th Tibet .
Ra:tna Mallo possessed brand outlo�>k . He minted copµS::r· coins with th aim of improving the financial condition of Kathnia ndu . ThE· fa ct thr.at ht: tl �1ith both:: , Ti bot an<:i India'. i�ccording ta. Prat3p Malla I s stone inscriptions , Ratna Mc1 lla was Sl!cc�; '(' by his s:m, Surya Halla' . But ElCcordinr, to Bhasha Vamshcwa li s, Awara ti.:1 111 wa s tre actua l successor of Hatna Ma il� , and that Sur-ya Ma lla wa s the �ucccssor 0f /ima r;:i Ma lla . The VDmshavcili.s stat0 that Surya Malla soized tw, villages, Changu anr3 Shankhapur, · from Rhadgaun nnci annexed them to Ka tt.tJTian C!nnt.rl Why is there no reference to Surya Ma llA in the Vamshavalis or in Pcrthivendra Malla' s stone inscript ions ? Surya Nnll a was n religious-r,iinJ ed. n• That was why he livedo· at s�nkhu after hnnding over th,� •i rllll,,_, - � ·1 . is. tratiori to his son, Amara Malla .. fs such, /,mara Ma lla W,\5 the rr:,1 1 .- Ktng of Nepal at that time .. 'Ibis is the probPble reaoson why Surya Mnllno1 ::� narre was .not included in the list of the Kings of Kathmnndu� Only Pratap Maiin has r\;ferrod to Surya Malla, probably to c\arify his linc:agc. Surya Malla was succe(:,ded by · ,�rn;:ir.:i Ma 11.no. /, rr£:nuscript (.mti tlcd G,, · t,:c-- Bbnshynrn, writti·n during his reign, has been discov•: red . Extracts fr� thE. manuscript , preso�ted hy Harih.::ir Prasad Shastri, indicate thAt it 1m :. written in Kathmandu on the order of Mukund Pathak Shanna , i:i minister of Amara Malla .. It was �-r itton io h22 (Laxman Sen era), which, according to some scholars, wa s Starkd in 1119-1120 A.D. or 622 Nepa l era . 'l' hus the m:r n}lS cript npp<:3n rs to have been written around 1.542 P.D. A def ini tc date rt:111� ing to Ratna Mn lla is 6 32 Nepal era ( 1513 l\.D .) • He is presumed to hnv( reigned until muc h later. It is possible .that the King of the third eE,n.:; rntion aft-.Jr Ratna Halla muet hav;: ruled NepAl around 662 N,:,pal ern . Thi:.� drt" i� re linblG , :;inco th..:.: V.:-·hr, ms valis con1'inr1 thut Ma ithili Brnhmllm; hnd bc:gun to.oc cupy a pre:dom!.nant po::i ition from thu time of Ratna Mall<1o. I.nether definite datt:: relatedo. to Ratna l-'inlln 's rule has b,.ien rnuntionnl 11 .:1 Benda11 . It is Shrawan 671 Nupal era (l�Sl 1 ••D. ). It is thcrt.:fore sai't: t,.-.:, ass1:1ffie tha t Ratna Malla wa s alivo at least until 1551 A.D. Amara Ma lla was a ro ligious -mindod King . He w£i s specially devoted to too cult of tb,., Shakti. He revivod the Harisiddhi danceo. Tho;: Mchi..1olaxmi dancu at Khoknna wns started during his ··re·ign. H,j· also stnrted a nurnb<"'r of other r0ligious drinces , ·which included th1:1 Man� Mniju dance, the Pachali Bhairnvodaooe-, th� _Navo -Durga drince, the Bhadraka li dance, and the Kankeshwari dance.. He introdu cod thfl festiv;:11s of differont de;it ir:�; . In this manner , he provided dif feront means of satisfying· r;_•ligious s, nti- lll(;nts and entertc, inn:-}nt needs of the people . Th(:j Vamshc1v�lis contain a list of the villages under the control of l�mara Mall.:io. A study of tbis list wo uld indica te thathe ruled over Patan as well as Kathmandu. 'l'he v illages arc as follows :- Lalitpur Pharping BRlambu Gokarna Bandyagaun Bungmati Satungal Devapatan Thocbo Khokana Halcbok Nandigram Hsrisiddhi Panga Kutum Naxa l Lubhu Kirtipur Dbarm�sthali Ma ligaun Ctilapagaun Thankot Tokha Lele Chapa ligaun Chukagramao. , Contd•• • 184. . r ) . The definite date of ltrna ra Ma lla.• s· death is not known . Howev•::r', it i :: presume d that oo died some time between 1551 J .D•. and 1560 f.. .D. Amp ra Molla wn s succeedc,d by his son, �hendra Mal la •' .Onu importnnt ev�nt in the history of Nepal , linked to Mahend ra Malta 's nnm8' 1 is the · minting of silver coins . Only coppor coins of too Kings who precedAd · .Amara Malla' .· have been discovered . It th\ls appears thcl t silver coins \1 1, l' l first intr<;Xiuced during the rule of Mahen:ira Malla' . This fs the reason why silver .coins bee ring his nana (Mahendra Malli ) are so we ll-known both inside a� outside NGpal. The exact ycnr during whic h Ma hendra Mn lla 1 s $ilwr coins w0re minted is no t known, bE: cause nora of toose coins have been discovered'. /, ccor dit,·:. to the V,:ims hava lis', Mahendra Malla construc ted thd 'temple of Tale ju in Kathm..1ndu. 'l'hia temple, was of a· groat heif!ht , .bticauso tra Kings of divid'Jrt Nepal worshipped 'I'alo'ju as their tutelary doi ty . 'I'he V11ms hnvalis also sta te that th,;: inhnbit�nts of Kathmandu expressed'· happiness over the pr.-., s pects of being �'rmitted ·to cons truct lofty �ui lding s •' . But the idon tl1cit no purson should construct a house: highe:rth an tht; Tnle ju temple is still prev::.il•.nt in Katrun:J 1ldu.. In any case'., it is beyond dispute that the Tc1 lcju temple occup ied an iu,portant plDc0 in contemporary pub lic life . 'I'he Vmi.:::ti:1- vn lis aro qivided as to the exact da te of the construction of thu templu - of Talei ju. Wright1 s V;,mihava li indicates thnt', the construction of' this tt:mple might hnve been completed on :t-brtday , Magh Sudi 5, 669 N0pal or:1 (circa January 20, 154 .� .D. ) . This view is based on the information givtm by tho Varns havali that tlli:l idu 1 of 'fale ju had ber-m installed in the tkm ph; on that date . /ccorcting to another VP.m:;havali,' howt>ver , the temple bAd been c0nstructed Dround 684 tfrcpal era (1564 A.D.) . Th-J date cited by W:ri['hL is riot reliable . The year 1564 was an irnportent one in the histo ry of Kathmnndu'. It is probable tha t Maht:Jndra Ma lla Dlinted his coins duri nc th_ n�me yE-ar. Subsoquc,nt dovelopm0uts have confirrood this theory . /\ccording to the V:irns havalis', Mahend ra Malla comtructed a numb,,r of' other temples us we ll.. He installed a Shivalinga named Mahendrashwar nu:i!' his palace' . He made Guthi land endowmnnts for other temples . All this appoars to suggest that the econ olilic conditi'on of Kathmandu wa's good duriiw thE< reign of Me hendra Malla' . 'I'he prosi:s rity of Ka thm-'Jndu wa s due mainly to the treaty conclude d b.\' tvia h,Jndra Mo lla with Tibet . Tho traa'ty had autho rized Nepa l to mint coins for circulation in Tibe t. N,0:pal used to buy both gold and silvor from 'l'ibet . This yie lded considerable economic advantages to Napal. Contd ••• 185. Trailokya MallEJ was tha K�ng of Bhadgaun when .Mahendra Malla ruled Kathmandu. The Vamshavalis indicate that Mahendra Malla had good relati ons with Trailokya Malla, although Kathmandu ha� been treating Bhadgaun with conterr.pt ever Sinc e its secession from the ·latter. It has been str-,tod in the preceding chapter that Bhaqgaun had.to bow .�fore �h� might of Kathmandu, and .that the Kings of Kathmandu frequ€ntly annexed villacos oolonging to Bhacigaunu. Acc�ding to a Vamshawli account, Mahrmdra Mall:! usod to ·pe-rfonn the ritual worship of Tulaja_with the assistance of Trai lokya Mallau. This also appear� to conf irm th"' view that. Bh.:idgaun was th,m under • KathmanduI s ·dominationu. ... · It is stated in the Vamsha.valis that one Purandnrn Rajvanshi had constructed a huge temple of Narayana opposite tha Patan Palace in 648 Nepal era (1528 11.D. ) during the reign of MahendraMall a (Wrir,ht, p.207)u. ll c0py of the stone inscripticn installed at this temple �O bean publish -:.; in the S,mskrit Sandesh (Vol. l No . 8) . Another stona ir:iscripti,m date,.! MagR 67L ,Nupal. ora (Japuary 15'54 A.D. ) i installed by •Vishnu Simha , fat�� r of King Purandara of the same dynasty, has also been publi shad. This account prov�s that Patan wasunder the control ·of ·Kathmt!ndu durinc Mn hcrl'.lr:1 Mallau1 s rule ._ It has already been mentioned that Patan was und,ir the dnmi nation of Kathmandu duringu· the reien of /ima ra Malla,u· father of Mahendr-'l Malla . No au then tic evid�nce as to when Mahendra Malla I s rule bad coll¥":! to an end is · aTailablo. Bcnda,q has come across cnly one def�nite dctte linl-:t-.•r.' to · Mahendra Malla 's ru1� ; lt is Shrawan 686 Nopal era (July 1566 A.D.). lsnothor definite: dato linked to the succeeding rule of Sadashiva Mnll�1, as tisc1;.1rtained by Bendall, �s 696 Nepal era (1576 11 .Dr). We may thus iru'0r that Mahendr=a Malla died soJD21 time bfltween 1567 and lS76 A.n. · • l t ·:· Mahendra Maulla twd two sons , Sadashiva Malla aoo Shiva· Siniheu. Sndllsh:i:\t n Mall� became King after the death of his father .· >.. ma�uscript written in 696 N.,-,pal era (1576 A.D.) during his rulo has already,cbeen rofer�n to ahov(:. · One important event thuat took place. during the reign bf Sada shiv� Malla wns the construction or· too Mahabauddha temple in Patari on the model of thn well-lmown templE! 01' Bodh-Gayau. This is the only temple of ·i_ts ·kind in Nepal. It was Cfinstructed by a Bucklhist ·scholar named Jivnraja. His i'ath-:ru, Abhayarauja, had three wives. When ha was to marry for' the f0urth ti.loo, his sons b�c�me dissatisfied w:tth bim. Aware ·ot their.feEJ linr., Abhayaraja went to G aya along with h is ycungest wife.· J1rte·r J years, 'he bad' one more s:Jn, who: was ·named l3auddhaju•. Later, he came back to Nepal and was appointod in the smoo post of Dittha Nau k in the Mint which hts father, Macbna, hadh cld' during thA reign of ruurya ·Mall.a . According to the V'a mshavali, it was Abhayaraja who had collJllenced theu· construction ot the Maha Biiuddha temple, but it was his son, Jivaraja, who had con.,leted it. The tompl.CJ wrn-1 completed in 705 Nep al era (1585 A.D.)u. Contd •• • Thea V msbnvalis de scribe Sadashiv� Malla as a profligate. He let horse:r loose on the farms of his subjec�. One day his discontented subjects saw him on the bank or· the �no�ra· and·atta cked _him w 1th bamboo poles and wooden clubs . Tho Kill:!: then £led towards Bhadg_al,lil. _The King of Bhadgaun detained him in a· cour·tyard of his palace . Some .timer later, Sadashiva M..111.'1 escaped from Bhadgaun . The c:ourtyard where he _had· bee--n detained was thon · named SaC,ashiva Malla Ctiok. Bhadgal,Ul was under the overlord.ship of K,-1th man du s'1nce too reign of Ratna Malla . The account is therefore probablo'. After Sadashiva Malla w�s thus drtven out', Shiva'• simha, his younger brother, sat on the throne'. Shiva Simha Malla ascended to th<3 throne around 70'; Nepal ora (1585 A .D . ) . Hawver , in the absence of conclusive evictenco, it is difficult to be precise ab0ut this date . In·a stone inscription installed. at the teniple -of Pashupatinath, Parthivendra Yl.!l lla refere _.to Sh iva Simha Malla as the protector of the King of Morang· (Mora ngabanipalapa-laka ) · c sr,nskrit Sondosh, Vol. 1, No . 10-1:?). g g At that ti� , a,conflict wo s- o_in on among t.oo sons""o17larihara Sen, Kine� ' of .Makwanpur, overthe affairs of _the Sta'k.Har ihara Sen was even impr·i soned by his sons . As the rosul t of this conflict , Morang seceded from Malcwanpur. Shiv& Simha Malla might have extended military assistanc e to the now Stn.t.e . of Morang . Shiva SiDiha Ma lla also do'rec1ted Purandara S1mh3, th� rebe l Samant:"I ot Pat.an., an1 .replaced him by his own son, Tba l5,ur Siinha'. This ovent occurred be for , 723 N(�pal era ( 1603 1,.D. ). A · st.Jne inscription installed . .at. Swayamhunath durin1:, St.iiva Simh.q Mallo'':s, rule incticntes thz:i t thfl Swnyr�ml'hll na th shrine ha Thakur Singh, whom Shiva Simha Malla hnd appointed as tho Samanta of Patan, probably d ir::d while his fathor was still alive. 'Ibis assumptkn is based on th•: fact that too Varnshavalis do not mention his nairr', as w,- 11 as the fact that Shiva Simha Malla han<;led over• the reins ot tJl:l administra tion 0f Patan to om: of his own sens,· lif.irihara Simtia . llftcr th;,: c.krnth of Shiv�' . Simh.a Kalla', Hariharo simtia· started'_ ruling owr Patan as an independeu t King . Thus \he independent KinP,d6m of' Patan came int:> exiSter}.ce in Kath- • menc?u . Valley, a part from Kathmarx!u and �had gmm. . : Gang� De111� v.ite of _ Shivs SiJnha Malla , has gained cons'iderable'· farr»? in Nepal. She w.as a Nligious-mtn:f od woman and many of hor religious acts are still recalled with respect. The Ranitsri garden in Kathmandu wtJs construct.ad lizy' her. That is the reason why it is known as Rani Ban (Qu'-"<-� n'1 s ·Forest ). Queen Ganga Devi also gave t� temple of Pashupatina th its p:resont tona. PreY�ly," t� t,�mple had thr,ee sto�i�s with a roof pro jecting ovdr Contd .'�. 167. onch. Since tho secx,nd storey w:ls · de lapida�d,· Queen o,...·,bad it r'3rovc�t ond substit,ut:vl it by a golden spire'. S™ ai&.> plated the f)thc·r r•iofs with €')ld. MorP-ovor, Qu� n G�nga Devi beautified a.:,versl other u-mplris, including Cbangu Nari;yen. Artur lwving pertorn� severa l such rolis-ious ects, Queen Gangt.i De:vi bGcame e Sati when hor husband died.', Th,,,'rc: is no definite inforntion about the_ two sons or Shiva Simh;:i'. It ho s br,•.n m�,ntionf;d abovE:: th::! t Thakur stmha , .:,m of his two sons , t!iod l!f't�r rulini;; Pa�·n f 0r a fdW years. TMlcur Simha htid a broth•�!" nam1d Ha rihora Simh� , who t Harih�r.a Simhn hact three sons , L"l xmi NArasimho , Siddb-1 Nar�simh1:1 DIC. R.i it first :, Siddhi lf or:isimha Ma lla .rulod Patan as the rcpresentntiVt:' --:r his , ranc�fE1thor. Lftc•r tho ncc'.,ssion of La:xmi Naraaimha followinf� Shiv:: Simha 1 s dH ath in 751 N pal f: ra (1631 f, .D�), Siddh_i Ma,-,, :simba wi:'s requir,�:1 t"", net'. ns th r prq;vntntivo of his nl.:_icr broth�r� This ,es naturelly o--t �-l�nsin;;r t�) him . Yot oo ncceptud La::::mi NaraaiJnha Malla'1 s oo..-iraa tio'.1 f,:, r n..}n rly 10 y:,,ars. 'l'ht:r'. is n'.; uviJ€·no-:i :that he revol:1'tfd· aga:l.nst·La»n i ifo'J':, simh,1 M.llll,"1'1 .s d()rr.ia.?tic- n. In 761 N •p,... '1 1 1=: ra (l.641 l! �D�), Prntllp Malln in. pris�,n, J L.:ixmi N.ir-,s imhA Malla , his r�ttl€:r, on th� .nNt.P.xt that ht'l suff,:r<. � fr,,in ripile3psy, ::nJ minWd coins 1n his ,'Ml\ nhme•· Sid _'l'tn contt..'tnpornry tLpali society had indor:d bogun to r{'�rd tho divicinn 0r �isinte r,r.'lticm of n Statt: as n n:rt.urnl pheno.-non.. &l!is h Kings n,w.,r h1;:sitnted to exploit the ruli�ious S(;ntillli�nts ot the �opl.P. 1n ordor to ful fill t\i,;ir dE:S igns •. They use d tho Tula ja deity es part, or their stat0- craft •.. L-".l xmi Nar::isimha could not pnss on thoeso teric rites �t Tul.!,ja Cc.,nt.d••• 188. 0 to Prl?tap Malll!'. La lamatj., Siddh1 Nara simha·• s mother, hAd carried away the sacred j3r or' '-'41.lljo to Pat.an after concenl,ing it tor some time. 1t.lhen Siddhi Nn rasimhn Mall Laxmi l� arr, simha probably entrusted the administra tion of his coW1tr:- to Bhi.Jm l-'m llr, n x:�ltitivu of' his son-in-1;:rw. recording to Wright, Ph >!"'· Ma ll... , on returning fr om Lhrsa, tried to extort! tho dominions of Laxmi Nar�simha Mella'. (Wrig ht,· p. 212). Othur details given by Wr ight with rc,;gt=!rd to ·BhirriP- l-Uilln show tm t. he was an nblt:: stetesmm . He s.=Jt up 32 conunt:ircial firms in Katb.namu and sent· trl'dt:rs to Lhasn'. Ht-1 himself w,.nt. to Lhci se Mid B:;;nt plenty of go ld F..n d silver to Kathmandi'. It was du..-- t-.:i his ofi'orts that nn rierc��nt w.:is conclud6d und•?.r -whic h th-; pro pt,rty of any N.:pali whc, di;.;d at Lhr:.i.m without any h"1ir accrued to tho govornmi:=·nt of N,:.:p=.; l. Ho Plso brought Kuti und,:;r tt,.., contro1 of Nopa1;· On rnturning from .Lhasc�, Bhima }'ia llri rend: red importont s!=!rvi cos to tho Kin� . Hr· f> in r., - ro ly wishod t h!1 t0 King Lnxmi Nor::!simhn Ma lla• s rulP should expan(l to t. h,·i whol, of 1� �,pt:11. How0vc :r', som.:· onr-:: succoeded in convinc"in g tho Kill.', that Bhinw M<1lln ir1 s cons pirfng to b.-. comc-; King himself. Lmcmi N�r;1simhc1 Mall:• th,,n ord,.N1d tht:tt Bhiin.-, Mall.a should b& killed. (Wrie;ht , p. 212). How-�•-v1, r, according tJJ ;mot. her V;imsh�va lis, it was Pratap Malla wh,, had Bhimo Mr: 11.., killod when the latt( r wa s st:iying :it Bhndgoun 2ft,0.r n�turning from Tilx, t. i,cc0rdinf.'. to thcsi:.: V:.-imshavolis , Pra t.1p Malla did so bc oousu of rupor t.�: suppli,Jd by back-biters . Th,,, dHfinit,-· d[! t.:, cf' BhimP Ha lla 1 s murdir is :-i,:;t known . But from th:i f::ict th'r'lt the v�mshavali _s ,ide;ntify J>r�tap MDll.D as th:? King who orck,rc d BhilYlc' :r�u,. to b,:: . bet-.e.;::ded , it m.1y b3 inforr-ad that Pr �tap Ma lla murd',r-J d Btiima Ma lla .a.t'tr.;:r 1 mprisoning Qis father an:i asc3tlding thf• thron1.: in 1641 1: . D. · There is'· anoth�r posi:;_iblt: ro�son-behi nd th·3. murd,::r of Bhim1'1 Mall1.1'. ln 161�1 A.D., Gus:.,ri Khan , a Mongol King ot' Kokonor', had ccinquAred Tibi•t. Kokonor wes situat�d in thoJ north of Tibe:t'. The 1'ibc t<1n Vmns havali tnr;nt ioun that so•; Kiries r, f India, as well 3s the Kine ·of Nepa l, hnd �nt "'nvcys to i'f.-licitatc Gusari Khan nftur his'· conquest of 'l'iro t . (Pag Sam, p. 165' ). Tha yenr in wh ic h 1'ioot ws conqu13rcd by Gusari Khan w� s ti:ithnr Uc v·,st yenr of Loxmi N�rasirohn .MalltJ 's rul-� or tho first yoar of Pratap M� llr • s rul.c.. . BhimD l-lell.n was probobly staying in 'Lhosc1 a t thnt tim.:;.In oth.;,r wordB , it was Bni.mc: Malla who may hav8 ext�n Contd ••• It would no t be surprising if th(· ,,m·-mi(;-f; of Bhima Malla hr-id conspirl'(] to spr.oad ttrn rumor thn � he: w,:ntc,d to b<'¼ COJllcl tht=1 Kl.Ilg of H.-�pnl with tt,c.: !!ssi:;;'t,mce· c,f Guf:.:1ri Khan. Bhl ma -H::illa 1 s view thllt thewhole of Hripal should be , under the rule of one Kini! was disliked by the Kings of Patan ond Bhadgaun. It was the :-,-,,fori· p0ss ible that they too r.i ght have joined thi, conspir:� cy against Bhima Y.. a lla. 'l'ho Vamshavalis also give Eln account which pnves th1:1 t tr.Ll murder of Bhima Malle was unjustified. f..cc Guthi Lend !cquisi tion li'or Bab ju G"?rdens f plot .of 5/8 ·rop:. ni of lnnd at Lhuti (1.t:i. Ba la ju), trnditiomi lly belonging to the Guth1 of tho Seto Machhindrnna th templA , 'hn s btK n ;icq11il., d for th;;; B�la ju gardtms . The S:.?IDt, az:er,, of lMd in Lhuti, bolon1:inr, to tl1» Lingn Guthi, is mroby gr�mt<.:Jd in e:xch-ang>it ·a s Guth1 .� Tbis plot is bound .-cl ih th� C:i�1st by tho rood , in the south. by Gajcndr1.1 •s Birta , in th•:i wr--i:,t by Lingn- Guthi land nno in th<:: north by Joti ShresthP.1' 1 s Birt1'1'. I/Jith du , assurDnc0, th,; trr�.ditionnl Guthiyars shall uso the }.;ind �nd op.·rti t,,, th1 Guthi . Shr�wan Sudi 1897 ( July 1840 ). 5, R.•.::emt r1.t:s,.,,ar�h- Collections , Vo l. 29> pp. 78-79. ··1'.zoh!.t76'f By Babyram P. charya •• On hearing that King Digb,indhA�Se.n of Makwanpur •had been dethronec; �nd tha t he was in detent ion in Goifha , the Chaubisi Kings of Lamjung, . 'fana hu, Ka ski, Bhirkot, Palpa and P8r.bat decided to jointly inv.:ide Gorkh:, and st:t Digbandhan ·S(;n free . Aftar the ra iny season of 1763 /1 .D. , th-::re w(ls a flurry of diplomotio exchnnct:;s ,1111011g them. It \JUI) natuNl, sp0ci,1 l iy for King 'frivikrarna Sen 'of a T nahu and Ki�g Mukunda Sen II of PalpD , to t:•kr ·. ke�n interest . in this task. Th� old rival of Lamjung and Parbat, King Siddhi Narayan Shah or' Kaski, had also joined this bloc'. But it was thn We3kness cf ev,1ry King ·to send his g€nera l instead of coming t:iimself. E:vvn then, the a lliod, troops of tho Chaubisi Kingdo,ns occupfod the Harmi, Dhu1.r: kot,'. Chyang li, Bbirkot, Dyaura li and Lakcing·r orts in the;: W(;:Stern part or · Gorkha ·and · looted th\:! adjoining yill�ges (January 1764 f..• D .). Since th�- major ity of th::a troops of Gorld-1.1 wa s occupied in the blockad.c: of Kathrnc:nau Valley, Kaji Rc.1nc.rudra Shah, commander of GorkhE! , had a vory small numb -� ro of troops und.-:r him. Ho therofor,� c onscripted all persons of b�: tu0un 16 to 60 years of llge, in Gorkha :,nd r�ported this to Prithvi Neiraynn Shn h. 1\t that tillle, tregenera ls of Gorkha', Vamsha Raj Panda, Kahar Singh B� sn�·- t and Harsha Pantha, wo,re busy_ tightening the blocka,de . Prithvi Nar;-1y:-r. Shah therefor8 appoin� his'. youngor_ brother, Shur Pratep Shnh, 1,jho wm1t,,d v11ey much to bf:cornP a general , as Kaji and sent him to Nuwa kot with BOO troops . Troops of Kinc doms other than Lamjung nssembled at Lakang: And se:,t it on fire when they h.:)ard that the. Gorkha li troops had crassed th,·: Buddhi-G;:indaki river. But the troops o f Shur Pratap Shah nnd Ranarudr::i sti;;i h qe!rJate� t-� �oe� $t Lnk�ng . »ott of the troape of ttw c:n;my f:; U into th" Mar,y��dt r1W,t etid ,Hod, 11nc� th0;,· could not �ut boats. Hr:-:a·- ing this, tho troc,ps of Lamjung, statiom,d in Harmi, crossod the Ch<-,� river (March U6lt). Shur Pratap Sha� on his way back, met a hermit, Bhnrri•• wnnt Nath 9f the Ranamath (monastery) in- Salyan,w ho was on pilgrimage . Ho felt that the hermit was unoow,,:d with supornatur::il virtues. He th�:".:.. u � fore took him to Prithvi'. Naroyan Sht1h in Nuwnkot. It was nocossary to hav : XBabl1ram Acharya, Nepal Ko Sarnkshipta Vrittan�, (A Brief Account or Nf.pal) , K athmnndu: l'ramod Sbamshor and N1r Bikram "Pyasi'' , 1966. ChDpt0r :�: Va 11 Chaubisi Y..o Dosro Akraman, Kirtipunna Dosro Para jay.:a , Lamjungma .. Akraman Ra i� il •tipur Ma Adhikar . 11 (Second Invasi on of Chaubisi Stat1'J;. , 0.: S.accnd Defe at In Kirtipur, Invasion of Lamjung an_d Occupation of K1rtipur),:) ., P• 29-35. Contd ••'• 19r. friend ly relations with tbe rulers of Sa lyan� and Ja jarkot in ordor to invade th1::, Chaubisi Kingdoms from the wi.:,stern side. Prithvi Narcylln Sha h ha d signed a tre�ty with Hari Shah, King of Ja jarkot when'. they wers in Kc1shi; Gajendra Shah, Hari Shah's son, was also friendly with Prithvi . Na r2yan Shah, who, therefore displayed much respect for Bhagawant Nath in ord�r to streng then .friend ly terms with King Shrikrishna Shah of Salyl!n . Prithvi Nareyan Shah could not fo rget his defeat in Kirtipur and the death of Kalu Pande . When he .discussed the matter with Bagawant Nath, tho latter said, 11 1 will give. you . n partridge after'- reciting sacred in cpntations . vlhen you s�t tho partri dge free during th0 sttack, it will stop in Kirtipur and you will' l!tt::iin victory therE;l•' 11 Shur Pratap· ShRh , who, had ·becorre proud after his. victory in the battle of Lakang , ·offered his. s'='rvices in occupying K1rtipur. This time too Hariva_msha Upadhyaya , Kularianda Dhakal and Vanisharaj Partd•?- did oot agrcle to th� proposal to at�ck K irtipur . Even then, Kharidar Balakrishna Joshi became ready t0 fix an auspicious date for le aviz:ig .·Prithvi Narayan Shah ogrer.,d with Shur Pratap Shah and. s..:.nt him in th· reiddlc of i".ugust via,Dah .achok with o Gorkha li forco. Tht·:y occup i,;d the adjoining villages of K1rtipur as we ll as Chobhar on the eastern side . /, t th nt time, Kirtipur could not . receive any ass istanc& from La li tpur, since Prithv i Narny�: m Shl.lh w� s him self King of L.'l li tpur and Dale.mardan Shc:\11 his brother, wa s ruling ther, as his repres,::ntativt'. Jaya PrAkash MallR, King of Kathmandu, had dovr., 100.:id . hosti llty townrds the minist0rs of La li t-pur . Therefore, he too remain t:,d . silent. In this situation, the nobl, s. of Lalitpur . who wor8 responsibl>.. f,:,r . the defense of': Kirttpur fulfilled t h?-ir respons ibiliti.c-s by clof?i!lg the . .. gatos of the town. Since'· the boundary walls of the town W8re high, it w,s . not .possibl8 to scale thom. Th1::refore, every Gorkhali officer and soldir-r · made plsns t·o jump Across with the. he lp of bamboo ladders . At the. a.uspi cious mo�·nt, the partridge gi'Va n by Bhagwanta N!!th was set fre.e , but th,· · people of Kirtipur did not allow it to stop thorF . Even then, Shur PrAt8p Shah, Da ljit Shah and Harsha Pantha tried to cross tho wall thinking thnt the auspicious IDOJ11,;:nt should not be allowad to pa ss. Soroo sold iers who h;-d an'tl::red into ·Kirtipur w:.r0 injur�d by ston0s thro'W'.9 by the deferxk·rs. · · A tussle arose 'be tw�an Shur Pratap cind Harsh.a Panth8 on the question of sca ling the wa ll. In the meantiroo , an arrow hit the ey;:; of Shu� Pratap Shah. Another arrow_i njured Daljit Strah. Many other offic1.:r.s t1nd so;l.dk·ra :wore injured ond ·.since the generals were not disciplined, the r.nst of ttr. t�ops had ta withdraw to Da hc"l chok: (Soptcmbor 16, 1764 A.• D • .) • . When the Gorkha lis occup�ed ChobhElr during mid..J\ugus:i, t·�f\ :P��ple of Kathmandu, Bhnktapur and K1rtipur jointly went to Lelitpur to arrest Dalamardan Shah. But Chautarn Daruiwnnta'· tock him to his house for his safety t Tho ministers of Lalitpur did not hnnd Dalamardan Shah over t0 Jayaprakash Malla at the latter•s request . On the advi ce of Parashuram Contd ••• : 192 , . Thapa, minister of King Ranjit Malla of Bhaktopur , they temoved the nA� of Prithvi Narayan'. Shah from the list of the Kings of Lalitpur , made Dala J11£1rdan Shah himse lf King, and minted coins in Newari script in his nane (October . 1764)'. _: · · . · vfuen the Gorkhalis returned defeated from Kirtipur, Jaya Prakash Malla sent a force of Nagarkoti troops led by Sardar Badhasil)gh Nagarkoti and. occupied 2 outposts by b3sieging the Naldum fort. He then trie d to occupy another outpost. Jaya Prakash Malla then ·declared tha t he would drive out the Gorkhalis from Nuwakot also after th8y wer:• driven out of ·Naldum.- When Prithvi Naray1>n Shah was informed of this thr�}at, ha sent troops, on the ad�ice of Vamsharaj Panda, with Ka ji Tula Ram Panda, Prabh� Malla and Haribamsha Upadhyaya through the northern part of Kath mandu at night. But Badhasingh, even when he received tlY:> information , did no t believe that thoy were Gorkhalis. The Gorkhalis thP.n attacked the enell\Y from ins.ide and outside the fort. 450 soldier s; including Badhasingh, were killed and may others injured . About 45 Gorkha lis �!re ki lled and some injured'. Prithvi Narayan Shah fe lt very happy over this victory. He gave libera. . l rewa rds to his. offi . cers ' and soldiers'. . . Thore wBre apprehensions that the Chaubisi Kings would invade Gorktn ·_when they l(:: nrnt that Gorkha had sustained another defeat in Kirtipur. In the meantime , Shur Pratap Sha h defeoted and ,took shelter with Siddhi Naray&n Shah, · King of Kaski . This event furthe'r strengthened these appre- · hensions . Therefore, ?rithvi Narayan Sha h decidod to stop the. Chaubisi troops on the banks ·of the Chepe river •. He sent a big force led by Kaji V�msha raj . Panda and others' to Lamjung and himse lf- went to Sar�madhi in Gorkha to make arrangements fo r the battle (mid-November} . When the Chau bisi Kings'.did not reac�, he ordered Vamsharaj Pande to occupy Raginas fort in Lamjung across the Chepe river. The Kings of Lamjung had construct-ci:l Ragina s· fort to face the inva�ion of Gorkha, just as the'· Kings of Gorkha ha d constructed Siranchok fort to face tho invasion of Lamjung.- The Raginas fort, which was �ituBtE:.�d be tween the Chepe and Marsya ngdi rivers, was not. easy ·to occupy. It was .necessary ·to makf: boats and maintain stocks of food . Frithvi Narayan Shah made these prepara tions quickly. It was also nece:ssr.,ry to occupy the forts of Chihandanda· and Lllkhnjung , whi,.ch had been e stablish",� to protect the .f'ort of Ragirras . When Vamsha raj Pande invaded the fort of Chihanda nda· rnd .tried to occupy it, the troops Lamjung station·ed ·a t thl"l Raginas· ,for" came there'. When the troops cf Vamshar a j Pande invaded the fort, the troops of Lamj:ung sustained serious injurie s. About 250, includ ing Kunjar- Bhanda ri,.were a?Te sted and detained at tho roya l pal.Bee in Gorkh� • . Parath Bhandari,. one. of them, lat8r becarrK.i ll prominent SRrdar of Gorkh a. , After both forts wcro occupied, Raginas too w:is taken over by Gorkha'. Contd ••.•. 193 . :,rithvi Naray�n Shah constructed soveral forts thero::, for �tion of Lakhn jung and Ragin os and �ppointed an officer of Gorkha to dof��dr· th!!t af�q •. 'fh�n he s<.mt the troops accompanying Vamsha raj Panda to Nuwa kot·. H,� too then wont to Nuwakotr. 1-'rith vi Narnyan Shah was.i n a hurry to occupy Kirtipurr. When he dis cussed the matt«::r with Va�hara j · Pande iri Nuwakot, .the latter pE:rsuadod him to wait until tho. next·winter. .Exactly at this tim::, , Dalamardan Shahr., 'Who had been made King of · Lalitpur while unde r detention, escaped and roac��>d Dahachok. At this, the minis�:rs of La�itpur selectedr' a cotton traderr., _who was distantly related to the royal family., and enthrone d him. in the hope that he would succe�d in insuring the supply of cotton/. which had befin int1.:;rl'\lptc'lid ns a rosult of' the blockade (May 1765). · Thoy gave-! h,im the name of T� janar-;i- simha Mal la • In order to occupy K�rtipurr., Pr ithvi Narayan Shah sent a large forco und<;; r th; coJTUTlE:nd of Vamsharaj Pande through Dahachok aft�r the paddy crop was haryost0dr. Outside Ki rtipur ., he set up a number of tempornry out i-osw. As on previous occasions , ths chiof of Kirtipur villa ge closed Dll the gates and waited for the attack . Vamsparaj P�nder., on his part, sto pperd toor· supp� of paddy to tho village . At the same ti� , he kept on conveying frithvi Narnya n Shah 's message to th� inhabitants of Kirtipur, that no horrn would bo don,;; to them if they surrenderedr. Having received no mo ss age from the. •J'l!.tnh1tcrs of L;:i li tp'ur and King Jaya Praka sh Ma lla of Kathmnndur., Sinkhwa l Pradhanr., chiof of the village , thought it pr0pe r to surrondorr. Howerver., hn made an arrangf•m·::int, with VamshRraj Pande., undc'r which the Gorkhali troops were to enter into Kirtipur c;ily at night -bo.cD us;:; it. was felt that their ent ry during day ti me might provoke its in habitunts int') doing something• .l\ccord ingly, _Sinl Contd ••• 194 . Jl.lthough the lifcl c:ind prop1=n· ty of the people of Kirtipur v.�jre secure,, and there wa s no loo�ing, 14 or 15 foolish ren treacherously killed Gorkh:: 1i soldiers . Pri thvi Naraytm Shah, however, did not beht1ad th,�m; he only h:id their noses cut off and ordered them to be expelled from Kirti�urh. . It was not difficult to oc cupy· Lalitpur after the conquest of Kirtipur. But it was difficult to occupy Kathmandu . Prithvi Narayan Phah therefore dovised the strategy of besieging KathD1<1 ndu by occupying �11 the Newar settlements in the north. But. it was difficult to.occupy all t hese sett lc �nts without capturing Mudikhu which was situated on tho main route bc,t ween Kathmandu and Nuwa kot. The King of Kathmanqu had entrusted the res ponsibility· of defending the fo rt of Mudikhu to the native Khadka� them s� lves, so that its d&fenses might be strengthened . Vamsharaj Faroe dos p�tched a contingait of troops to occupy Lut.ikot first, vibich wns situ .:i ud on the Kirtipur - Nudikhu route . This force , which included Ram Kr_ishn:1 Kunwar, · besieged Lutiko·t during the day and attacked and occupied it at night . Hari Khadka , the deff.)nder of Mudikhu, surrendered,. and he, alon1� with his 150 soldiers, were taken prisoner. The en tir€. area up to ChrinEH to the east was thus occupied without a fight • . . Alantled over the steady advance of the Gorkhali .troops, Jaya PrakrJsb Malla invited King Ranjit Ma lla_ of Bhaktapur , as woll a s the mini�t(rs of Lalitpur , to be present at Guhye shwari for consulte'bions . The King of Bhuktapur and three ministe rs of La litpur arrived nt Guhyeshwari on Mny ?r, , 1766 . All the throo Kingdoms nledgAd suppart to one another, declarine; t.t;:•t thE:y wo uld not be able to ::1urvive if they fa iled to rosist the Gorkhnli troops jointly. • I Seeing that the Malla Kings of Kathmandu Valley _had thus _: concludod a pact, Prithvi Naray.nn Shah paused before embarking on a siege of Kath mandu . However, the Birta owne rs and prosperous pers ons of Kathmand u , Bnaktapur and ·Lalitpur fe lt that there . wM little passibility of th:1 thr,c: Malla Kingdoms S':}rviv ing as independen t entit ies. They the rof'ore began to gr�vitateh· towards Prithvi Narayan Shah to. safeguard their property . Promi nent anong them wero Mahants Bhagawa ti Van £Ind Lachchhiman Vnn of Bhakt:q,urh. In the battle of Mudikhu, a y.oung minister of Lalitpur, naiood BirA Narsingh, had been captured and iffiprisoned in Nuwakot amidst strict secu rity arrangoJrr.ntsh. Prithvi Naraynn Shah told him that ho would be freed if he cahlled in his fatherh. Accord ingly, B1ra Narsingh WI:O.tl::l ·a le tter to - his fath.::r, Chautara Dhanawantah. Out of affection for his son,' Chaut.nra Dbanawent ll::l ft Lalitpur and want to Nuwakot, whore he asked Prithvi N;:ir-,•yan Shah for asylum. li6 was appointed as chief of Khawasa� (roya l slaves). Contd ••• 195. With a viaw to occupying the Cbaubisi Kingdoms in the we st, Prithvi · Naray;:in Shc1 h establish,.i d amicable relations with King Shrikrishna Shaha of Sa lynn wi th th8 assistance of Yogi Bhagawanta Nath, whom he regarded As'·" his spiritual teocher . Wi.th the assistance of Yog·i Bt-agawanta Nath, Prithvi Narayan Shah had his only daughter, Bilas Kuaari, married to a son of King Shrikrishna Shah of Salyana in Nuwakot ( January 1737)'. This t rela tions hip h•:: lp0d Bahadur Shah greatly to occupy the Chaubisi Kinf,doms evontut' liy. Detel Offerings To Goddess Ta leju From King Rajendra , To Gopal Barai cf Bhadgaun . Our grea_t-gr;.;at-grendfather (l.e. King Pratap Simha ) hnd granted 14 ro'panis of land. as Jagir to yo ur fathe r under tbC:l Guthi endowed to offer bete l to Godde ss Tale ju . da ily as w� ll Els on ceremonial occasion::;. We hereby reconfirm this grant , Enjoy ( the produce of} those. lams by ful- 1'illin6 your duty to the Godd�iss r: llily as we: 11 ris on ceremonial occasions .;.. lfagh Sudi 1, 1881 ( January 1824) Regmi Res;,;arqh Co lle ctions, Vo l. 29, p. 20. . 196 . x �n Order Of King Dambor Shah Of Gorkha By Mohan Prasad ·Khan�l. This order was issued by King DAmbar Shah of Gorkha to Gangadhar Padhya for the protection of fo rests . The royal �ea l affixe d at the top of this 1 document contains the words 11Shri Durga Bhawani 1 • The st1a l is not very clear and the docum::nt, whic h is 7l "long and 3 11 wide , is vary worn out. It has 9 lines. It is written in Dtivnagari script ·and lll"'ntions the date 1708 . The do cuillE;nt, wcis obta ined from Bhawan i Pra sad of Dhading . Ab strLJct Translation From King Dambar Shah To Gangadh� r _Padhya'. Do not let anybody clear bushes,. forests, shrubs, etc . at Ltidja. M1.1 k-:: a proclamation to this effect before the entire village' . Friday, Jestha Su.di 7, 17013 (June 1651 A.D.). Explanation i\ ccording to the Vamsh:� valis , in 1616 Vikr:-imn ( 1559 A .D.) Dravya Sha h, founder of the Kingdom of Gorkha, defeat,c?d Ghalo chfo fta ins and proclaimed himself King . ·nravya Shah was succe· ·ded by his son Purna Sh:Jh. Purna Shah 's son was Chhatra Sh�h,' who was su cceeded by Ram Shah. Ram Shah enforced c1 number of rules and expanded the small Kingdom of Gorkha to the Trishuli rivc::r in the east, to the Chepe river in the west, to Tibet in the north and to the Seti river in the south. Dambar Shah was the son of RP.rn Shah. X "Bi . Sam. 1708 Ko Gorkhaka Raja Dembar Shah Ko libhilekh11 (/1n Order from King Dambar Shah of Gorkho In 1708 Vikrama ), Samiksha Weekly, Aswin 2, 2029 (S8pt, :mb or 18 , 1972)'. Contd••' • 197. · The Kings of Lamjung -had not liked the establishrront of the indepan dent Kingdom of Gorkha by Dravya Shah. They were therefore waiting for an opportunity to occupy Gorkhan. Although the Gorkhalis were as brave as the Lamjungis, Lamjung was stronger than Gorkhan. Gorkha had therefore to be- wnre of L.-imjungn. Many principali ties had emerged in NApal during the Irfidieval period. Each princ ipality always tried to occupy the other. In ordern_ to de.tend thenselves frol!l stronger princ ipc: lities, small and weak ones built forts atn· high altitudes, particularly those: situated along border areasn. At that time ., dense fores ts and pre ci pi ce s served as ro rtsn. Hence the clear ing of troo::S at such places posed a dariger to the KingdomI. • I • Later, tho Malla•·K ings of Kathmandu Valley too made arrangements for the protection of fo rest fortsn. Copper inscriptions issued by thorn in this• r6gt!rd have b<.3en discovered. King Jagajjaya Malla of Kantipur and his son, Jaya Prakash Malla, as we ll as �ing Rajya Prakash Malla of Lalitpurn., issued inscriptions stipulating arrangements far the protection of such forts . Those inscriptions are located at the Bajrajogini temple at Sankhu and at the temple of Bagh Bhairev in Kirtipur. (Aitihasik PatrA Sangrnha , . Vo l. II). King Prithvi Narayan Shah too issued a royal order which readi "To the priest of tbm!1,udn Dovatan. Look after the forest of Nam Deo Dhan, and parti cularly 11 the K::tphel trees thera . Anyone ,who clears this forest. shall ba punishedn.n (Prithvi Pntra Sangraha , Part I, 'P• 14)n. 'lbe above order issued by King Dambar Shah of Gorkha to Gangadhar Padhya also contains instrucntions relating to the protection of fort:st fo rtsn. This is the first available document issued by the Kings of GorkhP. before tl?,e accussion of King Prithvi Narayan Shah ton· the throne with regard to such arrangem:rntsn. ,.. 198 . An Inscription Insta'lled During The Re ign x . . ; I ..Of Rajalla Devi By . , Mohan Prasad Khanal. There is a famous temple of ,-\nantalingeshwar on' · the hill located to the south of the Suryavinaya.k temple· in Bhaktapur . On its wall there is a four_-cornered water· spout, which contains a 4-line inscription in Newari . script. The first lin;;- which ment,i ons the date and a few letters in the fourth lin� are illegible:' . It statE: s that the watt.ir spout wa s installed during the rt:-ign of Rajalla Dr• vi. On the third-day of Magh Shu.k la', 1382 VU:rama ( 1326 A.D. ), King Harisimha D8 v::1 of Tirhut ma de pr0 parations to resist an invasio� from Sultan Ghiasuddin :I'ughlak who wns on his' ·way to Delhi through Tirhut .:1fter invadini:; R:.ngc1l'. Ji fterc(;) battle ensued between Harisimha Deva and Ghiastidd in Tughbk � Hnris imha Deva. could not face_ the attack, howe v0r, and the troops of Ghia suddin Tughlak finally destroynd Simraungadh. The King and noblo--ren of Tirhut all fled to the forests . Some time later, how�v8r, Harisimhn Dnva , r.long wi th the rest of his family and minist,1rs, ·· migrated to Rajagr�rn,· in Do lakha'. Ho?. snnt his queen, Dr;vala Dl"!vi ,to Kflthmnndu Va lley in th.-,' e;omp,my of one rf his s.0 ns namPd Jngat Simha', to solicit essistance: . Howf,v,c, :-, King Harisir:ih.c, D,wa died at Tinpatan shortly th�rc after. In .th.:; moc?ntime, the M-!:!Jhis Dnd Bharos of Ra jagrnma impr isone d th•'· rE:maining mcml>rrs ,of H�risir.ihc> JJ2va 1 s family as well as his ministers sttiying thc-r:.; i:' r,d ioot.1(:J all the ir prope rty·.' · Arima lla'_ r.nd Rudra �.a lla were ruling j�intly in Kathmandu· V8 U.ey whon Queen' D�va'la D.-:,vi ar.d Jc1gat .Simha reached thore' . Early in 1377 Vikrama , Rudra Yi.a l.la h�d plc: cE::d J;rimalla , one of his relative s , on the throne . Bu t although the thronP. wn s occupiod by ll.ri.ma lV:i , Rudra K, lla held the reiDs of admin:.strcJt.l)U in his own hand s . Fo llowing the death of Harisimh'." Deva and the impri.sonment and looting of his family at Rajagrama , Rudrn lfo lla gnve shelte:..� to Queen Devnla Devi and her son and kept them in his pn laco with honor • x"Magh Shukla Trayodashi Prachaturdashi Ko Ra jallo Devi Ko Pa la Ko Abhile:kh . 11 Un Inscript'ion Installud During The Reign of Rajalla Devi)'. Samiksha Weokly, J..ugust 7, l972. , Contd ••• 199, In Ashadh 1373 Vikrerna (sic ) Rudra Mall;: died at the age of 30 yaF.1 rs and 8 monthsa. His fo.ur wive s became Satisa. Rudra Malla had two sons nt1m Gopa l.; , Deva, brothi:;r of Hr.rishch.:mdrcJ Deva , re garded Jagat Simha as · his enemy nnd vi.£:: versa . Gopc1lti jJe:v::i wem .:.· r�)rn Bhaktepur to · Lali tpur. In the event, J.:.g'.:t :;:1.,ri,hn b-,•h 'l'he inscription rcfcrr'!d to above nppe nrs to havo been insta lled durine thi s p;:;:rioda. Tho wor ds "during the reign of Ra jal,la D�_vi", occurrinr, in tho inscription , ind ic:1tJ th�t it hn d prob r.ibly boon insta lh:d before tho accession of Sthi ti .Mal l?. to thG thronea. Had the date ins cribed in it .not become illogtb:.c , it woul� hnve boen possibh, to tra ce out itsa· his tcry . 200. , Appointment Of ehiE!f Of Gunpowder Fa ctory In · Thimix From King Rajendra, i Sher Singh Pathak of Nuwakot', grandson, of Shrikrisr.na Pathak .ind son To _ of Laxm�pati Pathak. We hereby appoint you a-s Dittha of the Thimi gunpowder ·factory, reolec ing Kul Bahadur. Pppropriate the emoluments perta ining to this offic�, which aroount to 800 muris of Khet lands �nd Rs 100 in cash as Khuwa . Operate the gunpowder fa ctory properly and �nufa cture gunpowder. ·' Submit accounts of the saltp2.tG r and sulphur used· and of the gunpowder manufactured through t.he Kc1pardar-.Dittha. In case the s ul:- jects vthos,c, services have been assigned for the gun powder factory do not present themselves for work on Jhara ( unpaid) basis, or rwve to go (cls.:mher-::: ) for procuring provisions and so do not provide Jh.:: ra labor, collect a fine of 2 annas iromeE>c h such labo rer for each dny. In case a.1 ybody de.faults in the supply of firewood to the gunpowder fn ctory, colh:ct L nnnns as fin(;; from him for each- load. In case any person defaults in his obligation to provide Silaute' ' labor (to grind gunpowder ), collect a fine of 2 anna s from him fo r each day . J� t tho end of the ye ar , subrdt accounts and obtain cle nranc,� . Remni:-: ft'lithful �ind c! ppropriate your cmolum·�nts . (List ol° londs and r1::Yenue s fo 11 ows )' . Fa lgun Badi 4, 1900 (Fc:bruc1 ry 18L4). xRegmi Res€arch Collections, Vol. 29, pp. 1-2. (S.B.M. )