Briddhi Lakshmi (

Nepal Bhasa Newar (; , ) is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal. The language is known officially in Nepal as Nepal Bhas ...

: ) was the queen consort of the

Kingdom of Bhaktapur The Kingdom of Bhaktapur (, ), also known as Bhadgaon, was a kingdom ruled by the Malla dynasty of Nepal from 15th century until its annexation in the 18th century. It was established in 1482 after King Yaksha Malla died and his sons divided the ...

(modern day

Bhaktapur Bhaktapur (Nepali language, Nepali and Sanskrit: भक्तपुर, ; "City of Devotees"), known locally as Khwopa (Nepal Bhasa: , ) and historically called Bhadgaon, is a city in the east corner of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal located abou ...

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

), the first wife of

Ranajit Malla Ranajita Malla (Nepal Bhasa: ) was the last king of the Malla dynasty (Nepal), Malla dynasty who ruled Kingdom of Bhaktapur, Bhaktapur from 1722 to 1769. He is widely known for his contribution to Newari literature, Newari and Maithili literature, ...

and a

Newar language Newar (; , ) is a Sino-Tibetan languages, Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal. The language is known officially ...

poet. For a brief period, she and her two-year-old son was also the monarch of an independent Thimi and

Nala Nala () is a legendary king of ancient Nishadha kingdom and the central protagonist of the '' Nalopakhyana'', a sub-narrative within the Indian epic '' Mahabharata'', found in its third book, '' Vana Parva'' (Book of the Forest). He is renown ...

. She is today mostly remembered for the songs and poems she composed, some of which are still sung today by traditional Dapha groups in Thimi. She was born in a noble family in

Bettiah Bettiah is a city and the administrative headquarters of West Champaran district ( Tirhut Division) - ( Tirhut). It is near the Indo-Nepal border, northwest of Patna, in the state of Bihar, India. History In 1244 A.D., Gangeshwar Dev, a B ...

, in modern-day

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and had a brother named Murāri Rāya. In 1712, an envoy was sent from

to fetch her to the kingdom and marry her to the crown prince

. Although she was extremely well-loved by the populace of the kingdom, she found herself more isolated in the palace. After failing to provide a male heir, she found herself replaced by Jaya Lakshmi, a favourite concubine of

. By the time she gave birth to Devendra Malla, Jaya Lakshmi's eldest son had already reached maturity. The people in the kingdom wanted her newborn to be the crown prince, since she was the queen consort, however, Jaya Lakshmi who held significant power in the palace was against this idea and so she found herself in a precarious situation. After her followers in the palace were assassinated one by one, she fled to Thimi with her infant son and the populace of Thimi soon after her arrival declared Thimi as an independent state from the

with her son as their sovereign. She was a prolific poet and songwriter in the

. Only six of her works survive today, however, preserved by traditional singing groups in Thimi. Her poem, "" (''ka kha yā mye''), which she composed when she and her infant's safety was compromised in the palace, is considered one of the greatest works in the

Early life

In November 1711, an envoy led by Bhairava Malla and Vira Joshi was dispatched by

Bhupatindra Malla Bhupatindra Malla (Newar language, Nepal Bhasa: ; 3 November 1674 – 15 April 1722) was a Malla (Nepal), Malla Dynasty King of the Kingdom of Bhaktapur (present day Bhaktapur, Nepal) who reigned from 1696 until his death in 1722. He is the most ...

in order to fetch Briddhi Lakshmi to

. The expenditure book of their journey is so far the only source about Briddhi Lakshmi's early life. The expenditure book does not mention her name and refers to her as "''kanyā''", a term used for an unmarried girl. However, the book does mention her brother's name, Murāri Rāya. Bridhhi Laksmhi, as per the book was not of royal descent. By February 1712, the envoy had returned to

with Briddhi Lakshmi and her brother, Murāri Rāya, who had accompanied his sister but returned after they arrived safely in

. Briddhi Lakshmi was married to the crown prince

eight months after her arrival, on the first day of '' kartika vadi'' 833 NS (October–November 1712).

Succession crisis

Sources

Much of what is known about the crisis is known from the journal of Father Cassino, a Capuchin missionary from

Macerata Macerata () is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy, the county seat of the province of Macerata in the Marche region. It has a population of about 41,564. History The historical city centre is on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza (ri ...

who was staying in

during the crisis of succession. There are also three copper plate inscriptions: two of them, at the temple of

Brahmani Brahmani may refer to: *A number of Hindu goddesses such as ** Brahmani (Matrika) *Rivers: ** Brahmani River, a river in Odisha, India ** Brahmani River (Dwarka), a tributary of the Dwarka in Jharkhand and West Bengal {{Disambiguation ...

and at the temple of Balkumari in Thimi, were commissioned by Briddhi Lakshmi herself while the third, at Chitrapur Village, south of the city of

was set up by

; all three of them are also related to the crisis. Additionally, there are six

Newar Language Newar (; , ) is a Sino-Tibetan languages, Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal. The language is known officially ...

poems written by Briddhi Lakshmi which describe her experience during the crisis of succession.

Background

who ascended the throne after his

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...

's death in May 1722 had many concubines and one particular concubine, Jaya Lakshmi was the favourite of the king. From Jaya Lakshmi, Ranajit Malla had a son, named Ajitasimha Malla, whose birth date is not known yet, but he must have been the king's eldest male child as he is addressed as the crown prince in a document from 1728. The conflict arose ten years later, in June 1738, when Briddhi Lakshmi gave birth to a son in Thimi. Briddhi Lakshmi, being the king's only legitimate wife was favoured by the public and naturally Ranajit Malla was pressured by the public to change the crown prince to Briddhi Lakshmi's son. Meanwhile, Jaya Lakshmi wanted to retain her son's position as the crown prince and pressured the king to not change his previous decision. However, it appears that Ranajit Malla eventually declared Briddhi Lakshmi's son as the crown prince as she set up a copper plate inscription at the

temple of

in NS 859 (1738 CE) to commemorate her son being declared the successor to the throne; the inscription mention her son's name as Vira Narasimha Malla. Meanwhile, Jaya Lakshmi and her son Ajitasimha Malla started a munity in the palace against the declaration of Vira Narasimha as the crown prince. Despite being favoured by the public and her son being the crown prince, Bridhhi Lakshmi had no supporters among the nobility and courtiers of the palace except for a minister which Father Cassiano specified was from a "non-aristocratic family".

Flight to Thimi

Briddhi Lakshmi however, did not stay in the Bhaktapur palace for long as she had almost no supporters there. Father Cassiano on his journal wrote: "But his mother (Briddhi Lakshmi) could not live in peace in the palace where her rival (Jayalakshmi) held all the power, and she scented dangers ahead even for her child". In her poems, Briddhi Lakshmi frequently describe being ridiculed and bullied by her rivals. Fearing for her and her son's life Briddhi Lakshmi escaped the palace in 1740, with the help of the "non aristocratic" minister and took refuge in the town of Thimi, west of the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

. In her poem ''ka kha yā mye'', Briddhi Lakshmi wrote, "Because of a strife, I have been insulted in my own home; I feel like

Damayanti Damayanti () is a heroine in ancient Indian literature, primarily known for her role in the episode of ''Nala and Damayanti, Nalopakhyana'', which is embedded within the ''Vana Parva'' (the third book) of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c. 400 BCE – ...

without her beloved

, I feel like a lonely ''champak'' flower without any

bumblebees A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...

; being incapable of any deceit, I have fallen". According to Father Cassino, Briddhi Lakshmi was received well by the people of Thimi and not long after declared their allegiance to Briddhi Lakshmi by accepting her son as their ruler. Meanwhile, Briddhi Lakshmi set up a copper plate inscription in the Balkumari temple of Thimi dated to NS 860 (1740 CE), where she mentions her taking refuge in Thimi along with the ''Sahebju''. Soon other cities within the kingdom like

followed Thimi and mutinies were being held against

all over the kingdom. In order to resolve the crisis peacefully, Ranajit Malla called a general council for the people on 26 April 1742, whereby he would grant permission for anyone in the kingdom to enter his palace and were given permission to freely express their opinions directly to their king. Father Cassino, who was the witness of this event, wrote the following in his journal: "Therefore,

called a general council of the people on the 26th of April 1742. In the meeting, they were to 'freely express their feeling and give opinion'. They all came to one of the 12 courtyards of the king's mansion. It was evening and dark all around. All of them sat around a canopy; now two doors were opened which from the public square were allowed entrance to the inner apartment where the king was seated. In order to allow free passage to those coming inside, the guards had been removed. Anyone who wanted to voice his feelings could come without any hindrance. There were a great many of such people. All of them had their faces covered to hide their identity and spoke in an affected tone not to be recognized. Some scolded the king, even called him bad names; others threatened him with dire consequences and still a few more tendered what one would like to call a simple advice. This went on until one hour after midnight had passed and those assembled then dispersed. The king deferred his judgment for the next day. The night council which was then held rarely met. It was held only when a large number of people felt dissatisfied with the ruler". According to a copper plate inscription dated to 1740 in village of Chitrapur, south of Thimi, Ranajit Malla had also granted a

tax exempt Tax exemption is the reduction or removal of a liability to make a compulsory payment that would otherwise be imposed by a ruling power upon persons, property, income, or transactions. Tax-exempt status may provide complete relief from taxes, redu ...

to the people of the village, for protecting Briddhi Lakshmi and the ''Sahebju'' when they were taking refugee in Thimi. It appears after the council, Ranajit Malla himself went to Thimi to console his queen and resolve the conflict, however, it's unclear what happened afterwards as no clear sources have been found. Father Cassiano in his journal wrote that Briddhi Lakshmi left Thimi with her son on a festival day and went to

Jaya Prakash Malla Jaya Prakash Malla (Newar: ) was the last king of Kantipur () which corresponds to present-day Kathmandu. He ruled from 1736 to 1746 after succeeding his father Jagajjaya Malla, and then from 1750 until his death in 1769. Early life Jayapraka ...

to take shelter. Historians aren't sure what happened to Briddhi Lakshmi afterwards; her next source is dated almost two decades after the event in NS 871 (1750 CE), from two stone inscriptions, she set up in

Banepa Banepa () is a municipality and historical town in a valley situated at about above sea level in central Nepal which is at about east from Kathmandu. At the time of the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 67,690. The main attraction of B ...

, relating to her having built a communal shelter (

: ''phalcā'') and a wooden bridge in the city.

Children

Before the birth of a prince in June 1738 in Thimi, there are no other mentions of any children from Briddhi Lakshmi. The copper plate inscription she set up at the temple of Bramhani in

two years later after the birth of her son in 1738, mentions his name as "Vira Narasimha Malla". Vira Narasimha Malla is also the name that appears in a

stone inscription A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions o ...

from 1752 ( NS 873), where it states that he was co-ruling the kingdom with his father. However, Briddhi Lakshmi's poems from 1740–42, mention her son's name as ''Dhana sāheba ("''Prince Dhana"'')'' while her

inscription Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

mention her son's name as Devendra Malla. Similarly, Devendra Malla's name also appears as a donor of a drum to Taleju, the

tutelary goddess A tutelary (; also tutelar) is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety and ...

of the Mallas, in 1754. Historian Dhaubhadel, citing her Brahmani copper plate inscription, presumes that all three names, Vira Narasimha, Devendra and Dhana refer to the same person.

Death

It is unclear how or when Briddhi Lakshmi and her son died. After their Banepa inscription, Briddhi Lakshmi and her son, Vira Narasimha's name appears as the donors of various ceremonial items in the temples of Bhaktapur 1750 and 1754. In 1751 ( NS 872), they donated statuettes of various deities at a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

in Bhaktapur, where the inscription mentions her son as ''dhana juju'' ("King Dhana"). Finally, their last reference is from a ceremonial item they donated to the temple of

Bhairava Bhairava (, ), or Kāla Bhairava, is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva.Kramrisch, Stella (1994). ''The Presence of Śiva''. Princeton, NJ: P ...

, and the inscription in it contains the date 11 March 1754 ( NS 874

Chaitra Chaitra () is a month of the Hindu calendar. In the standard Hindu calendar and India's national civil calendar, Chaitra is the first month of the year. It is the last month in the Bengali calendar, where it is called Choitro. Chaitra or Cha ...

2) and mention Briddhi Lakshmi and Devendra Malla as the donors. In late December 1753,

set up two gold plate inscriptions on the

Golden Gate The Golden Gate is a strait on the west coast of North America that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It is defined by the headlands of the San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Peninsula, and, since 1937, has been spanned by ...

which he commissioned. Both of the inscription does not mention Vira Narasimha's and his mother Briddhi Lakshmi; however, it mentions Jaya Lakshmi as Ranajit Malla's wife. As regards to her son, in the local folklore, Vira Narasimha Malla was assassinated.

Literary works

Six of Briddhi Lakshmi's

poems are preserved in a manuscript titled "''gīta saṃgraha''" which is stored at the National Archives of Nepal under catalogue number B 285/12. Some traditional ''Dapha'' singing groups of Thimi and

also possess copies of her poems. All six of her poems from the "''gīta saṃgraha''" are

lyric poetry Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person. The term for both modern lyric poetry and modern song lyrics derives from a form of Ancient Greek literature, t ...

describing her lament during the crisis of succession and her subsequent flight to Thimi. However, out of the six poems, only two of them, ''ka kha yā mye'' and ''bhayirava taleju bihune varadāna'' have been published so far; by Janak Lal Vaidya in 2000. In 2020, Dhaubhadel translated the two from

Classical Newar Classical Newar or Classical Nepal Bhasa (, ) also known as Old Newar, is the vernacular and literary form of Nepal Bhasa used prior to the 19th century. The term is most generally used to describe the form of Nepal Bhasa used in manuscripts an ...

into the

Nepali language Nepali (; , ), or ''Gorkhali'' is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language native to the Himalayas region of South Asia. It is the official and most widely spoken Languages of Nepal, language of Nepal, where it also serves as a ''lingua fr ...

. Out of the two that have been published, Premshanti Tuladhar, a professor of

Newar Newar (; , endonym: Newa; , Pracalit script: ), or Nepami, are primarily inhabitants in Kathmandu Valley of Nepal and its surrounding areas, and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisation. Page 15. Newars are a distinct linguisti ...

, particularly has praised her ''ka kha yā mye'' (

: , ). Similarly, Historian Om Prasad Dhaubhadel describes it as "touching, sensitive and important". Following are the starting verses of the poem in the original

and its

transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → and → the digraph , Cyrillic → , Armenian → or L ...

: Following is the translation of the verses: Similarly, her other poem that has been published, named ''bhayirava taleju bihune varadāna'' (

: , "

bhairava Bhairava (, ), or Kāla Bhairava, is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva.Kramrisch, Stella (1994). ''The Presence of Śiva''. Princeton, NJ: P ...

taleju, give me a boon") after the starting verse, has been equally praised by Dhaubhadel. Following are the starting verses of the poem in the original

and its

: Following is the translation of the verses: Historian Janak Lal Vaidya describes Briddhi Lakshmi as an important poet of the 18th century and praises her poem for its sweetness and musicality.

In culture

The poems that Briddhi Lakshmi wrote when she took refuge in Thimi is still sung by traditional ''Dapha'' singing groups of the city. On 27 November 2023, a

song written by

Durga Lal Shrestha Durga Lal Shrestha (born July 1935) is a Nepalese poet of Nepal Bhasa and Nepali. He was conferred with the title of ''Janakavi'' ( lit. people's poet) by Nepal Bhasha Parishad in 2003. He is considered as a progressive litterateur. He was award ...

was released, the subject of which was the relationship between Ranajit Malla and Bridhhi Lakshmi before they were married but after her arrival in

from

. For the

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

, Ranajit Malla was played by Karma Shakya and Briddhi Lakshmi was played by Rojina Suwal.

Gallery

Following are the manuscript folios containing her poem, ''ka kha yā mye'' and ''bhayirava taleju bihune varadān'': File:Poem written in Newar by Briddhi Lakshmi.svg, First page of ''ka kha yā mye'' File:Newar Language poem written by Briddhi Lakshmi 7.svg, Second page of ''ka kha yā mye'' File:Newar Language poem written by Briddhi Lakshmi 3.svg, Third page of ''ka kha yā mye'' File:Newar Language poem written by Briddhi Lakshmi 6.svg, Fourth page of ''ka kha yā mye'' File:Newar Language poem written by Briddhi Lakshmi 4.svg, Fifth page of ''ka kha yā mye'' File:Poem written by Briddhi Lakshmi of Bhaktapur 9.svg, Final page of ''ka kha yā mye'', ''taleju bhairava'' begins from Line 3. File:Newar Language poem written by Briddhi Lakshmi 2.svg, Second page of ''taleju bhairava'' File:Newar Language poem written by Briddhi Lakshmi 5.svg, Final page of ''taleju bhairava''

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{Nepalese Women Writers Newar-language poets from Nepal 18th-century Nepalese nobility Queens consort Nepalese women poets Nepalese poets 18th-century Nepalese writers 18th-century women writers 18th-century poets People from Bhaktapur