Devalakshmidevi (often known as Devaladevi) was the daughter of Jayatunga Malla of

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 ...

, and the wife of King Harisimhadeva of

Tirhut Mithila (), also known as Tirhut, Tirabhukti and Mithilanchal, is a geographical and cultural region of the Indian subcontinent bounded by the Mahananda River in the east, the Ganges in the south, the Gandaki River in the west and by the foothi ...

. She was a key figure in the Malla-era politics in the 14th century until her death on 18 April 1366.

Marriage with Harisimhadeva

Devaladevi was the daughter of Jayatunga Malla of the House of Tripura, which was a ruling house in

Bhadgaon Bhaktapur ( 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 about from the capi ...

at that time in

Kathmandu Valley The Kathmandu Valley (), also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley (, Newar language, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः), National Capital Area, is a bowl-shaped valley located in the Himalayas, Hima ...

. In 1310 C.E., King Harisimhadeva of

Mithila Mithila may refer to: Places * Mithilā, a synonym for the ancient Videha state ** Mithilā (ancient city), the ancient capital city of Videha * Mithila (region), a cultural region (historical and contemporary), now divided between India and Nepa ...

invaded the

and after negotiations, in addition with other gifts, Devaladevi was given in marriage to Harisimhadeva.

Return to Bhadgaon

In 1324 C.E

Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq (), or Ghazi Malik (; died 1 February 1325) was the Sultan of Delhi from 1320 to 1325. He was the first sultan of the Tughluq dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. During his reign, Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq founded the city of ...

invaded and conquered

. Harisimhadeva, along with Devaladevi and their son Jagatsimha, fled to Kathmandu valley. Harisimhadeva died while en route due to his injuries but Devaladevi and Jagatsimha were welcomed by her brother Jayarudra Malla in

, who was then head of the House of Tripura and the de facto ruler of the Kathmandu valley.

Involvement in Politics

Jayarudra Malla died in 1326 C.E and without any male heirs, his daughter Nayakadevi was the heir to the House of Tripura. Nayakadevi was initially married to Harischandra, a refugee from Kashi, but in 1335 he was poisoned by the nobles. Then onwards, Devaladevi worked on gaining political supports from courtiers and nobles and later on her son, Jagatsimha, married Nayakadevi. Following the death of the then presiding monarch Jayari Malla in 1344, Devaladevi made an agreement with the House of Bhonta that a monarch would be installed from Bhonta on the condition that she remained the de facto ruler of the valley. In 1347, Jayarajadeva was crowned as the King following the agreement and Devaladevi remained the controlling figure. She was given higher titles than the King himself. In 1347, a daughter, Rajaladevi, was born to Nayakadevi and Jagatsimha. Nayakadevi died ten days later and after a violent outbreak in the palace, Jagatsimha was thrown into prison where he died. This event left Rajaladevi, the heir to the House of Tripura, under the care of Devaladevi. She was in constant political conflicts with the rebels and in 1348 she imprisoned Pashupati Malla, a powerful rebel.

Later life

In 1354, Devaladevi brought

Jayasthiti Malla Jayasthiti Malla, also spelled Jayasthitimalla, () was the eleventh Malla king of Nepal. His absolute rule over the valley began after deposing Jayarjunadeva in 1382 until his death in 1395. Origin and early life The ancestry of Jayasthiti ...

, a man of obscure but noble birth, from the

region to marry Rajaladevi, her granddaughter and the heir to the House of Tripura.

later united the broken kingdoms of

Kantipur Kantipur (; ) was a medieval kingdom in the Malla confederacy of Nepal, centered in the Kathmandu Valley. The name of the kingdom was derived from a Sanskrit name of its capital city, now known as Kathmandu. List of kings * Ratna Malla (148 ...

, Patan, and

. Devaladevi played a very active role in politics until her death in 1366.

References

Notes

Sources

14th-century Nepalese people 1300 births 1366 deaths {{authority control People from Bhaktapur 14th-century women rulers