
The Licchavis of Nepal (, also ''Lichchhavi'', ''Lichavi'') ruled over a kingdom in the
Kathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley (), also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley (, Newar language, Nepal Bhasa: š£š¾š„šµš
ššµš
, ą¤Øą„ą¤Ŗą¤¾ą¤ ą¤ą¤¾ą¤), National Capital Area, is a bowl-shaped valley located in the Himalayas, Hima ...
of
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 ...
from approximately 450 to 750 CE. The
Licchavi clan originated from a branch of the
Licchavis of Vaishali who ruled in the territory of modern-day
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
and who later conquered the Kathmandu Valley. The Licchavis were ruled by a ''maharaja'', aided by a prime minister and other royal officials, but in practice local communities were controlled by
caste councils.
The ruling period of this dynasty was called the Golden Period of Nepal. A table of the evolution of certain Gupta characters used in Licchavi inscriptions prepared by Gautamavajra VajrÄcÄrya can be found online.
Records
It is believed that a branch of the
Licchavi clan, having lost their political fortune and military power in
Vaishali (
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
), came to
Kathmandu
Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...
and intermarried with the family of the ruling Queen, Mandeva Shree Vogini of the
Nagvanshi clan, thus beginning their rule in Nepal
Source They also battled with local militias in
Chyasal to gain control of Nepal.
In the Buddhist
Pali canon
The PÄįø·i Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhism, Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the PÄli language. It is the most complete extant Early Buddhist texts, early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from t ...
, the earlier
Licchavis of Vaishali are mentioned in a number of discourses, most notably the Licchavi Sutta, the popular
Ratana Sutta and the fourth chapter of the
Petavatthu. The
Mahayana
MahÄyÄna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#MahÄyÄna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main ex ...
Vimalakirti Sutra also spoke of the city of
Vaishali as where the
lay Licchavi
bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...
Vimalakirti was residing.
In the 4th century CE, during the reign of the
Gupta emperor
Samudragupta, the "Nepalas" are mentioned among the tribes subjugated by him:
Samudragupta was a son of the
Gupta Emperor
Chandragupta I and the Licchavi princess
Kumaradevi. Gold coins bearing portraits of
Chandragupta and Kumaradevi have been discovered at
Mathura
Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the states and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located south-east of Delhi; and about from the town of Vrindavan. In ancient ti ...
,
Ayodhya
Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...
,
Lucknow
Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...
,
Sitapur
Sitapur is a city and a municipal board in Sitapur district in the States and territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located 90 kilometres north of state capital, Lucknow. The traditional origin for the name is said to be by ...
,
Tanda,
Ghazipur, and
Varanasi
Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...
in
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
;
Bayana in
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...
; and
Hajipur in
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
. The obverse of these coins depicts portraits of Chandragupta and Kumaradevi, with their names in the
Gupta script. The reverse shows a goddess seated on a lion, with the legend "''Li-ccha-va-yah''" (



š, "the Lichchhavis").
The earliest known physical record of the kingdom is an inscription of
MÄnadeva, which dates from 464. It mentions three preceding rulers, suggesting that the Licchavi dynasty began in the late 4th century.
Government
The Licchavi were ruled by a ''
Maharaja
Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...
'' ("great king"), who was aided by a prime minister, in charge of the military and of other ministers. Nobles known as ''
samanta'' influenced the court whilst simultaneously managing their own landholdings and militia. At one point, between approximately 605 and 641, a prime minister called
Amshuverma assumed the throne.
The population provided land taxes and conscript labour (''vishti'') to support the government. Most local administration was performed by village heads or leading families. Many kings ruled but the popular ones were
Manadeva,
Amshuverma etc.
Economy
The economy was agricultural, relying on
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)āor, much l ...
and other grains as staples. Villages (''grama'') were grouped into ''dranga'' for administration. Lands were owned by the royal family and nobles. Trade was also very important, with many trading settlements.
Geography
Domain
Settlements already filled the entire valley during the Licchavi period. Further settlement extended east toward
Banepa, west toward
Tistung Deurali, and northwest toward present-day
Gorkha.
Rulers
The following list was adapted from The Licchavi Kings, by Tamot & Alsop, and is approximate only, especially with respect to dates.

*185 JayavarmÄ (also ''Jayadeva I'')
*VasurÄja (also ''Vasudatta VarmÄ'')
*c. 400
Vṛṣadeva (also ''Vishvadeva'')
*c. 425 Shaį¹
karadeva I
*c. 450 Dharmadeva
*464-505
MÄnadeva I
*505-506 Mahīdeva (few sources)
*506-532 Vasantadeva
*Manudeva (probable chronology)
*538 VÄmanadeva (also ''VardhamÄnadeva'')
*545 RÄmadeva
*Amaradeva
*GuṇakÄmadeva
*560-565 Gaṇadeva
*567-c. 590 Bhaumagupta (also ''Bhūmigupta'', probably not a king)
*567-573 Gaį¹
gÄdeva
*575/576 MÄnadeva II (few sources)
*590-604
Shivadeva I
*605-621
AṃshuvarmÄ
*621 Udayadeva
*624-625 Dhruvadeva
*631-633 BhÄ«mÄrjunadeva, Jiṣṇugupta
*635 Viṣṇugupta - Jiṣṇugupta
*640-641 BhÄ«mÄrjunadeva / Viṣṇugupta
*643-679
Narendradeva
*694-705
Shivadeva II
*713-733
Jayadeva II
*748-749 Shaį¹
karadeva II
*756 MÄnadeva III
*826 BalirÄja
*847 Baladeva
*875ā879 Mandeva IV
See also
*
History of Nepal
*
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 ...
*
Mahajanapadas
The MahÄjanapadas were sixteen Realm, kingdoms and aristocracy, aristocratic republics that existed in ancient India from the sixth to fourth centuries BCE, during the History of India#Second urbanisation (c. 600 ā 200 BCE), second urbanis ...
*
Vaishali (ancient city)
References
Sources
*
*
External links
Tamot, Kashinath and Alsop, Ian. "A Kushan-period Sculpture, The Licchavi Kings", Asianart.com"Nepal: The Early Kingdom of the Licchavis, 400ā750", Library of Congress Countryreports.org (September, 1991)
{{Authority control
Former monarchies of Asia
States and territories established in the 5th century
States and territories disestablished in the 8th century
Dynasties of Nepal
Former monarchies of Nepal
8th-century disestablishments in Nepal
4th-century establishments in Nepal