Malladeva was the son of King

Nanyadeva Nanyadeva (IAST: ') was the founder of the Karnat dynasty of Mithila. He established his capital in Simraungadh and ruled the greater Mithila region for 50 years. He is known for his patronage of scholars. He began to rule Mithila from the cita ...

from the

Karnat dynasty The Karnats of Mithila or Karnata dynasty () was a dynasty established in 1097 CE by Nanyadeva. The dynasty controlled the areas we today know as Tirhut or Mithila in India and adjoining parts of South Eastern Nepal. The main power centre of the K ...

, and a prince of Mithila. According to some scholars, Malladeva has been referred to as the "forgotten King of Mithila" as most records and traditions mention that his brother

Gangadeva Gangadeva (also known as Gangeyadeva) was the second ruler of the Karnat dynasty of Mithila. He succeeded his father Nanyadeva as king in 1147 and ruled until 1187. Rule There is controversy surrounding the succession of the throne of Mithila ...

succeeded his father as ruler of the dynasty. Nevertheless, Malladeva seems to have founded his own stronghold in the village of Bheet-Bhagwanpur in

Darbhanga Darbhanga is the fifth largest city and municipal corporation in the state of Bihar in India, and is considered an important city in North Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of the Darbhanga district and the Darbhanga division. Darbhanga ...

in 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 ...

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 ...

. An inscription found in the village reads: "Om Shree Malladevasya" and many Karnat-era sculptures have been found in the area. Malladeva has also been mentioned in the work of the poet

Vidyapati Vidyapati ( – 1448), also known by the sobriquet ''Maithil Kavi Kokil'' (the poet cuckoo of Maithili), was a Maithili and Sanskrit polymath-poet-saint, playwright, composer, biographer, philosopher, law-theorist, writer, courtier and ...

, who described him as a "valiant warrior" who served in the army of King

Jayachandra Jaya-chandra (IAST: Jayacandra, r. 21 June 1170– 1194 CE) was a king from the Gahadavala dynasty of northern India. He is also known as Jayachchandra (IAST: Jayaccandra) in inscriptions, and Jaichand in vernacular legends. He ruled the Anta ...

Kannauj Kannauj (Hindustani language, Hindustani pronunciation: ) is an ancient city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar palika, Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Ut ...

but left as his quarrelsome nature led to major disagreements and he was forced to return to Mithila. Local tradition asserts that he was not on good terms with his brother Gangadeva. Folk tradition also asserts that the villages of Maldiha in

Purnea district Purnia District is one of the thirty-eight districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The city of Purnia is the administrative headquarters of this district. The city of Purnia has continued its tradition of hoisting the national flag at 12:07 am o ...

and Malhad in

Supaul district Supaul district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar, India. The town Supaul is the district's administrative headquarters. The district, which was split from the former Saharsa district on 14 March 1991, occupies . Social Group Su ...

were founded by Malladeva. The village of Bheet-Bhagwanpur is today home to a prominent family of

Gandhavariya The Gandhavariya (also known as Gandhawariya and Gandhawaria) are a Rajput clan based in northern Bihar. In past they ruled over parts of Madhepura district and Saharsa district during medieval times after the decline of the Oiniwar Dynasty. Or ...

Rajputs who are considered by some to be descended from Malladeva.

References

{{reflist History of Bihar 12th-century Nepalese people Karnata dynasty