Ratna Malla was a Malla king and the first independent king 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 ...

. He was one of the six sons of

Yakshya Malla Jayayakshya Malla (often named Yaksha Malla for short) () was the son of Jayajyotir Malla and the last Malla king of the united Kathmandu Valley from around 1428 until his death in 1482. The valley was divided among his sons after his death. Co ...

Reign

On the death of his father in 1482, he and his brothers attempted to rule collegially. However, Ratna Malla decided to become an independent ruler and created the Kingdom of Kantipur, with its capital in

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 ...

, in 1484. He was the first Nepalese king to invite Kashmiri Muslim traders to Kathmandu. His elder brother, Raya Malla, was the King 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 ...

. Ratna Malla also ruled over Patan for some time and suppressed the rebellion of Thakuri feudatories, and Bhotia with the help of

Kingdom of Palpa The Kingdom of Palpa () was a petty kingdom in the confederation of 24 states known as Chaubisi Rajya. Palpa became part of the Kingdom of Nepal after Prime Minister Bhimsen Thapa ordered the beheading of Prithivipal Sen, King of Palpa. Histor ...

. It was during Ratna Malla's rule that the priests from

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 ...

, and

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

started to become prominent in court affairs which was usually the place of Hindu and Buddhist priests. He circulated copper coins using the local copper mines in present-day

Chitlang Chitlang (Nepali language, Nepali: चित्लाङ, Nepal Bhasa: चिलं/चिलिम]) is a village located in Thaha Municipality of Makwanpur District, Bagmati Province, Nepal. Geography Chitlang sits southwest of Kathmandu valle ...

. He ruled for 38 years and was succeeded by his son Surya Malla in 1520 after his death.

References

Malla kings of Kantipur 1520 deaths People from Bhaktapur 15th-century Nepalese people 16th-century Nepalese people 15th-century monarchs in Asia 16th-century monarchs in Asia {{Nepal-royal-stub