Bhupatindra Malla

Bhupatindra Malla (Nepal Bhasa: ; 3 November 1674 – 15 April 1722) was a 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 widely known king of Bhaktapur and is among the most popular of the Malla dynasty.

His parents, Jitamitra and Lālamati, wanted him to be a skilled ruler and since childhood he was given a chance to rule alongside his father. He was also keen on building, having built a hiti and a public shelter (called a phalcā in Nepal Bhasa) at Thimi as a prince. His most famous contributions are the Nyatapola Temple, a Nepalese-style five-storey temple completed in a six-month period between 1702 and 1703 and the palace of fifty-five windows, both of which are often considered an apogee of Nepalese architecture. He was also an avid lyricist and playwright with some of his songs still being sung in Bhaktapur. Bhupatindra Malla was also a politically strong figure in the Nepal Valley and established the reputation of Bhaktapur as a strong military principality similar to that of Kantipur. He has been described by Ippolito Desideri as "the first ruler of Bhaktapur to not pay tribute to the king of Kantipur". Bhupatindra Malla is among the most popular and influential of the Malla kings and also has great cultural importance in Bhaktapur. The silhouette of his gold-plated bronze statue at the royal palace complex is often used by various organizations and corporations as a symbol to represent Bhaktapur.

Early years Miniature of a twelve-year-old Bhupatindra Malla (right) from a Paubha dated 1686. Sitting behind him are his father and his uncle Ugra Malla (right). Gilt copper statuette depicting Bhupatindra Malla's mother, Lālamati; she often assisted her son during his reign.

Bhupatindra Malla was born to Jitamitra Malla by his queen consort Lālamati on kārtika śukla khaṣṭhī (the sixth day of the bright half of the month of kārtika) in Nepal Sambat 795, equivalent to 3 November 1674 on the Gregorian calendar.

There was another son born to Lalamati and Jitamitra Malla before the birth of Bhupatindra Malla. The contemporary expenditure book has a record of the Annaprashana (Newar: macā janko) ceremony of a prince in April 1674 (NS 795), before the birth of Bhupatindra Malla. This prince has simply been referred as "Jitamitra Malla's Prince" in the expenditure book and finds no mention in any other sources.

Bhupatindra Malla was raised by his mother Lālamati who played a very important role to shape the psychology of the young prince.

Premarital ceremonies Many of Bhupatindra Malla's pre-marital rite of passage have been recorded in the contemporary expenditure books, like the Chudakarana, Upanayana and the Diksha. For instance, the Chudakarana ceremony of Bhupatindra Malla was done on 1 March 1685 in Dumāju chuka, a courtyard of the royal palace. The rituals done during this ceremony and the expenditures incurred in it are recorded in the expenditure book. Similarly, his Upanayana (Classical Newar: Būdān) was held on 3 February 1686. Likewise, the expenditure incurred, and the rituals performed for the ceremony has been recorded in detail in the expenditure book.

Marriage Bhupatindra Malla was married to Vishva Lakshmi on 4 November 1687, when he was 13 years old. So, she asks for help from the chief minister, Bhāju Kasa, who also wanting to usurp the throne himself decides to help her and the couple manages to persuade Bhupatindra Malla to visit a nearby forest with some hired assassins. The assassins however finding him innocent and touched by his pleadings leave him in the forest and run their knives on a goat. Bhupatindra Malla is later found by a family of Tibetan craftsmen and it was under their raising that Bhupatindra developed his love for arts. Initially, when history in Nepal was still in its infancy, it was believed that Bhupatindra Malla was crowned on 21 September 1696, after his father's death. However, a treaty signed between Yognarendra Malla of Patan and Bhaktapur five months after the supposed "death" of Jitamitra Malla titles Jitamitra Malla as the current king of Bhaktapur. The doubt regarding the death of Jitamitra Malla was further supported by a line from the document containing the religious rites performed by him, which dated to around June of 1699 mentions a homa ritual performed by Jitamitra Malla. The play written by Bhupatindra Malla himself which was shown in the Kingdom of Patan in early January 1707. The royal family depicted composed of Bhupatindra Malla on his throne, his uncle Ugra Malla, his mother Lālamati, his sister Bhānumati and his queen Vishva Lakshmi seated together and in prayer to Shiva. The story further says that after gaining support of the junior queen Bhāju Kasa uses the new gained power to trick a young Bhupatindra Malla to go to a secluded forest with some hired assassins while Bhāju Kasa and Jitamitra Malla's junior queen rule Bhaktapur. The story now shifts to a young Bhupatindra Malla who is spared by the assassins who run their knife on a goat instead and is picked up by a family of Tibetan artisans who raises him and eventually Bhupatindra Malla gathers his own army and takes back the throne. It is said that then Bhupatindra Malla executes Bhāju Kasa and puts his usurping stepmother on house arrest in the Thanthu Lyākū palace. In actuality however, Bhāju Kasa was an extremely popular figure in contemporary Bhaktapur whose popularity caused to be the subject of harassment from his counterpart in Kantipur. Similarly, there is no any historical evidence of Jitamitra Malla's junior queen as he likely only had Lālamati as the only queen. Historian Dhaubhadel suspects that Bhupatindra Malla may have put both his father and his stepmother in house arrest in Thanthu Lyākū palace and then erased any evidences of his stepmother. But this theory ultimately fails to explain the big influence that Lālamati, who even consecrated several gilt bronze statues of herself and Jitamitra Malla, and Ugra Malla had during Bhupatindra Malla's reign. Similarly, Bhupatindra Malla's rock inscription at a quarry in the eastern part of Bhaktapur states that "Bhupatindra Malla, in order to build a stone temple in his father's name had these rocks collected". So, Jitamitra Malla's death just like his birth is still a mystery.

Wild elephant hunt in the Terai forest Catching and taming of wild elephants was considered a sign of masculinity in medieval Nepal. There are three instances of Bhupatindra Malla hunting for wild elephants in the Terai forest. The first hunt was held on 24 March 1708. There are no further details about this hunt as the chronicle simply mention that Bhupatindra Malla chased elephants on Fālguna sudi 13 of Nepal Sambat 829. The second hunt was on 21 December 1711 in the forests of Terai. This time, Bhupatindra Malla was accompanied in his hunt by Mānikasena, the king of Makwanpur. A fresco inside the royal palace of Bhaktapur depict this scene. He stayed in Kathmandu and Patan for a while and only entered Bhaktapur on 14 January 1722. He stayed in Bhaktapur until 25 January as a guest of Capuchin Catholic friars living in Bhaktapur.

Administrative details Queen mother Lālamati (from left to right) Miniature of Lālamati, Ugra Malla and Bhupatindra Malla from an 18th-century Paubha. It appears that Lālamati Dévi (Nepal Bhasa: ), Bhupatindra's mother, was his main helper during his reign. She appears as a witness in all treaties and legal documents involving the royal court. Lālamati is referred as Rājamātā (meaning queen mother), in inscriptions and legal documents. An example of this comes from a section of a legal document from 26 December 1714 about Bhupatindra Malla selling land to a person named Kalyana Simha: ... In the presence of Rājamātā Sri Sri Lālamati Dēvi and Sri Sri Ranajit Malla, the royal astrologer Jayanarayana wrote (this document) to Kalyana Simha.

During the reign of his father Jitamitra, the chief minister Bhagiram Pradhananga (colloquially Bhāju Kasa) became popular and even claimed himself to be the most skilled in the kingdom after the king. His rapid popularity spawned rumors that he was planning to assassinate the young prince Bhupatindra and claim the throne for himself. After the coronation of Bhupatindra however, Bhāju Kasa disappears from records. Moreover, Bhupatindra's chief minister Hāku Vāro (colloquially Hāku Bhāju) also didn't serve him throughout his reign, unlike the case of his father. It appears that Bhupatindra became more biased towards his mother Lālamati, particularly because he wanted to avoid his minister gaining as much power and popularity as Bhāju Kasa did during the reign of his father. Lālamati appears as a witness in all royal cases since the reign of Bhupatindra. Lālamati helped her son greatly during his reign, especially in political issues. Lālamati outlived both her husband and her son and died in the second year of her grandson's reign. Even after their death, Lālamati consecrated gold-plated statues of Jitamitra Malla and she set up a Guthi land to light oil lamps for Taleju in the name of her deceased son.

Hāku Bhāro 18th century fresco of Hāku Bhāju sitting behind Bhupatindra Malla, highly damaged presently. Hāku Bhāro, colloquially Hāku Bhāju was the chief minister in Bhupatindra Malla's court. Hāku Bhāro replaced Bhāgirāma Kāyastha (colloquially known as Bhāju Kasa), who was the minister in Jitamitra Malla's court. Soon after he took tenure in 1676, Bhāju Kasa's fame started to grow among was the people of Bhaktapur. An inscription form Khaumā district in Bhaktapur mentions:

Meanwhile, Lakshmi Narayana Joshi, the minister of Kantipur became jealous of Bhāju Kasa's influence and fame in Bhaktapur. So, the kingdom of Kantipur warned Jitamitra Malla of an attack if Bhāju Kasa was not removed from office. Jitamitra Malla couldn't remove Bhāju Kasa due his immense popularity among the locals. As a result, the forces of Kantipur surrounded the western gate of Bhaktapur for about a month after which they ransacked Bhāju Kasa's property. Bhāju Kasa then fled away to Lalitpur. There Yog Narēndra Malla, the king of Lalitpur found Bhāju Kasa innocent and convinced Lakshmi Narayana Joshi to reinstall him the court of Jitamitra Malla.

After returning to office, Bhāju Kasa's popularity grew even more, perhaps surpassing that of Jitamitra Malla. This immense popularity was the probable source of a folklore in Bhaktapur. It accounts that Bhāju Kasa assisted the youngest queen of Jitamitra Malla attempted to usurp the throne. Firstly, in order to gain the trust of the queen, Bhāju Kasa made a large rectangular pond overnight in western Bhaktapur. The pond is named Bhājyā Pūkhū after Bhāju Kasa himself and had a Shiva temple in the middle. Then after gaining her trust, the two of them plotted to murder a young Bhupatindra Malla. They convinced two assassins to kill the young prince in a nearby forest. The assassins however couldn't kill the pleading young prince and left him in the forest. Bhupatindra Malla would later be picked by a family of Tibetan artisans who raised him until adolescence and taught him his true identity. Bhupatindra Malla returns to Bhaktapur where due his popularity gathers his own army and storms the palace. His usurping stepmother is imprisoned within the palace while Bhāju Kasa is taken to a forest near the western gates of Bhaktapur where he is executed. Miniature of Annapurna Lakshmi and her daughter Nandini (right side). Seated ahead of her are a young Jitamitra and a young Ugra Malla. Detail of a Paubha dated 1670, presently at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Annapurna Lakshmi was Bhupatindra Malla's great-grandaunt who had a big influence in government affairs from 1667 to 1676.

Despite being a popular folklore, it has no historical basis. Not only are there no records of Jitamitra Malla's queen apart from Lālamati, a young Bhupatindra Malla is depicted in a few contemporary paintings and there are ledgers books of various ceremonies of a young Bhupatindra Malla. Although it is unclear how a popular figure such as Bhāju Kasa was antagonized in folklore. Before, Bhāju Kasa took office, legal documents contained Annapurna Lakshmi, Bhupatindra Malla's great-grandaunt, as the witness. Her name first appeared in a legal document from 30 December 1667 during the reign of Jagat Prakasha Malla, Bhupatindra Malla's grandfather. She was the first female to appear as a witness in a legal document in Bhaktapur's history. From 1667 to 1676, Annapurna Lakshmi's name appeared as a witness in legal documents.

Queen Vishva Lakshmi Bronze portrait of Bhupatindra Malla and his queen, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 18th century. Vishva Lakshmi doesn't appear much in legal documents, treaties and there are no mentions of her in anything related to the politics of the valley. Vishva Lakshmi however is known to have supported her husband in the numerous construction works, particularly the palace of fifty-five windows and the Nyatapola temple. Queen Vishva Lakshmi supported her husband in many of his ambitious construction works. According to some folklore, the tall Nyatapola Temple was commissioned by the Queen herself. The story says that once the Queen noticed her husband King Bhupatindra Malla gazing at a woman every morning. Since the woman lived near the palace, she and the king would talk with each other from their rooftops. When the queen noticed them, she started to worry that the gazers might fall in love with each other. So, she requested her husband to construct a tall temple dedicated to Goddess Siddhi Lakshmi, that will calm the angry Bhairava tall (2 kū=1 yard and 1 yard=0.914 m) or roughly 23.3 m tall (76.4 ft).

Renovation of Nritya Vatsalā temple Nritya Vatsālā is one of five Vatsālā temples located in Bhaktapur. All five of these Vatsalā temple are dedicated to Vatsalā Devi, a mother goddess. Two of the Vatsalā temples are made with stone and of Granthakuta style of architecture, similar to that of the Krishna Mandir in Lalitpur. What is known is that Bhupatindra Malla gifted goddess Vatsālā a metallic bell on 1 December 1700. The inscription in the bell mention that Bhupatindra Malla had this bell repaired on 26 February 1722. The bell is locally known as Khicākhogāṅ (= barking dog bell in English), since it is believed that the bell's noise makes the surrounding dogs bark. The bell was damaged in the great earthquake of 1934 and does not produce its original sound anymore. Similarly, a rock inscription found in the eastern outskirts of Bhaktapur mentions that Bhupatindra Malla, in order to build a stone temple in his father's name, gathered rock on the seventh day of Fālguna sudi of Nepal Sambat 835 (= March 1718). Moreover, Bhupatindra Malla also installed a Thā pujā (a type of ritual done on the Taleju temple in Bhaktapur after the completion of a special event) for the completion of a stone temple. So, the Nritya Vatsālā temple probably existed before the reign of Bhupatindra Malla and was renovated to its present form sometime between Nepal Sambat 835 and 841 (= 1718 and 1722).

Restoration of the Char Dham The Char Dham is a group of four sacred Hindu sites that are scattered throughout the Indian subcontinent. Most Hindus take a pilgrimage to these sites at least once in their life. Seeing the religious importance of these sites, King Jayayakshya Malla established replicas of all four of the temples near his palace in the 15th century. The restoration of these sites were commissioned in the 18th century by Bhupatindra Malla.

Temples of Shiva Bhupatindra Malla was a great devotee of Shiva. All of his paintings and statues depict him with a Tripundra, the Tilaka of Shiva. A Shiva temple that he erected in the royal palace complex contains the following inscription: O thou whose lotus-feet are worshipped by gods and the king of gods, thou who art the husband of Gauri, the destroyer of Manmatha, and whose forehead is adorned with the moon! I dedicate the faculties of my mind to thy two lotus-feet. Be thou propitious to thy humble devotee Bhupatindra. On Saturday the 10th of Bhadon Sudi, Nepal Sambat 828, Bhupatindra Malla, to please his patron-goddess, placed Siva in this temple. May Sadasiva be gracious to him. Bhupatindra Malla's Newari language inscription at the site of the Panchayāna Mahādeva. Similarly, he also installed two large Shiva Lingams on a three-storey stone platform and decorated the platform with statues of Hindu deities. He referred to this setup as "Panchayāna Mahādeva" in an inscription. Today, most of the decorative statues have been stolen. The inscription makes it clear that the "Panchayāna Mahādeva" was established on Vasant Panchami of Nepal Sambat 832 (20 January 1713).

Biska Jatra

Bisket Jatra, known locally as Biskā Jātrā (Nepal bhasa:) is the main festival of the people of Bhaktapur which involves the erection of a long pole and tug of war of two chariots carrying Bhairava and his consort. This annual festival which is also celebrated in smaller towns near Bhaktapur was celebrated since the time of the Licchavis and was improvised during the reign of Queen Gangā Dévi (colloquially Gangā Māhārāni) and her grandson Jagajyoti Malla.

For the construction of the Nyatapola Temple, many people's homes were demolished and lands were seized to provide space for the large temple. As a result, the Tamārhi square which houses the Nyatapola became a large area. So, in order to compensate for it, the chariot of Bhairava was enlarged significantly.

Literary works Detail of the 18th-century fresco inside the royal palace with the illustration of Bhupatindra Malla and his queen Vishva Lakshmi in the form of Shakti–Shiva Vishvarupa (the universal form of Shiva and his consort). Bhupatindra Malla is among the most painted of the Malla kings along with Pratap Malla and Siddhi Narasimha Malla. His most detailed portrait is a Paubha presently at the Rijksmuseum.

Bhupatindra Malla's most iconic image is the gold-plated bronze statue at the royal palace complex. The larger-than-life-size statue was made by an artisan from Kantipur and depicts him in the act of worship and as a devotee of Goddess Taleju with his hands folded in Añjali Mudrā. The statue sits above a stone pillar in front of the Nepāladhvākhā (, known as the golden gate among tourists), a golden gateway that forms as the main entry gate to the inner courtyards to the palace. Bhupatindra Malla is seated on a lion seat which itself rests atop a lotus throne. Right below the lotus throne, a gilt bronze snake wraps the stone pillar while a bird rests on the snake's head. It is believed that Bhaktapur will be destroyed if the bird flies from the snake head and through the palms of the king. Similarly, Bhupatindra Malla is wearing two rings with a blue coloured gem on his two index fingers. The parasol above Bhupatindra Malla is missing its leaf like structure made up of gilt bronze that blew with the wind. Similarly, the legs have two bullet holes from the Battle of Bhaktapur. Many have tried to steal this statue with the most recent one in 1983 when thieves tried to use an excavator and a crane to steal the statue in broad daylight; they were stopped by angry locals and the local police.

A life-size bronze image of him, his queen and his heir is available at the National Museum of Nepal. The Art Gallery of New South Wales hosts gilt copper statues of him and his queen. There are also numerous stone statues of him inside the palace complex. There are also a few gold-plated sculptures of him in the form a ritual oil lamp, still used by various traditional singing groups of Bhaktapur.

Starting from Jayasthiti Malla in the 14th century, the kings from the Malla dynasty considered themselves to be an incarnation of Vishnu. Hence, the throne of the Malla kings, including the one Bhupatindra Malla is depicted in, had a snake canopy representing the Shesha of Vishnu and a Garuda on the bottom part of the throne representing his Vahana.

Cultural significance

Bhupatindra Malla is an important part of the local folklore. Bhupatindra Malla's life, particularly his childhood, has been an integral part of the local folklore. Bhupatindra's stepmother takes the role of antagonist in these stories as she is believed to have repeatedly plotted to assassinate the young prince. Along with portyaing his life, Tiwari also aimed to clear some misconceptions regarding his life, such as the death of Jitamitra Malla, which many historians wrongly wrote as the same year in which Bhupatindra was crowned.