| Ranajit Malla | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of Bhaktapur | |||||
 Ranajit Malla on his serpent throne, c.1722 | |||||
| King of Bhaktapur | |||||
| Reign | 1722—1769 | ||||
| Coronation | May of 1722 | ||||
| Predecessor | Bhupatindra Malla | ||||
| Successor | Position abolished | ||||
| King of Lalitpur (Patan) | |||||
| Reign | 1761—1763 | ||||
| Predecessor | Jaya Prakash Malla | ||||
| Successor | Dal Mardan Shah | ||||
| Born | 26 January 1703 Bhaktapur, Nepal | ||||
| Died | May 1771 (aged 68) Manikarnika Ghat, Varanasi Present day India | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue |
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| Dynasty | Malla | ||||
| Father | Bhupatindra Malla | ||||
| Mother | Vishva Lakshmi | ||||
Ranajita Malla (Nepal Bhasa: 𑐬𑐞𑐖𑐷𑐟 𑐩𑐮𑑂𑐮) was the last king of the Malla dynasty who ruled Bhaktapur from 1722 to 1769. After his defeat by the Gorkhali forces of Prithivi Narayan Shah in 1769, he left for Varanasi. He is widely known for his contribution to Nepal Bhasa literature, in particular his plays are generally praised by modern scholars.[1] He has been generally described as a peace loving, simple and religiously devoted monarch who allowed his citizens to advise and criticize him.[1][2] However, his reign was characterized by constant disputes with Kantipur and Gorkha. He is also known for the crisis of succession during his reign when he favored his concubine's issue over his queen consort's, who was more generally liked, which caused a lot of mutiny in the kingdom especially in cities like Thimi and Banepa.[3]
Ranajit Malla was described very positively by Capuchin missionaries, particularly due to his friendly attitude towards them and he allowed them to preach Christianity without persecution.[4] During the later parts of his reign, he ruled Lalitpur briefly, after being invited by the city's nobles. He was also, during his later years, generally respected by people in the valley due to him being of old age and the only direct descendant of Yaksha Malla.[5] After he was defeated in the Battle of Bhaktapur, he was per his choice sent into exile in Varanasi, and on its way composed a Newar language song from the hills of Chandragiri, which still remains one of the most popular Classical Newar songs.[6]
- ^ a b Bajracarya, Santaharsha (1988). Juju Ranajit Mallaya Shada Darshana (in Newari). Sahitya Vayaba.
- ^ Dhaubhadel, Om Prasad (September 2020). "Ranajita Malla ra satbahale rajkumara haru" (PDF). Bhaktapur (in Nepali). Vol. 286. Bhaktapur Municipality. pp. 33–38.
- ^ Regmi 1966, p. 343.
- ^ Alsop, Ian (11 March 2021). "Christians at the Malla Court: The Capuchin 'piccolo libro'". Asian Art.
- ^ Regmi 1966, p. 235.
- ^ Widdess, Richard (2016-12-05). Dāphā: Sacred Singing in a South Asian City: Music, Performance and Meaning in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-94627-8.
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