King Mandev : The First Authentic King Of Nepal
King Mandev
King Mandev has a special place in the Licchavi ruler. In special history, he is known as a great conqueror, skilled citizen, culture lover, art lover and the first authentic historical king. He can be understood in detail from the Changunarayana records kept by him in 521 BS. From the details mentioned in various sources, it can be known that he became a king at an early age. Her father Dharmadeva died when she was a minor.
Her mother Rajyavati tried to have sati with her husband Dharmadev, but she did not go for sati after King Mandev explained it to her. Later, she actively advised her son to run the state. Mandev ruled Nepal for more than 41 years and developed the country in all directions.
Much can be learned about him from the Changunarayana records of 521 B.C.
Of all the subjects, the description of his victory has been taken very seriously by all historians. According to the system of governance of the time, the center directly supervised the capital and its surrounding areas, while feudal lords were appointed in areas outside the capital. These feudal lords were mainly under the king, but as soon as there was any weakness in the center, they tried to become independent.
King Mandev had to face a similar problem. Due to the sudden death of King Dharmadeva and King Mandev being young, the surrounding feudal lords began to demand freedom. But Mandev does not look weak at this time. He decided to suppress the feudal lords. Mandev was fully assisted in this task by his uncle.
At that time, the area between the Tamakoshi and Arun rivers in the east was under the control of the Kirants. King Mandev went there first at the behest of his mother Rajyavati. They did not feel anything in front of Mandev’s huge army. As they soon accepted Mandev’s sovereignty, Mandev relinquished the position he had already held and marched west.
Mandev had also tried to reconcile the feudal lords of Mallapuri across West Gandakipari by talking to them first. But since the feudal lords here did not want to unite with Mandev, it was necessary to solve the problem through war. After this, King Mandev started preparing for war with a lot of preparation and fighting. At that time there was a huge flood in Gandaki. Swimming Gandaki was not easy.
However, King Mandev bravely sent an army under his uncle and laid siege to Mallapuri. “I will cross the river with hundreds of stranded horses and elephants and follow your army,” he said in a message to his uncle. In this way, his preparation for war looks very good and it is also known that there are various armies of elephants, horses, infantry etc. in the war.
The feudal lords of Mallapuri did not feel anything in front of Mandev’s army, which advanced with full readiness, and they had to accept Mandev’s dominance. It also confirms that he was an able-bodied army hero. Thus, after taking the feudal lords of the East and the West under his complete control, he was asked to place a large eagle pillar inscription in Changunarayana with his mother for worship, sacrifice, charity, etc.
According to the Changunarayan records and other sources, it is clear that he was a skilled public servant. V.S. An inscription from Deupatan in 534 states that the people are being observed well as ‘Samyakpalayatah Praja’. Similarly, one of Keltol’s records clearly states that “Pure Spirit Prakrite: Pitev Dayate Shrimandevo Nripah”, meaning that King Mandev loves the world like a father. In the same record, there is also a description of the arrangement of Dharapani for the happiness of the Raitis. In the Changu records, Mandev is described as ‘loving the night, friend of the poor and orphans’ and knowing the law of the people well.
He also seems to be very religious and religious. He was a follower of Vaishnava religion. This is evident from the eagle pillar established at Changunarayana and the praise of Doladrika Hari. He also built two Vaishnava temples in the name of his mother Rajyavati. His queens and daughters, on the other hand, believed in Shaivism. King Mandev himself set up a Shivalinga at Budhanilkantha and built some other Shaivite temples. He established Shaivite temples named Maneshwar, Dhara Maneshwar and Pravardhamaneshwar.
Buddhism was just as popular at that time. He also established a Buddhist monastery in Patan to house monks and nuns. The monastery he built was called Manvihar. From all these details, it is clear that he respected all religions equally. His love for art and architecture is also evident from the statues of Trivikram Vaman, Vishnu Vikrant statues, eagle pillars and construction of various temples, Buddhist monasteries, etc., made during his time. He also built a palace called Mangruh.
He was ruled by the Licchavi rulers for 150 years. The whereabouts of the magnificent palace he built have not yet been determined. However, in the details obtained, its structure can be understood from the literary sources written in recent times. The palace was seven-storied with seven squares and the entire area of the palace was surrounded by walls. Inside were two large ponds and a temple. During this time, Palanchok Bhagwati was established in B.C. Around 560, it was done by a woman named Vijay Swamini.
Language and literature had developed in the time of Mandev. An account of Keltol states that he was interested in the Vedas and various other scriptures. V.S. From the Pashupati Suryaghat records of his daughter Vijayavati of 562, it is seen that women’s education was also in the society at that time. According to the records, she excelled in a variety of arts. Looking at the excellence of the language mentioned in the Changu records, it seems that there were high-class scholars in the society at that time. ”
He is also known as the first money issuing king in history. He has the inscription ‘Shri Manank’ on the front and the statue of the lion below it and the inscription ‘Shri Bhogini’ on the back and the idol of the goddess below it. Minted in copper ore, his coin has a very high place in Nepal’s monetary history.
King Mandev used Saka Samvat, in which 135 is added to make B.S. He also saved Nepal from integrity. The country would have been in a state of disarray if he had not acted wisely as a child in a very sensitive situation due to the sudden death of his father. He had made the feudal lords of the East and the West unable to rise.
From the records of that time, he seems to be very personable. In the Changunarayana inscriptions, he is described as “mighty, patient, tolerant, well-versed in the behavior of the people, breaking the pride of the enemy, with strong shoulders, with matching eyes of blossoming sapphire leaves, like a real incarnate Cupid.” The names of three queens in his family, namely Bhogini, Kshemsundari and Gunavati, a son Mahidev and a daughter Vijayavati are known from various records.
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