Licchavis of Nepal
Licchavi of Nepal | |||||||||||||||||||
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c. 450 CE–c. 750 CE | |||||||||||||||||||
Coinage of Licchavi king Amshuverma (605–621 CE). Obverse: winged lion, with Brahmi legend Śri Amśurvarma "Lord Amshurvarma". Reverse: Bull with Brahmi legend Kāmadēhi ("Incarnation of Kāma").[1]
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Government | monarchy | ||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||
• Established | c. 450 CE | ||||||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | c. 750 CE | ||||||||||||||||||
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Today part of | Nepal |
The Licchavis of Nepal (also Lichchhavi, Lichavi) was a kingdom which existed in the
The ruling period of this dynasty was called the Golden Period of Nepal. A table of the evolution of certain Gupta characters used in Licchavi inscriptions prepared by Gautamavajra Vajrācārya can be found online.[8]
Records
It is believed that a branch of the
In the 4th century CE, during the reign of the Gupta emperor Samudragupta, the "Nepalas" are mentioned among the tribes subjugated by him:
(
Mādrakas, Ābhīras, Prārjunas, Sanakānīkas, Kākas, Kharaparikas and other (tribes)."
The earliest known physical record of the kingdom is an inscription of
Government
The Licchavi were ruled by a Maharaja ("great king"), who was aided by a prime minister, in charge of the military and of other ministers. Nobles known as samanta influenced the court whilst simultaneously managing their own landholdings and militia. At one point, between approximately 605 and 641, a prime minister called Amshuverma assumed the throne.
The population provided land taxes and conscript labour (vishti) to support the government. Most local administration was performed by village heads or leading families. Many kings ruled but the popular ones were Manadeva, Amshuverma etc.
Economy
The economy was agricultural, relying on rice and other grains as staples. Villages (grama) were grouped into dranga for administration. Lands were owned by the royal family and nobles. Trade was also very important, with many trading settlements.
Geography
Domain
Settlements already filled the entire valley during the Licchavi period. Further settlement extended east toward
Rulers
The following list was adapted from The Licchavi Kings, by Tamot & Alsop,[17] and is approximate only, especially with respect to dates.
- 185 Jayavarmā (also Jayadeva I)
- Vasurāja (also Vasudatta Varmā)
- c. 400 Vṛṣadeva (also Vishvadeva)
- c. 425 Shaṅkaradeva I
- c. 450 Dharmadeva
- 464-505 MānadevaI
- 505-506 Mahīdeva (few sources)
- 506-532 Vasantadeva
- Manudeva (probable chronology)
- 538 Vāmanadeva (also Vardhamānadeva)
- 545 Rāmadeva
- Amaradeva
- Guṇakāmadeva
- 560-565 Gaṇadeva
- 567-c. 590 Bhaumagupta (also Bhūmigupta, probably not a king)
- 567-573 Gaṅgādeva
- 575/576 Mānadeva II (few sources)
- 590-604 Shivadeva I
- 605-621 Aṃshuvarmā
- 621 Udayadeva
- 624-625 Dhruvadeva
- 631-633 Bhīmārjunadeva, Jiṣṇugupta
- 635 Viṣṇugupta - Jiṣṇugupta
- 640-641 Bhīmārjunadeva / Viṣṇugupta
- 643-679 Narendradeva
- 694-705 Shivadeva II
- 713-733 Jayadeva II
- 748-749 Shaṅkaradeva II
- 756 Mānadeva III
- 826 Balirāja
- 847 Baladeva
- 875–879 Mandeva IV[18]
See also
History of Nepal |
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Nepal portal |
References
- ^ Smith, Vincent Arthur; Edwardes, S. M. (Stephen Meredyth) (1924). The early history of India : from 600 B.C. to the Muhammadan conquest, including the invasion of Alexander the Great. Oxford : Clarendon Press. p. Plate 2.
- ISBN 0226742210.
- ^ Allen, John (1914). Catalogue of the coins of the Gupta dynasties. p. 8.
- ^ Journal. 1902.
- ISBN 978-1-84769-095-1.
- ^ India), Asiatic Society (Kolkata (1902). Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. Asiatic Society of Bengal.
- ^ Anil Kathuria, ed. (2007). Encyclopaedia of Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet: Nepal. Anoml Publications. p. 32.
- ^ "Gautamavajra Vajrācārya, "Recently Discovered Inscriptions of Licchavi Nepal", Kathmandu Kailash - Journal of Himalayan Studies. Volume 1, Number 2, 1973. (pp. 117-134)". Archived from the original on 27 September 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2006.
- ^ India), Asiatic Society (Kolkata (1902). Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. Asiatic Society of Bengal.
- ^ "Licchavi Sutta," translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (2004).
- ^ "Ratana Sutta: The Jewel Discourse," translated from the Pali by Piyadassi Thera (1999).
- ^ "Petavatthu, Fourth Chapter, in Pali". Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
- ^ Thurman, Robert. "VIMALAKIRTI NIRDESA SUTRA". Retrieved 17 September 2014.
- ^ Fleet, John Faithfull (1888). Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum Vol. 3. pp. 6–10.
- ^ a b R. C. Majumdar 1981, p. 11.
- ^ Ashvini Agrawal 1989, p. 90.
- ^ Tamot, Kashinath and Alsop, Ian. "A Kushan-period Sculpture, The Licchavi Kings", Asianart.com
- OCLC 51931102.
Sources
- Ashvini Agrawal (1989). Rise and Fall of the Imperial Guptas. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0592-7.
- OCLC 34008529.
External links
- Tamot, Kashinath and Alsop, Ian. "A Kushan-period Sculpture, The Licchavi Kings", Asianart.com
- History of Nepal, Thamel.com
- "Nepal: The Early Kingdom of the Licchavis, 400-750", Library of Congress Countryreports.org (September, 1991)
- Vajrācārya, Gautamavajra, "Recently Discovered Inscriptions of Licchavi, Nepal", Kailash - Journal of Himalayan Studies, Volume 1, Number 2, 1973. (pp. 117-134)