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62-483: Tundikhel's history goes back to at least the early 18th century during the Malla period. It serves multiple purposes as a military parade ground, horse race track, spot for religious festivals, rock concert venue, public park and cattle grazing ground. Tundikhel has also been described as Kathmandu's lungs as the large field provides fresh air in the midst of the city congested with houses. The townspeople throng Tundikhel in

124-490: A fragmented patchwork of almost 50 independent states, stretching from Palpa and Jumla in the west to the semi-independent states of Banepa and Pharping, most of them minting their own coins and maintaining standing armies. Most notable Malla kings of this later era were: Pratap Malla of Kantipur, Siddhi Narasimha Malla of Lalitpur, and Bhupatindra Malla of Bhaktapur. After 1482, a crucial date in Nepalese history,

186-690: A higher level of centralized organization than ever before in the hills, but they were expending their resources in an almost anarchic struggle for survival. There was an awareness of the distinct culture of the Himalayan area but no real concept of Nepal as a nation. The first contacts between the people of Nepal and Europeans also occurred during the period of the later Mallas. In 1623 the Portuguese from Goa sent missionaries António de Andrade, João Cabral and Estêvão Cacella visited Lhasa in 1628, after which Cabral travelled to Nepal. The mission

248-766: A system of land grants for military services, a system which would have a profound effect in later years. In the early 18th century, during the reign of Pratap Malla , Capuchin missionaries passed through Nepal to Tibet, and when they returned home gave the West its first description of exotic Kathmandu. After the defeat of the Malla Kings, their surviving descendants left the valley and settled in different parts of Nepal. Their descendants have been using surnames like Malla, Raghubansi , Rajbanshi, Pradhananga, Pradhan , among others. Bhadrakali Bhadrakali ( IAST : Bhadrakālī; lit.   ' auspicious Kali ' )

310-476: A testament to the huge amounts of money spent by rulers striving to outdo each other. The building boom was financed by trade, in everything from musk and wool to salt, Chinese silk and even yak tails. The Kathmandu Valley stood at the departure point for two separate routes into Tibet, via Banepa to the northeast and via Rasuwa and the Kyirong Valley near Langtang to the northwest. Traders would cross

372-544: A tradition that goes back centuries to a king who ordered that horses be made to gallop across the field to trample the spirit of a resident demon into the ground. Various equestrian events, acrobatics and parachuting are also performed. During the Pāhān Charhe festival which coincides with Ghode Jatra, portable shrines containing the images of various Ajimā mother goddesses are carried on the shoulders of their attendants and assembled at Tundikhel for an ancient ceremony. During

434-506: Is a Hindu goddess . She is considered to be the auspicious and fortunate form of Adi Shakti who protects the good, known as Bhadra . In Vaishnavism , Bhadrakali is among the many epithets of Yogamaya , the internal potency of illusion of the preserver deity, Vishnu . In Shaivism , she accompanies Virabhadra , a form of Shiva , as manifestations of Shiva's wrath. The name Bhadra comes from Sanskrit. In Sanskrit, "bhadra" means "auspicious" or "fortunate". Another interpretation traces

496-521: Is debated as the word malla appears frequently in the historical records prior to the Malla dynasty. Another possibility is that Aridev adopted the title Malla because it was popular at the time in India. It seems more convincing because Aridev belonged to the dynasty started by Vamadeva, and none of his predecessors used Malla in their names. If such is the case, it makes the Malla dynasty separate from

558-573: Is dedicated to Mahākāla or Mahānkā Dyah, and is located on the western edge. Mahākāla is a protective deity in Vajrayana Buddhism . In Hinduism , Mahākāla is revered as a form of Shiva . Later Tundikhel became a positive trend and started to sprawl across the Nation. So that we can find many Tundikhel (Playground) in other districts as well. Malla (Nepal) The Malla dynasty ( Nepali : मल्ल वंश:;Malla vanśa ) also known as

620-645: The Battle of Kirtipur . The last Malla kings were Jaya Prakash Malla of Kantipur (i.e. Kathmandu), Tej Narsingh Malla of Lalitpur and Ranajit Malla of Bhaktapur. Prithvi Narayan Shah and his Gokhali troops surrounded the Kathmandu Valley. Jaya Prakash Malla was all alone. So, to render help, he called the East India Company, which was commanded by the British. There was a massive battle and in

682-707: The Jumla Valley , an alternative seat of political and military power grew up around a separate dynasty of Mallas (who were not related to the Mallas of the Kathmandu Valley), who reigned until the fourteenth century. These Khas kings expanded into parts of western Tibet and sent raiding expeditions into the Kathmandu Valley between 1275 and 1335. In 1312 the Khas king, Ripumalla, visited Lumbini and had his own inscription carved on Ashoka's pillar . He then entered

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744-561: The Karnat dynasty of Mithila . The term malla means wrestler in Sanskrit . The first use of the word malla in the Kathmandu Valley began in 1201. The Malla period stretched over 600 years, as they presided over and flourished the Newar civilization of Nepal Mandala which developed as one of the most sophisticated urban civilisations in the Himalayan foothills and a key destination on

806-509: The Malla community which originated in India. The long Malla period witnessed the continued importance of the Kathmandu Valley as a political, cultural, and economic centre of Nepal. Other areas also began to emerge as significant centres in their own right, increasingly connected to the Kathmandu Valley. The time of the earlier Malla kings was not one of consolidation but was instead a period of upheaval in and around Nepal. In

868-567: The Malla confederacy , was the ruling dynasty of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal from 1201 to 1779. This dynasty was founded by Arideva Malla . Though the latter Mallas were regarded as belonging to the Raghuvamsha dynasty, they were also seen as continuations and descendants of the Licchavi dynasty. Later Malla kings also traced one section of their lineage from Nanyadeva , the founder of

930-625: The 16th century onward. The backbone of the Malla army, particularly under Jaya Prakash Malla , was made up of Tirhutia soldiers from Northern Bihar and parts of the Terai , whereas the military leaders and chiefs were recruited from the Kshatriya families of the time, marked by their clan titles like Pradhan , Pradhananga, Amatya, Rawat , etc. Beginning in the early twelfth century, leading notables in Nepal began to appear with names ending in

992-593: The 1720s led to decisive intervention by the powerful Qing rulers of China (1644–1911). A Chinese force installed the 6th Dalai Lama (the highest-ranking Tibetan religious leader) in Lhasa in 1728, and thereafter the Chinese stationed military governors (amban) in Lhasa to monitor local events. In 1729 representatives of the three Nepalese kingdoms sent greetings and presents to the Chinese emperor in Beijing , after which

1054-519: The Bhadgaon kingdom in 1649. Patan remained aloof, dominated by factions of its local nobility, until Sivasimha Malla, a descendant of Ratna Malla, conquered it in 1597 and united it with Kathmandu. On his death, however, Kathmandu and Patan were given to different grandsons and again separated. The centre of Nepal thus remained split into three competing kingdoms, roughly based on Bhadgaon, Kathmandu, and Patan. The influence of these petty kingdoms outside

1116-519: The Chinese historical records. This period reached a high point under the third Malla dynasty of Jayasthiti Malla (r. 1382–1395), who united the valley and codified its laws, including the caste system. The early Malla period, a time of continuing trade and the reintroduction of Nepalese coinage saw the steady growth of the small towns that became Kathmandu , Patan , and Bhadgaon . Royal pretenders in Patan and Bhadgaon struggled with their main rivals,

1178-588: The India-Tibet trade route. During the Malla Dynasty, Nepal Bhasa was the official language, while Sanskrit and Maithili also held significant importance as literary languages during this period. The Malla kings claimed descent from the Malla Janapada and Licchavis of Mithila and often stylised themselves as, Raghuvamși or Suryavamși . Being originally Maithil themselves,

1240-417: The Kathmandu Valley to worship publicly at Matsyendranath , Pashupatinath , and Swayambhunath . These acts were all public announcements of his overlordship in Nepal and signified the temporary breakdown of royal power within the valley. The first Malla rulers had to cope with several disasters. In 1255, one-third of the population of Kathmandu (30,000 people, including King Abhaya Malla ) were killed when

1302-680: The Mallas were noted for their patronisation of the Maithili language (the language of the Mithila region which includes parts of Nepal and Bihar in India ) which was afforded equal status to that of Sanskrit in the Malla court. Maithil Brahmin , Kanyakubja Brahmin and Saraswat Brahmin priests were invited and settled in Kathmandu during the Malla rule. Similarly, dozens of Kshatriya -status noble and ruling clans of Mithila too came along as

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1364-522: The Mughals never exercised direct lordship over Nepal, their empire had a major indirect impact on its institutional life. During the sixteenth century, when the Mughals were spreading their rule over almost all of South Asia, many dispossessed princes from the plains of northern India found shelter in the hills to the north. Legends indicated that many small principalities in western Nepal originated in migration and conquest by exiled warriors, who added to

1426-494: The Nepalese had their own trading agencies in important settlements. The increasingly powerful company was emerging as a wild card that could, in theory, be played by one or more of the kingdoms in Nepal during local struggles, potentially opening the entire Himalayan region to British penetration. The Malla dynasty ruled the Kathmandu Valley until Prithvi Narayan Shah of the Gorkha Kingdom invaded it in 1768-69 CE with

1488-769: The Portuguese influence in Asia. In 1670 King Pratap Malla invited the Jesuits to settle in the country. The first Capuchin mission was founded in Kathmandu in 1715. By 1764 the British East India Company , officially a private trading corporation with its own army had obtained from a decaying Mughal Empire the right to govern all of Bengal, at that time one of the most prosperous areas in Asia. The company explored possibilities for expanding its trade or authority into Nepal, Bhutan , and toward Tibet, where

1550-534: The Qing viewed Nepal as an outlying tributary kingdom (a perception not shared within Nepal). The expansion of big empires in both the north and south thus took place during a time when Nepal was experiencing considerable weakness in its traditional center. The three kingdoms lived a charmed life—isolated, independent, and quarrelling in their mountain valley—as the systems around them became larger and more centralized. By

1612-582: The Valley, whereas the immigrant warrior and noble classes are the ancestors of today's Chatharīya Srēṣṭha Newars. Other groups too immigrated and eventually assimilated in the Newar society, some of which are the present-day Khadgis (Nāya/Shahi), Dhobi , Kapalis /Jogis, Halwai /( Rajkarnikar ) and Tamrakar of Lalitpur , Podya (Chamahar), Kulu (Dusadh), among others. These people eventually became endogamous caste units that started to be identified as Newar from

1674-546: The celebration of Indra Jatra . It was a time when all of the people were celebrating, and many of them were unconscious as they were drunk, which gave Prithvi Narayan Shah the advantage to assassinate his fellow rival. The rivalry between the three kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley found its expression not only in warfare but also in the arts and culture, which flourished in the competitive climate, quite similar to that of Renaissance Italy. The outstanding collections of exquisite temples and buildings in each city's Durbar Square are

1736-526: The construction of the Hanuman Dhoka palace, the Rani Pokhari pond and the first of several subsequent pillars that featured a statue of the king facing the protective temples of Taleju, who the Mallas had by that time adopted as their protective deity. The mid-17th century also saw a high point of building in Patan. The Malla era shaped the religious as well as artistic landscape, introducing

1798-610: The country from 1382 until 1395, reigning in Bhadgaon as the husband of the queen and in Patan with full regal titles. His authority was not absolute because the lords of Banepa were able to pass themselves off as kings to ambassadors of the Chinese Ming emperor who travelled to Nepal during this time. Nevertheless, Jayasthiti Malla united the entire valley and its environs under his sole rule, an accomplishment still remembered with pride by Nepalese, particularly Newars . The first comprehensive codification of law in Nepal, based on

1860-443: The dharma of ancient religious textbooks, is ascribed to Jayasthiti Malla . This legendary compilation of traditions was seen as the source of legal reforms during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. After the death of Jayasthiti Malla , his sons divided the kingdom and ruled collegially, until ayasthiti Malla , the last surviving son, ruled on his own from 1408 to 1428. His son, Yaksha Malla (reigned ca. 1428–82), represented

1922-528: The downfalls of their relatives. The period of the three kingdoms—the time of the later Mallas—lasted until the mid-eighteenth century. The complete flowering of the unique culture of the Kathmandu Valley occurred during this period, and it was also during this time that the old palace complexes in the three main towns achieved much of their present-day forms. The Kings still based their legitimate rule on their role as protectors of dharma , and often they were devout donors to religious shrines. Kings built many of

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1984-492: The dramatic chariot festivals of Indra Jatra and Matsyendranath . The Malla kings shored up their position by claiming to be reincarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu. They also worshipped Kumari, a living goddess believed to be the reincarnation of goddess Taleju. The cosmopolitan Mallas also absorbed foreign influences. The Indian Mughal court influenced Malla dress and painting, presented the Nepalese with firearms and introduced

2046-406: The earlier Malla years (1220–1482) were largely stable. During the reign of Jayabhimdev Malla in 1260, the eighty artisans were sent to Tibet . Among them was Araniko (1245–1306) who later rose to become a high-ranking official in the court of Mongol leader Kublai Khan 's Yuan dynasty . Araniko is the only person from this early Malla era whose biography is known to us in some detail, thanks to

2108-468: The end, the Gorkhali did win. With this, Jay Prakash Malla went to Patan. Then Tej Narasingh Malla and Jaya Prakash Malla fled to Bhaktapur. Similarly, the Gorkhali troops captured Patan and when it came to Bhaktapur, a fight ensued. This resulted in the victory of Prithvi Narayan Shah over Kathmandu Valley and marked the end of the Malla period. Jaya Prakash Malla was killed by Prithvi Narayan Shah during

2170-411: The event which takes place late at night amid musical bands, flaming torches are exchanged between the entourages of the goddesses. The ceremony is repeated at Asan, Kathmandu the next day in the afternoon. Tundikhel is also the place where the people of Kathmandu celebrate Depujā, also known as Digu Pujā, the worship of the lineage deity. The shrines of the deities known as Digu Dyah are located around

2232-590: The events described in the Markandeya Purana associated with Bhadrakali (her slaying of the demon Darika to liberate the universe from evil) took place in Kerala, near Madayi in the Kannur District . She is seen to protect the honour of women and to bestow all spiritual knowledge. According to legends, the Sanskrit poet Kalidasa is believed to have gained mental consciousness due to

2294-542: The field. The festival of the lineage deity is observed in open fields outside the historical city limits. The entire clan comes together for the annual picnic which consists of a religious ceremony and a grand feast. The Nepal Army holds a feu de joie at Tundikhel on two occasions. Soldiers fire a feu de joie using rifles and ancient cannons during the festivals of Phulpati which takes place during Dasain and Maha Shivaratri which occurs in February. According to one of

2356-556: The high point of the Mallas as rulers of a united Nepal. Under his rule, a military raid was launched against the plains to the south, a very rare event in Nepalese history. Yaksha Malla built the Mul Chok in 1455, which remains the oldest palace section in Bhadgaon. The struggles among the landed aristocracy and leading town families ( Pradhans ), especially acute in Patan, were controlled during his reign. Outlying areas such as Banepa and Pharping were semi-independent but acknowledged

2418-623: The hills and mountains of Nepal, where they established small Rajbanshi principalities. In fact, none of the existing buildings in the valley proper dates from before this raid. He is said to have destroyed the Lichchhavi palaces of Managriha and Kailashkuta. He also damaged all the temples in the Kathmandu valley except the Changu Narayan Temple, which he could not locate as it lies some hills away from Kathmandu. He returned after 3 days of looting and burning. Apart from this,

2480-486: The jungle-infested Terai during winter to avoid virulent malaria and then wait in Kathmandu for the mountain passes to open later that summer. Kathmandu grew rich and its rulers converted their wealth into gilded pagodas and ornately carved royal palaces. In the mid-17th century, Nepal gained the right to mint Tibet's coins using Tibetan silver, further enriching the kingdom's coffers. In Kathmandu, King Pratap Malla (r. 1641–74) oversaw that city's cultural high point with

2542-495: The kingdom was divided. At first, the six sons of Yaksha Malla attempted to reign collegially, in their grandfathers' pattern. Ratna Malla was the first to rebel against this system of joint rule, seizing Kathmandu in 1484 and ruling there alone until his death in 1520. Rayamalla , the eldest brother, ruled Bhadgaon with the other brothers until his death, when the crown there passed into the hands of his descendants. Banepa broke away under Rama Malla until its reincorporation into

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2604-490: The leadership of the king. Newari appeared more often as the language of choice in official documents. The royal family began to accept Manesvari (also known as Taleju ), a manifestation of Shiva 's consort, as their deity. After the death of Jayasthiti Malla's grandson Yaksha Malla in 1482, the Kathmandu Valley was divided up among his sons into three kingdoms of Bhaktapur (Khowpa), Kathmandu (Yein) and Lalitpur (Yela:). The rest of what we today call Nepal consisted of

2666-625: The lords of Banepa in the East, relying on the populations of their towns as their power bases. The citizens of Bhadgaon viewed Devaladevi as the legitimate, independent queen. The betrothal in 1354 of her granddaughter to Jayasthiti Malla , a man of obscure but apparently high birth, eventually led to the reunification of the land and a lessening of strife among the towns. By 1370 Jayasthiti Malla controlled Patan, and in 1374 his forces defeated those in Banepa and Pharping. He then took full control of

2728-527: The mid-1960s. In 1960, a small aircraft even landed on the grass field. The Pilatus Porter was in Nepal to provide support to the Swiss expedition which made the first successful climb of Dhaulagiri in the Himalaya . Tundikhel is also steeped in folklore. Deities and demons are said to have walked here in mythological times. A number of religious festivals are held here, and many sacred shrines are located on

2790-422: The mornings and evenings to enjoy the breeze and exercise. During World Wars I and II, Gorkhali soldiers were assembled here before being shipped out to distant battlefields. A large tree stood at the center which was Tundikhel's symbol. Known as Khariko Bot or Chākalā Simā (Round Tree), it was used by Nepal's heads of state and government to make major proclamations. The tree and circular platform were removed in

2852-407: The most popular folk tales told in the Kathmandu Valley, Tundikhel is the dwelling place of the giant Gurumāpā . A feast is still laid out for him here once a year in keeping with a deal made in ages past. The story goes that the man-eating Gurumapa was pacified and brought to Kathmandu from a nearby forest where he used to live. But after some time, he went back to his old ways and began terrorising

2914-496: The name to the Sanskrit root word (Beeja akshara) "bha" and "dra". The letter "bha" signifies "delusion" or "maya", while "dra" is used as a superlative meaning "the most" or "the greatest". Together, "bhadra" may mean "maha maya" or "great delusion". According to Tantra Rahasya , the feminine form of the divine ( devi ) arose from the north face of Shiva , which is blue and with three eyes. According to Kerala traditions,

2976-558: The nobility or as part of the Malla entourage who fled Muslim invasions. Most notable of these frequent migrations was the migration that occurred after the attack of the Mithila kingdom by Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq during the reign of king Harisimhadeva in 1324 CE, which led to large-scale migration of Mithila to Nepal. The priestly classes that came during this time are the ancestors of present-day Rajopadhyaya and Maithil Brahmins of

3038-435: The older temples in the valley, gems of late medieval art and architecture, during this late Malla period. Buddhism remained a vital force for much of the population, especially in its old seat of Patan. Religious endowments called guthi arranged for long-term support of traditional forms of worship or ritual by allowing temple or vihara lands to be passed down through generations of the same families; this support resulted in

3100-534: The perimeter. Once extending 3–5 km in length from Rani Pokhari to Dasarath Rangasala Stadium , and almost 300 meters in width, it was reputed to be one of the largest parade grounds in Asia . Today, encroachment from all four sides to build various infrastructure has squeezed it to less than half its original size. Horse festival or Ghode Jatra is one of the spectacular events held at Tundikhel and takes place around March. The main event consists of horse races,

3162-451: The preservation of a conservative art, architecture, and religious literature that had disappeared in other areas of South Asia . Newari was in regular use as a literary language by the fourteenth century and was the main language in urban areas and trading circles based in the Kathmandu Valley. Maithili , the language of the Tirhut area to the south, became a popular court language during

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3224-534: The seventeenth century and still was spoken by many people in the Terai in the late twentieth century. In the west, Khas bhasha, or the language of the Khasa , was slowly expanding, only later to evolve into present-day Nepali . The final centuries of Malla rule were a time of great political change outside the Kathmandu Valley. In India, overlordship in Delhi fell to the powerful Mughal dynasty (1526–1858). Although

3286-491: The seventeenth century, the mountain areas to the north of the valley and the Kiranti region to the east were the only areas that maintained traditional tribal communal systems, influenced to various degrees by Hindu ideas and practices. In the west and the south of the three kingdoms, there were many petty states ruled by dynasties of a warrior ( Kshatriya ) status, many claiming an origin among princely, or Rajput , dynasties to

3348-608: The slow spread of the Khasa language and culture in the west. Along with these exiles came Mughal military technology, including firearms and artillery , and administrative techniques based on land grants in return for military service. The influence of the Mughals is reflected in the weapons and dress of Malla rulers in contemporary paintings and in the adoption of Persian terminology for administrative offices and procedures throughout Nepal. Meanwhile, in Tibet domestic struggles during

3410-1163: The south. In the near west, around the Narayani River system (the Narayani was one of the seven Gandak rivers), there was a loose confederation of principalities called the Chaubisi (the Twenty-four), including Makwanpur and Palpa. In the far west, around the Karnali River system, there was a separate confederation called the Baisi (the Twenty-two), headed by the Raja of Jumla . The confederations were in constant conflict, and their member states were constantly quarrelling with each other. The kingdoms of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhadgaon periodically allied themselves with princes among these confederations. All of these small, increasingly militarized states were operating individually at

3472-457: The term malla , ("wrestler" in Sanskrit ), indicating a person of great strength and power. Arimalla (reigned 1200–16) was the first king to be so called, and the practice of adopting such a name was followed regularly by rulers in Nepal until the eighteenth century. The names of the Malla kings were also written as, for example, Ari Malla . Another legend says that Arimalla was fond of wrestling and he added malla to his name. However, this

3534-508: The townspeople and taking away children. The people finally succeeded in persuading him with the promise of an annual feast to move out of the city and live at Tundikhel. So every year on the full moon night in March, a pile of boiled rice and buffalo meat is left on the open ground for him to feast on. Among the earliest references to Tundikhel is contained in an account by Italian Jesuit Ippolito Desideri who visited Kathmandu in 1721 when Nepal

3596-510: The twelfth century, Muslim Turks set up a powerful kingdom in India at Delhi , and in the thirteenth century, Turko Afghan khaljis expanded their control over most of northern India. During this process, all of the regional kingdoms in India underwent a major reshuffling and considerable fighting before they eventually fell under Delhi's control. This process resulted in an increasing militarization of Nepal's neighbours and sections of Nepal as well. For example, in western Nepal, around Dullu in

3658-524: The valley suffered an earthquake with the epicentre right below the city. A devastating Muslim invasion by the Sultan of Bengal Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah in 1345–46, during the reign of Jayaraja Deva (r. 1347–1361), left plundered Hindu and Buddhist shrines in its wake. The invasion, however, did not leave a lasting cultural effect. In India, the damage was more widespread and many Hindus were driven into

3720-639: The valley varied over time. Bhadgaon extended its feeble power as far as the Dudh Kosi in the east, Kathmandu-controlled areas to the north and as far west as Nuwakot , and Patan included territories to the south as far as Makwanpur . The relationships among the kingdoms within the valley became quite convoluted. Although all three ruling houses were related and periodically intermarried, their squabbles over minuscule territorial gains or ritual slights repeatedly led to warfare. The kings attended coronation rituals or marriages at each other's capitals and then plotted

3782-444: Was ruled by the Malla kings. He was travelling from Tibet to India , and has mentioned in his travelogue seeing a two-mile long plain near the pond (Rani Pokhari) situated outside the city gate. He has also written that there are many temples along the length of the field. Two of the temples remain. The temple of Lumari Ajimā, a mother goddess also known as Bhadrakali , is situated on the eastern edge of Tundikhel. The other temple

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3844-507: Was to find Christian kingdoms allied with the Portuguese to propagate the faith and trade. In the early stages, they thought it was the mythical kingdom of Catai. The offer of gifts also took place in other kingdoms such as the same happened in Bhutan, where military support was offered by the Portuguese against the enemy kingdoms. This gesture aimed at creating an alliance that would allow converting and creating new convents as well as expanding

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