Medieval Period of Nepal

Medieval Period of Nepal

Published by: Nuru

Published date: 27 Jan 2022

Medieval period of Nepal in Grade 7 Social Studies, Reference notes

Medieval period of Nepal

The period before Prithvi Narayan Shah (880 – 1769 A.D) is regarded as the Medieval period of Nepal.

This period is described below in points:

  • Social structure of Medieval period
  • Political condition of Medieval period
  • Economic condition of Medieval period
  • Arts and Culture of 

a. Social Structure of Medieval Period

This historical period of Nepal had various social features:

1. Joint Family System

During the rule of Mallas, people used to live in a large family. They used to share same kitchen and same roof for their livelihood. They believe that they should live jointly according to their religion, social norms and values. Houses were constructed as a clustered settlement.

2. Varna System

According to Mallas, there were many castes and varnas. People were divided into thirty-six castes and four varnas from eighteen castes and four varnas. This was influenced by the division as preached by the Saint Manu in his Manusmriti. But in the course of time, it turned into a strong castism which caused discrimination among the castes and division of society on the basis of higher castes and lower castes. After the rise of King Jayasthiti Malla, the caste discrimination system was slowly banned. He brought several reforms in the caste system and the divisions of the society. He maintained and kept the society in order. So, we are now in this condition.

3. Inheritance of Dynasty

The Malla rulers of the Kathmandu valley were known as descendants of sun. They used to call Shah from out of a valley as the descendants of moon. King Aridev coined the term "Malla" which literally meant "wrestling". It is said that Aridev was born during a wrestling ceremony. Later, he heard the news of the birth of his son while hewas engaged in wrestling.

4. Origin of Surname

In the medieval period, people used to originate surname from their occupation. For example, the ministers were called Mulami (Mulmi at present), courtiers were called as Shistha or Shrestha and the prime minister was called as Mahath. Similarly, painters were called as Chitrakar, those who made sweets were called as Madhikarmi and those who used to look after stones were called as Bhandare and so on.

5. Dolaji System

In the medieval period, there was the system of marriage in which bridegroom was received in the home of a bride. It is no more followed that, after the marriage, a bridegroom should live in his wife’s birthplace. King Jayasthiti got the title of "Malla" after his nuptial relation with Rajalyadevi. Similarly, King Punya Pal received the Malla title after his marriage with Shakunmala through Dolaji Marriage.

6. Widow and Re-marriage

In the medieval period, there was the system or trend of widow and re-marriage. Both male and female have right to re-marriage after their divorce or death of their husband or wife. The daughter of Rudra Malla of Bhaktapur – Nayak Devi married to Prince of Kaski Harishchandra and married to second time with the Prince of Tirhut – Jagat Singh Kunwar.

7. Rituals and Festivals

Rituals and festivals were celebrated in various ways according to their cultures. In the present time, we celebrate a lot of festivals and traditions but in the medieval period, they used to celebrate Dashain, Tihar, Gaijatra, Indrajatra, Ghantakarna etc as their major festivals.

They used to perform religious and cultural dances like Mahakali dance, Lakhe dance and Kumari dance etc. Both Hinduism and Buddhism were practiced in the medieval period. There was a mutual relationship between Hindus and Buddhists. Most of the kings used to follow Hinduism but they used to give equal priority to other religions as well.

8. Language and Literature

Malla Kings were learned but some of them were religious and spiritual ones. Siddhi Nara Singh did penance and constructed Krishna Temple. He was a spiritual and learned king. Dramas, songs, puranas, tantra and ritual books were written by him. They used to speak Sanskrit, Newari, Maithili, Khas etc. They have learned about Chanakya Policy, science of ethics, politics, philosophy, poetics etc.

9. Evil Custom

Medieval society was full of social evils. Some of these were early marriage, slavery system, satee system and so on. In this period, people had very hard and struggled life. Girls were not allowed to exhibit even their face to any unknown persons. They had to cover their face with a veil. It was known as Purda system.

b. Political Condition of Medieval Nepal

State Formation

In the Medieval period, all the valleys and the districts had a single political unit. The Royal lineages and the noble families had struggles among them for the throne. Mithila and Tirhut were the main influencing states from the south which was under the domination of warriors allied to the Chalukya Dynasty from Karnataka in southern India. Later, they launched raids that ultimately provided ground for the donation of the states to Nepal. It is said that lieutenant was none other than Nanyadev. Similarly, Rudra Sen established the Sen Dynasty in Palpa. Mukunda Sen was a legendary king of Palpa. After the death of Mukunda Sen, the expanded kingdom of Palpa was divided among his sons as mentioned in the box below.

State

King

Makwanpur

Lohag Sen

Tanahun

Bhrigi Sen

Palpa

Marinykya Sen

Butwal

Binayak Sen

Condition of Kingdom:

Nepal was divided into many small parts during the Medieval period. There were 22 states in the Karnali region. They were called as Baise Rajyas. Some of the very powerful states were Achham, Jajarkot, Jumla etc. Similarly, there were 24 states in the Gandaki region. They were called as Chaubise Rajyas.

Some of the important states were Gorkha, Lamjung, Nuwakot etc. Kathmandu was a single political unit during the early period of Malla rule but after the end of the Yakshya Malla, it was divided into three states, namely Kantipur, Patan, and Bhadgaon. Similarly, there were Kiranti kingdoms in the east and Tirhut in the south. These states had a conflicting relationship with each other.

Conflict and Discord:

The kingdoms used to wage war against each other. There was always the war between the betrayals. The kings of the same dynasty used to fight against each other for the throne. There was jealousy among the kings. There was a strong sense of discord, especially in the Kathmandu valley.

They used to set plot against each other. Kathmandu valley, the Khas kingdoms of the Karnali region and the Sen Kingdom weakened due to the struggles. The Medieval period of Nepal was full of conflicts and competitions.

Some kings and other strong people tried to settle down this kind of hatred and enmity. They tried to make an alliance with neighbouring countries for mutual co-operation and to maintain understanding among the kings.

Administration:

The king was the head and ruler of the state. The administration was joint and shared by the brothers. In the case of an inefficient king, the ministers and nobles took the power of the king. Sometimes, there would be a struggle between the son and his father for the throne. The Pradhans of Patan had controlled over the heirs of the throne. They used to hold the power to the throne and crown. They were known as the King Makers. It was the feudal type of administration.

c. Economic Condition of Medieval Period

In ancient times during the Malla period, people were economically strong and had a feeling of nationality. They were patriotic to their nation and its responsibilities. At that time, the main occupation was agriculture and animal rearing. They were famous for art and architecture. The economic condition of the Medieval period can be divided into the following:

Farming

Farming was the main occupation of the Nepalese people because of fertile land which provided sufficient supplies to the farmers. The farmers grew various crops like wheat, barley, maize, fruits, and vegetables. The land of the Medieval period was divided into 4 categories by Jayasthiti Malla, namely,Abbal, Doyam, Seem and Chahar, on the basis of the fertility of the land. At that time, the land was measured by the length of hand called “haat”. All the land belonged to the kings. The kings used to hand over his land to Brahmins and the higher officials as Birta land for their contribution in administration. Birta was tax-free land.

Animal Rearing

Animal Rearing was another main occupation of the people. There were sufficient pasture lands where animals could easily rear which supported to have better production of milk, ghee, meat, and wool. Besides these, they used different materials or items of animals in their daily usages like skin, wool, hide etc. They used to rear animals in their home like cows, donkeys, yak, sheep, goat etc.

Industry and Trade

Malla period was rich in cottage industries to produce various household materials made of copper. They made idols, mud & metal pots and vessels which were exported to Tibet and India. There were enough minerals mines to produce metals. Due to this, people were involved in various metal industries like weaving cloth, spinning, making pots of copper, brass, silver, iron etc. Malla and Sen Kingdoms used to trade equally with each other.

Tibet had good trade relations with the Malla Kings of the Kathmandu valley. At that time, Nepali coins were used in Tibet. Kuti and Kerung were the main passes through which trade was operated with Tibet. They used Mana,Pathi, Muri, Dharni for the measurement of goods. Herbs, woods, wools and blankets were exported to Tibet. There were 10% and 25% of loan tax for cash and land respectively. They used copper coins, silver coins, gold coins and leather coins introduced by the Malla Kings. Those coins were called as ‘Mahindramalli.

Service

Service in administration was another important activity of the Medieval period. Only few citizens were nominated and engaged in the service sectors. Certain caste group people like Pandey, Aryals, Boharas, and Pantascould join the army. Their main source of income was land tax and costume duties but they didn’t keep systematic records for it.

d. Art and Culture of Medieval Period

The art of Nepal, with a few exceptions, is based on the religious themes taken from Buddhism and Hinduism. Art and architecture in the Medieval period were advanced and much developed than the Lichchhavi period. Nepalese art is full of the knowledge of religions, nature, and idiosyncrasies. The Malla reign speaks the high skill of Nepalese artists.

The works of art of the early Malla period discovered are mainly of stone or metal depicting numerous deities of both religions. The figures of the period take on a far more elegant form and the ornamentation. Dakshinkali of Pharphing, the Chariot of the Sun-God of Banepa, Ugrachandi and Bhairav of Bhaktapur, Bhagwati of Palanchowk, Saraswati of Handigaon, etc are some of the excellent and finest patterns of images made during the Malla period. Besides these, water spots, beautiful wood carvings, images of god and goddesses are found in the Kathmandu valley.

During the Malla rule, the metal works were developed in its apex. The metal statues of the kings and queenswere erected at different places of Nepal. There was a popular practice of drawing and painting the pictures of gods and goddesses on the walls of temples and houses. The artists were pioneers in making figures and images on copper, brass, gold and silver. Some of the famous metal works of the Medieval period are the golden gate of the temple of Taleju and the golden gate of 55 window palace.

The greatest achievements of the late Malla period lie in the field of architecture. Most of the temples were built in pagoda style and designed on the basis of the religious themes. The Medieval sculpture was more complex in form and modern than the ancient period.

At times, Nepalese style had a tremendous influence on the art of China and Tibet, as both countries imported art and artists from Nepal to adorn their temples and monasteries. The Krishna Temple of Patan, Nyatapol, 55 window palace of Bhaktapur, Pashupatinath, Swyambhunath, Bauddhanath etc. are some examples of achievements of the Medieval period.

Religions and Culture:

The Malla Kings were religious and they followed both Hinduism and Buddhism. There were several Buddhist strings built along with different Hindu temples. The Buddhists used to visit temples while the Hindus used to pay charity to construct stupas, chaityas, and vihars. Generally, thepeople, as well as the kings, used to spend a large sum of money for the construction of monuments.