Ripu Malla () was the

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...

dhiraja of the Khasa Kingdom who reigned in the early 14th century. He is best remembered for being last visitor to

Lumbini Lumbinī ( ne, लुम्बिनी, IPA=ˈlumbini , "the lovely") is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi District of Lumbini Province in Nepal. It is the place where, according to Buddhist tradition, Queen Mahamayadevi gave birth ...

, the birthplace of the

Lord Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

that left inscription of his visit. In 1312, he visited Lumbini and left in an inscription in

Nigali Sagar Nigali Sagar (also called Nigliva, Nigali Sagar pillar, Nighihawa pillar, Nigliva pillar, or Araurakot pillar) is an archaeological site in Nepal containing the remains of a pillar of Ashoka. The site is located in Nigalihawa, about 20 kilometers ...

that reads "'' Om Mani Padme Hum Sri Ripu Malla Chidam Jayatu Sangrama Malla'' (May Prince Ripu Malla be long victorious)". After his visit, Lumbini universally known to be the birthplace of the Lord Buddha disappeared and slowly became a forest, due to the

decline of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent Buddhism, which originated in India, gradually dwindled and was replaced by approximately the 12th century. According to Lars Fogelin, this was "not a singular event, with a singular cause; it was a centuries-long process." The decline of Budd ...

. The pillar was re-discovered in 1893 by Khadga Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana. The same year, he invaded the Kathmandu Valley (then known as Nepal Valley). In Kathmandu, According to the

Gopal Raj Vamshavali The Gopal Raj Vamshavali ( IAST: Gopālarājavaṃśāvalī, Devanagari: गोपालराजवंशावली) is a 14th-century hand-written manuscript of Nepal which is primarily a genealogical record of Nepalese monarchs. One of the ...

, Malla reportedly publicly worshiped at

Swayambhunath Swayambhu (Devanagari: स्वयम्भू स्तूप; new, स्वयंभू; sometimes Swayambu or Swoyambhu) is an ancient religious complex atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city. The Tibetan name for the ...

, Matsyendranath, and

Pashupatinath Temple Pashupatinath Temple ( ne, श्री पशुपतिनाथ मन्दिर) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, and is located in Kathmandu, Nepal. This temple was classified as a World Heritage Site in 1979. This "extensi ...

to show his supremacy in Nepal. Nigali Sagar pillar 13th century inscription

References

14th-century Nepalese people Nepalese royalty Nepalese Buddhists {{Nepal-royal-stub