Medieval History of Nepal: Lichcchavi Dynasty

Lichcchavi Dynasty ( लिच्छवी वंश ) was an ancient ruling dynasty of the medieval kingdom of Nepal. The Lichcchavi clan came from Vaishali and Muzaffarpur in modern northern Bihar, India & conquered Kathmandu Valley. They ruled for about 640 years after defeating the soma dynasty.

This period is the first documented period in the history of Nepal.

Lichcchavi period is also called the “Golden Period” in the history of Nepal because of the development of Arts and architecture, peace and harmony, effective governance and administration, friendly relationship with neighboring countries, and the spread of Nepalese religion, arts, and culture to India, China, and Tibet.

Many stupas and shrines were built during this time along with many temples such as

• Pashupatinath Temple
• Kumbheshwar Temple
• Akash Bhairab Temple
• Changu Narayan Temple
• Kailashkut Bhawan

Some of the popular kings of the Lichcchavi Dynasty are:

• Jay Dev: He is known as the first king of the Lichcchavi Dynasty.
• Hari Datha: He established four Narayan Temple in Kathmandu valley.
• ManDev: He built Changu Narayan Temple and issues a coin Manank, the first coin of Nepal.
• Amshuverma: He was good at diplomacy and military strength. He established friendly relations with the Tibetan King Srongtsen Gampo.
• Narayan dev: He started Rato Machindranath Jatra in Kathmandu valley.

Things to know about Lichcchavi Dynasty

• Jay Dev was the first king of Lichcchavi Dynasty