Khas Kingdom :

Khasa-Malla kingdom, popularly known as Khasa Kingdom was a kingdom from the Indian subcontinent, established around the 11th century in the far-western region of present-day Nepal. It was ruled by kings who bore the family name "Malla" (not to be confused with the later Malla dynasty of Kathmandu).The Khasa Malla kings ruled western parts of Nepal during 11th-14th century.The 954 AD Khajuraho Inscription of Dha?ga states Khasa Kingdom equivalent to Gauda of Bengal and Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty.

History :

An ancient tribe named Khasa is mentioned in several ancient legendary Indian texts, including the Mahabharata. The historical Khasa kingdom is different from the territory of this legendary tribe, although there have been some speculations about a connection between the two. The historical Khasas are mentioned in several Indian inscriptions dated between 8th and 13th centuries CE. The Khasa Malla kingdom was feudatory and the principalities were independent in nature. Most of its territory was over the Karnali River basin.The kingdom had conquered over the half of the Greater Nepal over two hundred years. In the 12th century, King Nagaraja conquered the principal Jumla Kingdom of the central Himalayas and overran lands up to Bheri River in the east, Satluj River in the west and Mayum pass of Tibet in the north. King Nagaraja also referred as Javesvaramcame from Kharipradesa (present-day Ngari Province) and set up his capital at Semja. The Khas dynasties were originated at 11th century or earlier period. There were two dynasties of Khas one at Guge and other at Jumla.

The widely regarded most renowned King of Khasa Malla Kingdom was Prithvi Malla. Prithvi Malla had firmly established the Kingdom around 1413 A.D. The limits of the reign of King P?thvimalla reached the greatest height of the Khas Empire which included Guge, Purang and Nepalese territories up to Dullu in the southwest and Kaskikot in the east.

Giuseppe Tucci contends that The Tibetan chronicles show P?thvimalla as the last king of this empire. This kingdom disintegrated after the death of Abhaya Malla and formed the Baise rajya confederacy.

Language and Culture :

The language of the Khas Kingdom was Nepali and Sanskrit. Some of the earliest Devanagari script examples are the 13th century records from the sites in the former Khasa kingdom. These archaeological sites are located in Jumla, Surkhet and Dailekh districts. Sinja Valley was the ancient capital city and powerful town of the Khas Mallas between 12th and 14th century and the centre of origin of Nepali (Khas) language.

Religion :

Most of the initial Khas kings before P?thvimalla were Buddhist. Hinduisation of the kingdom began when King Ripumalla commenced the southward expansion of the kingdom and contacts to India slowly increased. King P?thvimalla always used Buddhist syllables in his inscription though he had a strong preference for Hinduism. The Prashasti of Dullu inscription by P?thvimalla shows Buddhist syllables, mantra, and invocations, however, the latter Kanakapatra of Shitushka was fundamentally Hindu. These two inscriptions of King P?thvimalla showed the transition of the state from Buddhism to Hinduism. The reign of King Punya Malla and Prithvi Malla had strict traditional Hindu ritual and customs.

Rulers : The list of Main Khas kings mentioned by Giuseppe Tucciis in the following succession up to Prithvi Malla:

• Nagaraja also known as Javesvara or Nagadeva by Tibetan chronicles including a Chronicle of Fifth Dalai Lama.
• Chaap/Capa (son of Nagaraja).
• Aditya Malla, son of Jitarimalla.
• Surya Malla, Son of Ripu Malla, Nagaraja clan back to rule.

Decline :

After the Siege of Chittorgarh in 1303, large immigration of Rajputs occurred into Nepal. Before it, few small groups of Rajputs had been entering into the region from Muslim invasion of India. These immigrants were quickly absorbed into the Khas community due to larger similarities. Historian and Jesuit Ludwig Stiller considers the Rajput interference to the politics of Khas Kingdom of Jumla was responsible for its fragmentation and he explains:

Though they were relatively few in number, they were of higher caste, warriors and of a temperament that quickly gained them the ascendancy in the princedoms in the Jumla Kingdom, their effect on the kingdom was centrifugal.