A Brief History of Simraungadh

The present day Mithila region was known as Bideha state in ancient times. Its capital was an
important centre of Aryan civilization and culture. Present day Janakpur was also under Bideha
or Mithila Janapad. Great philosophers and scholars had emerged in the Bideha Kingdom.
Daughter of Janak, Sita was also born here. Bideha Janapad was under the Brijji Republic.
Almost all the traveller from Kathmandu valley travelled through this territory to India.. The
ancient name of that place was “Simara-Bangadh”. In those days, there was a practice of
fortifying settlements for reason of security. As this fortified settlement was built in the middle
of a jungle, it was known as “Bangadh” or fort of the Jungle.

In the beginning of the 12th century, the Karnat dynasty Chhetriyas from South India came here
and set up a powerful Tirahut kingdom with Simraungadh as the centre in the present day Bara
district. The word ‘Simaraungadh’ is a corrupted form of word “Simara-Bangadh”.The Tirahut
Kingdom is also known as “Doya” kingdom. Doya means the people of lower caste. It means the
majority people of that place were lower in caste in the eyes of the Valley people and in order to
humiliate them the name of that place was kept “Doya Rajya” by the dwellers of the Valley.
Karnatak rulers ruled over this territory for about 300 years.

Nanya Dev, who was a descendant of Karnatak ruling dynasty of south India, was the first ruler
to establish the kingdom of Karnatak lineage in Tirahut. He was also an army commander of
Chalukya dynasty ruler of south India and had come to the north when Chalukya Kindom
launhed military campaign towards north India. He established a kingdom in that place with
Simraungarh as the centre. Different versions are mentioned in different chronologies about
Nanya Dev. As stated by some historians, Nanya Dev, the founder of Simraungadh, had attacked
Kathmandu valley and conquered it and Bhaktapur was made its capital. After him, his
descendants ruled in the Valley. Denial Wright has mentioned that Nanya Dev had introduced
the Saka Sambat to commemorate his rule in Nepal. Kirkpatrick, mentions that he had, in fact,
introduced Nepal Sambat. This information appears controversial with each other. Some other
Nepali chronologies have also mentioned about the invasion of Nanya Dev on Kathmandu
valley. But no other sources prove that Nanyadev had attacked and ruled over the Kathmandu
Valley.

According to Baburam Acharya, the army of Tirahut had repeatedly attacked the Kathmandu
Valley striking terror in the Valley. During the rule of Narasinghdev Tirahut had launched a
fierce attack on Kathmandu Valley in 1168. After 133 years of this event King Ramshimhadev
mounted another attack on the Valley in 1301 but they were defeated by the Nepali soldiers this
time and were compelled to return.

Latter on, the Malla kings of valley like Siddhinara Simha Malla, Pratap Malla and Jayasthiti
Malla had declared themselves that they were the descendants of Nanya Dev associating them

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with Karnatak Dynasty. An inscription set up by Pratap Malla at Krishna temple at
Hanumandhoka dated 1705 B.S. and the drama entitled Mu-di-ta-ku-ba-la-ya-shwa
(d'lbts'anfoZj), of 1685 composed by Jagajjyoti Malla have mentioned that Nanya Dev had
become the king from solar lineage of Ramchandra and that the Malla kings were the
descendants of that lineage. In reality, Tirahut had set its eyes on Kathmandu Valley since the
establishment of Simraungarh state. It can, therefore, be proved that the valley was invaded by
them again and again.

As mentioned in Gopalraj Vamsavali, Nepal valley was attacked by Tirahut in 1188 B.S., 1301
B.S., 1302 B.S., 1356 B.S. and1368 B.S. During the reign of Ananda Malla Tirajut Kingdom is
said to have attacked the Kathmandu Valley in 1368 B.S. Since the nephew of Ananda Malla and
the crown prince Shakti Malla himself was supporting the aggressors, they were able to occupy
and sack the Kathmandu Valley for about ten month but were compelled to leave because of
continued non-cooperation of the local population.

Therefore, Danial Wright’s assertion that Sakya Sambat was introduced by Nanya Dev is proved
wrong because he had appeared on the scene after 218 years after the enforcement of Saka
Sambat. There was a special cause behind the Malla kings’ claim of lineage with the Karnatak
Dynasty. Jayasthiti Malla, king of the Valley had got married to the granddaughter of Harisimha
Dev, the last king of Karnata dynasty. Impressed by the glory of Karnatak Dynasty kings who
were Jayasthiti Malla’s close relatives, the later period Malla kings of the Valley declared
themselves that they shared the lineage of Karnatak dynasty. However, their declaration appears
false. Prof. T.R. Vaidya has presented the list of Karnatak rulers as follows:

S.No. Names Titles Period of Reign

1 Nanyadev Karnatachudamani, Karnatabhusan, Karnatavamshaja 1097-1145 A.D.
2 Gangadev 1145-1175 A.D.
3 Narasimhadev 1175-1205 A.D.
4 Ramasimhadev 1205-1263 A.D.
5 Bhavasimhadev No date
6 Karmasimhadev No date
7 Hariharsimhadev 1284-1326 A.D.

Thus, Harisimhadev seems to be the last king of Karnata kingdom.

Harisimha Dev

Harisimha Dev was the last king of Mithila or Tirahut. He was the sixth descendant of the King
Nanya Dev, who had come from Karnatak of south India. When Harisimhadev was ruling in

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Tirahut, Muslims were ruling in India. In 1324 A.D.(1381 B.S.) Gayasuddin Tuglak, the Sultan
(emperor) of Delhi, invaded Simraungadh on his way back to Delhi after his invasion of Bengal
and sacked it. After this, on the advice of his Royal Preceptor Pandit Kameshwar Thakur,
Harisimha Dev entered the hilly regions of Nepal. The inscription of Pratap Malla put up in
Krishna Mandir premises has mentioned that Harisimhadev came and settled in the Valley
without any aggressive design. However, the internal situation of Nepal Valley was not good.
There was a kind of dual government. Ari Malla was a nominal king and Rudra Malla as the de
facto ruler. When Rudra Malla died in 1331 A.D. (1388 B.S.), he had no son to succeed him and
the struggle for power ensued in Nepal. As Harisimhadev had come to Nepal Valley as a refugee
in order to save his life and preserve his religion. The Nepalese showed their sympathy towards
him. That situation favoured him and he came to Bhadgaun and gradually established his
authority over Nepal’s state affair. It is said that he brought Goddess Taleju from Simaraungadh
to the valley reportedly as per the divine instructions he received in his dreams. From that time
onward, Taleju Bhawani has been worshipped as the family deity by the kings of Nepal. It is also
said that Harisimhadev had brought with him the people of different castes in the valley. Among
them were the Brahmin, Acharyas, Jaisis, Vaidyas, Rajaks, Khadgis and so on.

But Gopalraj Vamsavali has a different version. According to this chronology, Harisimhadev had
fled from the Muslim attack accompanied by his brothers, sons, ministers, and other high
officials while proceeding towards Dolakha, Harisimhadev died in Tipat (Tin Patan). His sons
and ministers were all arrested and put in prison. All his wealth and possessions were seized by
the nobility of Rajgram. Six years after the death of Harisimhadev, his minister Chandeshwar
Thakur attacked and captured Rajgram.

The versions mentioned above contradict with one another. Whatever the case, Harisimha Dev
was the last king of Mithila and after the invasion of Gayasuddin Tuglak the kingdom of
Karnatak lineage in Simraungadh had come to an end. In its period of climax, this kingdom
extended from the Mahabharat range in the north to Bodh Gaya and the Ganges River in the
south, Gandaki River in the west to Koshi River in the east.