Nepal's Diplomatic history: Interregnum between Lichchhivi and Malla Period

Yuba Nath Lamsal

Foreign policy is said to be, or in all practicability too, an extension of the domestic policy. The domestic situation, therefore, impacts the diplomacy of any country in the world. The internal imbroglio followed by instability and conflict within the royal court as well as with other small neighbouring principalities of that time had a huge impact on diplomacy and foreign relations during the Lichchhavi period and thereafter.  With the demise of Narendradev, the fame and eminence of Lichchhavi rule in all realms and spheres came to a virtual end, which was, to a great extent, reflected on both the domestic situation as well as foreign relations. Nepal’s internal situation witnessed a kind of tumultuous state for some years to come until Jayasthiti Malla took over the reign.

 The interregnum between the Lichchhavi and Malla rule is fuzzy, perhaps, in the absence of authentic historical evidences, which made historians to base their accounts of Nepal’s history of this period on legends, mythologies and folklores rather than on facts and logic. Nepal’s influence and fame shrank along with the contraction in its physical size after the demise of King Narendra Dev.  In the absence of a powerful and charismatic ruler at the centre, some chieftains of different areas became more dominant, and they announced their own domain of rule, independent of the central authority (king) that led to the fragmentation of Nepal once again. Around the same period, or in 650 AD, Tibet’s powerful king Srong-btsan-Sgam-po died, and Tibet also slowly lost its earlier glory and strength. This, to a large extent, was a kind of blessing in disguise for Nepal as it eased Nepal’s security threat perception from the north. An internally weak Nepal, accompanied by conflicts within and with the newly declared states, had lost the capability to defend itself in case of a war broke out with its powerful northern neighbour. Fortunately, it did not happen, as Tibet, too, was getting weaker at that time.

Matrimonial Relations

While Tibet’s declining prowess posed no big threat to Nepal’s security from the north, a seeming threat to its security was slowly becoming apparent from the south. Magadh state of India had emerged as a powerful kingdom with its kings concentrating on expanding its territory in all directions. If not checked in time, this Indian kingdom might, one day, come face to face with Nepal, which could have proved fatal for its independence and territorial integrity.  The Magadh kingdom was too powerful in terms of its wealth as well as its military might for Nepal to confront, thus, necessitating it to adopt other tactics to contain and neutralise Magadh. It was the time when military power and matrimonial relations played a greater role in diplomacy and foreign relations. Nepal at that time did not match the military power of Magadh and, therefore, adopted matrimonial diplomacy to maintain good relations with Magadh. According to Perceval Landon, Shiva Dev II, the successor and perhaps son of Narendra Dev, married the granddaughter of the Emperor of Magadh Aditya Sen, through which Nepal maintained friendly relations with the powerful southern state of Magadha.

Since then, for almost another half decade, there has been no record of Nepal’s any diplomatic contact and communications with the states either to the north or to the south. About that time, or in the first half of the eighth century, Kashmir emerged as a powerful kingdom of Asia, and its King Lalit Binayaditya is said to have expanded the kingdom’s territory as far as Nepal’s border. After Lalit Binayaditya’s death in the latter half of the eight century, Jayapida Binayaditya became the King of Kashmir and gave continuity to his predecessor’s campaign of expanding its territory. It is said that a war broke out between Nepal and the kingdom of Kashmir, but Nepal, with its shrewd military tactics, finally got the upper hand with Kashmir. At that time, Armundi was the King of Nepal. Historian Balchandra Sharma says, “When Jayapida’s army advanced into Nepali territory, King Armundi, in the beginning, let them enter within the border but later attacked Jayapida’s army when the Kashmiri troops were crossing a river”. Armundi’s army then captured King Jayapida of Kashmir and imprisoned him in the far off fort near the Kali Gandaki River.  It is not known what actually happened to Nepal’s relations with Kashmir after this incident. But Nepal’s sovereignty was defended with the shrewd use of its military tactics. Had Armundi chosen to directly resist Jayapida’s force at the border, chances were high that Nepal’s army could have been run over by the strong Kashmiri army.

Little is known about Nepalese history for the period of around three decades from early 8th century to the first quarter of the 11th century. But there had been a flurry of movements of Indian, Tibetan and Chinese pilgrims via Nepal during this period. Historian Sylvain Levi claims that towards early 9th century, Nepal was under some Pal kings of India, but its authenticity has not yet been proved. Around that period, the Mahipal kingdom was established somewhere in the present northern India from Bihar to Assam. Some historians are of the view that Nepal, too, was once captured by these Pal or Mahipal kings. One thing, however, is certain that Nepal had been a center for pilgrims from both India and Tibet. During the Mahipal reign in Bihar of India, several Buddhist scholars and pilgrims visited Nepal and travelled to Tibet via Nepal, which some historians have linked to diplomatic communication between the northern and southern states of the Himalayas.

It is also said that Nepal briefly came under the rule of Rajput King Nanyadev of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Historian Landon says, “Nanyadev founded a dynasty with its capital Simraun (Simrangarh)”. Some historians are of the view that Nanyadev later attacked Kathmandu, Patan (Lalitpur) and Bhadgaon (Bhaktapur) and shifted his capital from Simraungarh to Kathmandu. There is some truth in it as it was not possible to shift the capital from Simrangarh to Kathmandu and rule from Kathmandu over such a vast area extending from Kathmandu to Bihar and Assam. One thing can be said with certainty that Nanyadev might have helped a certain king of Kathmandu either to establish or restore his kingdom. Nepal’s diplomatic contacts, therefore, had been limited only to the states of the south during that time. According to historian Sharma, in 1324, Muslim ruler of Delhi (India) Gaya Singh Tuglak attacked Simraungargh or Siraungarh and King Harisinghdev, descendant of Nanyadev, fled to Kathmandu seeking refuge. However, Harisinghdev later captured Nepal and established the rule of ‘Suryavansy dynasty’ in Nepal which lasted for at least another eight decades.

If the description of the Ming dynasty of China is any clue, Nepal and China had established diplomatic relations in the 14th century. Chinese Emperor Hang Wu sent two different emissaries to the king of Nepal, whose name was Moti Singh.  Landon further says, “The Chinese envoys brought an official seal, confirming Moti Singh in his kingly office, and in return, the Nepalese king sent to Peking a gift containing golden shrines, sacred books, and thoroughbreds”. It is believed that the exchange of gifts between the Chinese and Nepalese kings had taken place between 1375 and 1380. Shyama Singh, perhaps the last of the Suryavansy dynasty, had sent an envoy to China, which was received well by the Chinese emperor. In return, Shyama Singh again received from the Chinese emperor a seal of confirmation in his royal office in late 1415.

The state of foreign relations and diplomacy during the interregnum of Lichchivi and Malla period had not evolved as a separate policy domain. The diplomatic initiatives were not well thought about policy strategy but were conducted based on the whim and caprice of the rulers. So diplomatic conduct was marked with ups and down without any firm commitment and principle. Survival was the primary goal of the rulers of that time, whose power continually fluctuated and did not leave any distinct mark on Nepal’s foreign policy and diplomacy. The Lichchhavi period had earned a reputation of strong governance within and tactful diplomacy outside, which seem to be visibly lacking in the later period, especially after Narendra Dev.