Licchavis of Nepal
Licchavis of Nepal | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 450 CE–c. 750 CE | |||||||||||||||||||
Coinage of Licchavi king Amshuverma (605–621 CE). Obverse: winged lion, with Brahmi legend Śri Amśurvarma "Lord Amshurvarma". Reverse: Bull with Brahmi legend Kāmadēhi ("Incarnation of Kāma").
| |||||||||||||||||||
Fragmented South Asian polities circa 600 CE, after the retreat of the Alchon Huns. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||
• Established | c. 450 CE | ||||||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | c. 750 CE | ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Today part of | Nepal | ||||||||||||||||||
The Licchavis of Nepal (Nepali: लिच्छवि, also Lichchhavi, Lichavi) ruled over a kingdom in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal from approximately 450 to 750 CE. The Licchavi clan originated from a branch of the Licchavis of Vaishali, who ruled in the territory of modern-day Bihar and who later conquered the Kathmandu Valley. The Licchavis were ruled by a maharaja, aided by a prime minister and other royal officials, but in practice local communities were controlled by caste councils.
The ruling period of this dynasty was called the Golden Period of Nepal. A table of the evolution of certain Gupta characters used in Licchavi inscriptions prepared by Gautamavajra Vajrācārya can be found online.