A stone stele inscription from Bhaktapur’s Lũ Hiti recording Yakṣa Malla’s consecration ritual for a golden spout, Viṣṇu footprint(s) and a grand temple (NS 560)
ID: NHDP_0002_0009
Edited by
Shyam Sundar Rajbanshi, Kiran Shakya and Rajendra Shakya
Created: 2026-07-16;
Last modified: 2026-11-05
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Abstract
Dating back to NS 560 (1440 CE), this stone stele inscription at Lũ Hiti in Bhaktapur documents the creation of a golden spout, the building of a magnificent temple, and the installation of Viṣṇu footprint(s) by King Yakṣa Malla. The text provides a list of land endowments dedicated to supporting specific rituals and ceremonies on designated occasions. In addition, it forbids lighting fires inside the temple for cooking and the unfettered tapping of water from the spout. Finally, the inscription establishes that participating in rescue and relief efforts during emergencies is a sacred and mandatory civic duty.Diplomatic edition
[1r]
1᠀ॐनमःशिवाय॥देवदेवंमहेशानंविश्वेश्वरंमहेश्वरं[...]2[...][?]देवगोविन्दंनमामिमाघमाधवं॥शिवगंगामहेशा[?][...]
3भास्वद्वंशसमूहकेनय[...][...]तिमल्लोनृपो[?][...]चक्रेश्वरः।[...]
4वतीर्ण्णोनृपोराजा[...][?][...]भारथांश्रवणमौक्तिककुण्ड[...]
5शुकंपरिवृतंमत्वा[...]
6र्थिनांप्रार्थनांदान[...][...]।[...]प्राणेश्वरनृपेश्वरः॥[...][?][...]सरस्वती।[...]स्तेजा
7तलक्ष्म्यामेक[...][...][...]गुण[...]मल्लोनृपोत्तमः।यशोदेव्याःपतिःश्रीमान्भूखण्डेभुवनेगुणी
8॥श्रीजीवमल्ल[...][?]1 ।[?]स्यासुतोवालकजीव[...]विभ्राज[...]वार्क्ककुलेप्रसूता॥वीर[?]पु
9ण्यालय[...]ना[...][?][?]वसंनिधौ॥शिवनुतिपूजःपुण्यमार्ग्गानुभाजःकमलधवनिभोज[...]
10[...]जः।पृथु[...]॥राजइहभुवन[...] राज्ञेयक्षमल्लोनृपश्रीः॥ ॥स्वस्तिश्रीभगवतःश्रीश्रीश्रीपशुपतेःपादपंक
11जरेणुरंजितो[...][?]मानेश्वरीवरलव्दप्रसादसंभूतप्रभूत[...]नवसुविभ्राज्यमान[...]राज्यलक्ष्मीक,नृपनयनीतिविद्यातर्क्कछंदव्या
12करणादिवेदांग[...][?]धविदग्धविद्याधरमहाचातुर्य[...]महात्म्यगुणगम्भीरप्रणताशेषभूपसामंतमौलिमा[?]
13तपादपुंडरिक[...]ख्यातादिश्रुतकथाकुण्डलश्रवणालंकारसुजनपरिजनानंदकारमहाकीर्त्तिपुरस्कारकरणीकृतमा[...]कु
14लकमलविकासनैक[...]प्रमत्तवलपौरुषवैरिगणारण्यदावानलनगरनागरीकुलकामिनीकंदर्पवृहत्कीर्त्तिस[?]लितहे
15मप्रणालीनिर्म्मितपादादिस्थापनविजयवेजयंतीप्रतिस्पर्द्धिनिर्म्माणमाहापुण्यप्रासादप्रतिष्ठाकृतश्रीलक्ष्मीनारायणामूर्त्त्यंकित[?]
16जययक्षमल्लदेवेन॥श्रीयक्षमल्लःपरमंविधातासृष्टिक्षयख्या[...]नेपालभूचक्रसुचक्रवर्त्तीतेना[...]सुतरांस
17राज्ञः॥विघ्नेशादिसहोपनिर्म्मितकरंप्रोत्तुंगभुगोत्तमं[?][...]यसा।आपादःकलसावरोहणकृतं
18सुल्लक्षणालंकृतंप्रासादंसुमहत्तरगुणवरंपूर्ण्णप्रतिष्ठाकृतं॥[?][...]मकराकृति[?]सौवर्ण्णमूर्त्त्यंकितं,सर्पे[...]
19[...]परिगतंश्रेयःकलाकारितं।भक्तापूपरमंविभूषणमिमंहेमप्रणालीवरं[?]कीर्त्तियशो[...]रुचिरंतेनात्रसंस्थापनं॥ ॥[...]
20स्थापनपुरणार्थंप्रासादनिर्म्माणजानाश्रयार्थं॥[...]शालीद्विजदेवता[...][?]मनार्थं॥श्रीश्रीसंसारदेव्या[...]
21[...]तार्कवंसजान्।कौशल्यातादृशीपुण्याएषा[?][...]वल्यारि[...]ओजस्करोभूपतिःश्रीमान[...]
22[...]वदातयसमादिगद्योतयन्भास्वत्[...]धर्म्मविनीति[...]कविःसर्व्वार्थ[...]साख्याद्वैश्रवणोपमो[...]
23[...]श्रीयक्षमल्लोधुना॥यत्रागमेसकललोकवृताभिराम[...]भिरावृतशशीइवराज्यमानः।सर्व्वार्थिकाम[...]
24[...]कोविवेकीश्रीजीवमल्लइतियद्भुविमण्डितश्रीः॥मातुःसंसारदेव्याश्चजेष्ठपुत्रस्यधीमतः।कनेष्ठ[...]
25[...]तस्यपुण्येनानेनकर्म्मणा॥धर्म्मेणानेनभूयाद्दुरितमलहरंवांछितासिद्धिपूर्ण्णंकल्याणं[...]ख्यभागं[...]
26[...]स्फीतराज्यांगलव्धा।धर्म्मार्थकाममोक्षंफलचतुरधिकंप्राप्तमस्यक्रमाद्वैभूयोभूयोरमंते[...]
27[...]मतंतत्कीर्त्तिसत्कर्म्मपुण्ये॥आकाशगंगाइवदीर्घरेखादिर्घायुषंवर्षसहस्रसंख्यां।[?]
28[...]त्यवर्ग्गानिर्व्याधिताजिवंतुतेनतावत्॥वृष्टिंवर्षंतुमेघाःप्रभवतुधरणीशस्यपुर्ण्णासमंताविप्रावेद[...]
29[...]रजनाधर्म्मनीतिक्रियायांराजानःसर्व्वलोकान्प्रतिदिवसिमुदापालयंतु[...]त्यान्गावःक्षिराद्यजा[...]
30[...]नृपतिंभक्तिसुप्रीतमस्तु॥यावन्नेपालखण्डेवसतिपशुपतिर्वासुकीवाग्मतिस्था।व्रह्मक्षत्रिप्रयोगः[...]
31[...]यावदामंतुशास्ता।यावदन्नाप्रचारस्तरुवरफलवान्पुष्पवान्यावदास्तेतावत्कालंस्थिरोस्तादयन[...]
32[...]थवाचलोस्तु॥सून्येस्कन्दमुखेन्द्रिसंख्यकशतेने[?]त्सरेज्येष्ठेपाण्डरपक्षकान्तकतिथौनक्षत्र[...]
33[...]योगेसुद्धिमतेदिवाविधुसुतेभास्वद्वृषेसंस्थितेकन्ये[?][?]कृतवान्पूर्ण्णाप्रतिष्ठाविधे॥[...]
34[?][?]भाषा॥ ॥श्रीश्रीजययक्षमल्लप्रभुठाकुरसंस्थापनआदिनगजुह्रिछासेपुलदयका,लुंयितिनोदयका[...]
35[...]मोलरङासेंदयकंतथा॥[?][...]ङ्कं[...]सामतंछोयकेदिनप्रतिअछिद्रनचिक[...][...]छिधारेहनेमाल॥[...][...]
36[...]सतछि॥इन्द्रजात्रासच्यान्हु॥महाष्टमीकोन्हुविश्वजात्रानीन्हुथ्वतेदिनमभीसेंकोथुफलेथा[...]जिपु[...]
37[...]॥थ्वमिपुप्रतिचिकनहनेअष्टाछीहाने॥वसुंवादनपूजायायेन्हीनस्तचलसदयकपुलदुंवनेचोंग्वयिनायसके[...]
38[...]पंचतालथायमाल्व॥शितआदिनसमस्तयातंवुं,दययायदि॥ट्वंखासकायदम्म५४॥थ्यंमीसकायेदम्म[...]
39[...]रोव६वलनसहित॥थ्वतेपुलसदुंता॥भूययितीसदुंता॥कंपोवुरोव६॥यंविवुरोव८॥भूयस्वकपोंवुरोव३॥[...]
40वुरोव३॥आरविवुरोव४॥भूयदम्मशिवका१५॥थ्वतेदम्मनयितीयावर्सवादनयाये॥इ[...]स्वानछाये[...]
41[...]॥वोयेपीतिसारदंछिस्वटं,सुदिवुङनकसख्वालनपायेमाल्व॥थंङाक्वव्वाश्रीश्रीराजकुलपात्रकुल[...]
42वङनवुअणिथ्वतेआयनमोक्वजुरों॥निजदेशवासीनिग्वसमटेवनलंख्वकायकेयितीसमटेवजुरों॥[...][...]
43रदेशस्वछिस्यंनोपुलसमेछोयकंथुयकेखुनकेमटेवजुरों॥पुनलिंखेप्राकारणमेछुसिंव्वसतसेंचच[...]
44[...][?]॥थ्वतेनमरपंतके,सुमसुमेवचिंतायङनवुद्धारपेमाल॥थसथसखंङनमगांकाले,गोहथ्याव्रह्महथ्यादि[...]
45पंचमहापातकलाक्वजुरो॥ ॥सम्वत्५६०जेष्ठशुदि११बुद्धवारथ्वकोन्हुसंपूर्ण्णदिनजुरो॥ ॥शुभमश्तुसर्व्वदा॥
46भुय[...]चार्यआदिन[...][?]देश[...]पायमाल्वजुरोंशुभ॥
Synopsis
This inscription begins in Sanskrit with obeisance to Lord Śiva (also addressed as Maheśa, Viśveśvara and Maheśvara) and Lord Viṣṇu (also addressed as Govinda and Māgha-Mādhava2 . It is followed by a royal eulogy of King Yakṣa Malla, here typically addressed as ŚrīśriJaya Yakṣa Malla Deva. The eulogy refers to the king as “born in the radiant Solar Dynasty (bhāsvad-vaṃśa), anointed with the dust of the lotus feet of the threefold glorious Lord Paśupati”; one “who has attained abundant grace through a boon granted by the goddess Māneśvarī”; “adorned with the fortune of the realm" (rājyalakṣmī); as “deeply learned in the art of politics (nīti), logic (tarka), prosody (chanda), grammar (vyākaraṇa) and the [other] auxiliary branches of the Veda vedāṅga”; “possessing supreme intelligence and mastery, like a vidyādhara,3 in various arts”; having “lotus feet [that] are caressed by the garland of crowns of all other prostrate kings and feudatories” etc.
Then the inscription records that the king commissioned the construction of an exquisite golden spout (sulalita-hema-praṇālī) alongside the installation of a sacred [pair of?] footprint[s?] (pāda) [of Lord Viṣṇu] ... and consecrated a grand, sacred temple (mahā-puṇya-prāsāda), a structure built to rival a victory banner and adorned with statues of Lakṣmīnārāyaṇa .... [The temple complex] was constructed to include [shrines of] Vighneśa (Gaṇeśa) and other deities towering in the eastern, southern, western and northern directions.... [The concluding] formal installation of a golden finial (kalaśa) was performed, [together with] a complete consecration ceremony (pūrṇā-pratiṣṭhā) for the temple. The inscription further states that the fine newly crafted golden spout (hema-praṇālī-varaṃ), in the form of a mythical makara water creature adorned with golden statues, ... represented a supreme enhancement of Bhaktapur, produced for its everlasting fame and glory....
The text also provides names of additional royal family members associated with the construction and installation. The twofold venerable queen mother, Saṃsāradevī, is portrayed as as “pious and noble as Kauśalyā, ... a radiant ruler, a poet accomplished in righteousness and ethics....” Jīva Malla, the younger brother of Yakṣa Malla, is referred to as “one who adorns the earth with splendour ... the youngest [brother] of the wise eldest son of Queen Mother Saṃsāradevī....” The first part of the text ends with a wish: “May all impurities and sins be destroyed, all desired wishes be fulfilled, welfare bestowed, and a share of supreme happiness be granted by this pious act, righteous deed and merit.”
The second portion of the inscription is in the “language of the land” (deśabhāṣā). It repeats the twofold venerable, victorious sovereign lord Yakṣa Malla as having installed the finial and having constructed a pula4 and the golden spout. The inscription then instructs certain activities to be carried out on specific occasions and lists endowments to fund them:
Provisions are to be made to supply an aytāchi5 (text: aṣṭāchi) of oil for illuminating [the inside of] the pula and for burning oil lamps daily without exception. Oil lamps are to be lit for the eight days of the Indra Jātrā festival, on the day of Mahā-aṣṭamī, and for two days6 during the Biskāḥ Jātrā (text: Viśva Jātrā) festival. On the day of the anniversary ritual (busādhana), all necessary arrangements for worship are to be executed. Furthermore, when performing worship for Lord Gaṇeśa enshrined within the pula, the five standard musical instruments (pañcatāla) are to be played. The inscription then lists parcels of land endowed for the maintenance of structures and the performance of various rituals and activities. Fifteen Śivakā coins (damma) [are noted as a yearly donation]. This money is to be used to perform the anniversary rituals for the spout. Flowers are to be offered …7 during Indra Jātrā.
The interior and exterior of the pula are to be regularly whitewashed. Any deficit (kvavvā) [is to be met jointly] by the rājakūla8 and the pātrakūla9 [to compensate] whatever is lost (mokva) in revenue, [whether in terms of] land [or cash?].10 Regulations are established specifying hours during which water may be collected at the spout. Furthermore, it is strictly forbidden for any citizen of the realm to enter the pula to light fires, cook food or engage in any similar activities. In addition, no combustible materials or items posing a fire hazard are permitted within the premises.
In the event of an emergency ([e.g.] fatalities or disasters), citizens are obligated to respond to needs. If anyone witnesses such a crisis and turns a blind eye, they will incur the consequences of the five heinous sins (pañcamahāpātaka), the slaughter of cows and the killing of brahmins being specifically mentioned.
Wednesday, the 11th of the bright fortnight of Jyeṣṭha in the [Nepāla] Samvat 560 (1440 CE) is the day [the construction work] was completed. The text ends: "May there be auspicious well-being and prosperity for all."
Commentary
This large stone stele inscription at Lũ Hiti (see DANAM database ID BKT0421) on Taumaḍhī Square in Bhaktapur is in a poor state of preservation, most of its text having eroded. Chips were witnessed coming off even when the monument was being documented in November 2021 as part of the DANAM database of the Nepal Heritage Documentation Project. The inscription was already in a “badly preserved” state when Petech (1958: 162) first briefly wrote about it while listing historical materials from the reign of King Yakṣa Malla. He misread the year as NS 561 in the first edition, but corrected it in his “second, thoroughly revised edition” Petech (1984: 169-170). Evidently, the inscription was already in extremely poor condition seven decades ago (the late 1950s). Śaṅkaramāna Rājavaṃśī (VS 2022: 14) reproduces a portion of the inscription in connection with ascertaining Yakṣa Malla's regnal years. Likewise, Munaṃkarmī (VS 2050: 18) quotes a portion of it when writing about the development of stone water spouts in Bhaktapur.
By now a considerable portion of the text is no longer in readable condition. A significant amount in this edition, therefore, has been reintroduced from D. Vajrācārya (VS 2068: 294-298), and some from Śyāmasundara Rājavaṃśī’s reading, which begins only from line 24, as the first half of a rubbing of the inscription was not provided to him (Rāṣṭriya Abhilekhālaya VS 2080: 10). Additionally, sundry corrections and emendations have been made in this edition to the previous ones, which include:
Vajrācārya, Dhanavajra. Purvamadhyakālakā Abhilekha. Kathmandu, 2068; pp. 294-298.
The Sanskrit portion of the text gives the date in a chronogram of numeral words, dating the inscription back to Nepāla Samvat 560, the same figure given in numerals at the end of the portion of text in Nepālabhāṣā. The year is mentioned as sūnyeskandamukhendrisaṃkhyakaśate, denoted by śūnya (i.e. zero, 0), skandamukha (i.e. faces of Skanda, 6)11 , and indriya (i.e. sensory organs, 5). Reading right-to-left gives NS 560.
Although slightly incomprehensible due to the loss of a few characters in line 41, the clause in this line appears to guarantee financial protection to the trust in case of any untoward loss. The clause translates as: "Any deficit (kvavvā) [shall be met jointly] by the rājakūla and the pātrakūla [to compensate] whatever is lost (mokva) in this revenue, [whether in] land [or cash]." A monument usually fell into decay if a guthi land endowment failed to yield enough revenue or the endowment itself collapsed. Here, Yakṣa Malla appears to have established an institutional state backstop. The royal family and the local gentry (probably the mahāpātras) legally obligated themselves to cover budget shortfalls, thereby ensuring the smooth functioning of the trust.
The inscription also lays down municipal regulations in the interest of fire preparedness. It outlines rules for water collection, but the details are unclear due to the fragility of the text. The text clearly prohibits (maṭeva) citizens from collecting water from Lũ Hiti ,but the exact conditions are unclear. It probably bars such collection during off hours (maṭevana). Two other terms, nija and nigvasa, are both uncertain readings, and their meanings are ambiguous. Jørgensen (1936: 101) gives the meaning of nigva as “healthy food,” which does not make sense here. The expression nija deśavāsī may refer to citizens of lower caste, ones barred from collecting water from the golden spout. The text further bans lighting fires inside the pula. The verbs used suggest that lighting fires for cooking rice (thuyake) or preparing lentils (khunake) is what is being prohibited. The edict also made the civic duty of rescue and support at times of crisis a mandatory and sacred obligation. Failing to assist a fellow citizen during a fire or disaster is not just a civil infraction; it is equated to an act that calls for the same punishment as the pañcamahāpātakas (five great sins). The state is thus effectively using spiritual sanctions to enforce civic solidarity and public safety.
