Adi Malla
| Adi Malla | |
|---|---|
| 1st king of the Mallabhum | |
| Reign | 694 - 710 CE. |
| Predecessor | Nrishingha Dev |
| Successor | Jay Malla |
| Issue | Jay Malla |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Adi Malla (694 - 710 CE.), also known as Bagdi Raja, was the founder of the Mallabhum (Malla Dynasty) sometime in the 7th century C.E.
There are at least two different opinions about the origin of the Malla Kings. The first king of the Malla dynasty ascended the throne of a small jungle kingdom (the extent of a group of villages) sometime in the seventh century C.E. The circumstances of this accession were miraculous. His father was a Rajput(from Sanskrit raja-putra, "son of a king") Prince who, caught in the "fever of pilgrimage" to the shrine of Jagannath in Puri, abandoned his pregnant wife in the jungle when her labor began. The mother died and the newborn was picked up by a Bagadi jāti woman who was gathering firewood in the jungle. The boy grew up among the low-caste earthworks ("tribals," according to the legend), the Nicu jati Bagdis. Hence he became known as the Bagdi Raja; in fact, the kings of the dynasty are often called the Bagdi rajas by the people of the region. The Bagdis themselves are still associated with royal line in many ways, an attribute that makes them and the Majhis who are similarly related to the kings the highest among the low. The boy's father had left a Rajput sword and a scroll atesting the boy,s origin with his abandoned wife. A Brahman priest noted that the royal child was different from the rest of the Bagdi boys and took him away to his house, together with the kingly insignia. Many portents foretold the future kingship of the boy. He brought home golden nuggets he found in a riverbed; he fished out golden insignia from the river; a huge cobra was seen standing over him shielding him from the sun when he fell asleep in the forest herding cows (much to the horror of his adoptive father, who searched the whole area in despair when the boy did not return home on time). When the king died and the Brahman was invited to the funeral feast (sraddha), he took the boy with him. To everyone,s amazemment, the dead kings elephant lifted the boy from the rows of spectators and placed him gently on the throne.
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