MALLAS

tribal people in the time of the Buddha (c. 6th4th century BC), who settled in the northern parts of modern Bihar state, in India. Their two most important towns were at Kusinagara (Kusinara) and Pava (located east of modern Gorakhpur). The Mallas had a republican form of government, with an assembly. They lost their independence about the time of the Buddha and were annexed by the Magadha empire. A Malla dynasty ruled Nepal from the 10th century to 1769. The Mallas introduced the first legal and social code influenced by contemporary Hindu practices and were patrons of the arts and architecture.