| Jayayakshya Malla | |
| Succession: | King of Nepal |
| Reign: | 1428–1 March 1482 |
| Predecessor: | Jyoti Malla |
| Successor: | |
| Dynasty: | Malla |
| Father: | Jyoti Malla |
| Mother: | Samsar Devi |
| Birth Date: | 1408 |
| Birth Place: | Nepal |
| Death Date: | 1 March 1482 |
| Death Place: | Nepal |
Jayayakshya Malla (often named Yaksha Malla for short) (Nepali: यक्ष मल्ल) was the son of Jayajyotir Malla and the last Malla king of the united Kathmandu Valley from around 1428 until his death in 1482. The valley was divided among his sons after his death.[1]
Yaksha Malla encircled Khowpa Bhaktapur city with moats and defense walls pierced with defense gates and ordered the construction of The Palace of Fifty-five Windows (Bhaktapur's Royal Palace).[2] The palace would later be remodelled by Bhupatindra Malla in the seventeenth century.[3]
He constructed the Pashupatinath Temple, a replica of the temple by the Bagmati River in Yein Kathmandu and the Siddha Pokhari, a large rectangular water tank located near the main city gate of Khowpa Bhaktapur. He is also credited as the founder of Yaksheswar Temple now standing in the palace complex.[4]
Early in his reign, he raided south into Mithila, into the State of Bihar and as far as Bengal.[5] He consolidated control over the trade route to Tibet and captured the Tibetan stronghold of Shelkar Dzong. As a result of his conquests, the boundary of Nepal extended as far as Sikkim in the east, Kerung in the North, Gorkha in the west, and Bihar in the south.
After his death in 1482, the area that he ruled was divided into four kingdoms (Bhaktapur, Kantipur, Patan, and Banepa) ruled by his sons. Bhaktapur was ruled by Raya Malla and Kantipur by Ratna Malla. Banepa, however, was soon annexed by or submitted itself to Bhaktapur.[6]