tribal people in the time of the Buddha (c. 6th–4th century BC), who settled in the northern parts of modern Bihār state, in India. Their two most important towns were at Kuśinagara (Kusinārā) and Pāvā (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.