A warrior possessing great strength and valor was referred to as Malla. In essence, Malla means brave, courageous, and a skilled fighter in warfare. The word Madda in Sanskrit is Madra, and in Prakrit, it becomes Malla, meaning an expert soldier or an officer proficient in martial arts (Mallavidya). Those whose gotra (clan name) ends with the word Mall are believed to have descended from such warriors.
Furthermore, the Perika community, known for their trading activities, used to appoint soldiers or brave men to safeguard the goods they transported for trade. These protectors were naturally well-trained in martial arts (Mallavidya). Hence, it became customary to append the word Mall to their gotra names.
In the Uttara Skandha Purana, the descendants of Siddhiraja and, in the Gautama Purana, the story of Giriraja mentions warriors called Veeramalla. Examples include Peda Rachamalla, Anamalla, Chinamalla, Anagiri Malla, etc. Besides, many of them served as soldiers and military officers, suggesting that they belonged to the Malla lineage.
This theory is further supported by the character names found in “Chandika”, a play written by Muttineni Chennakeshava. Characters such as Puragiri Rajkumar, Vijayendra Malla, Veeramalla, Shilanagar Adhishwar, and Senapati Pratapamalla indicate that they were all from the Malla clan. Therefore, it can be inferred that these individuals were brave, skilled in warfare, and belonged to the Malla lineage.
Considering the gotra names of the Perika community, it appears that they were indeed of Malla descent and were associated with the ancient Kshatriya (warrior) groups recognized for their military expertise.
Another theory regarding Malla suggests that the Perika community’s deity is Mallanna (or Malhari), a form of Lord Shiva (Malla + Anna = Mallanna, meaning Lord Shankara). It was customary to associate one’s gotra with their ancestral deity’s name, which naturally gave rise to the tradition of adding Malla or Mallanna to their names.