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Rana dynasty

March 24, 2023

Rana dynasty (Nepali: राणा वंश Sanskrit pronunciation: [raːɳaː ʋɐ̃ɕɐ], Nepali pronunciation: [raɳa bʌŋsʌ]) was a Chhetri[note 1] dynasty that[6] imposed totalitarianism in the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1951, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making Prime Minister and other government positions held by the Ranas hereditary. They claimed Kshatriya status themselves.[7][8] Rana dynasty is historically known for the iron-fisted rule.[9] This changed after the Revolution of 1951 with the promulgation of a new constitution, when power shifted back to the monarchy of King Tribhuvan.[10]

Rana dynasty
राणा वंश

Ranas of Nepal
Parent familyKunwar family
CountryKingdom of Nepal
Founded1846
Founder Bir Narsingh Kunwar (Jung Bahadur Rana)
Final headMohan Shumsher Rana
TitlesShree Teen Maharaja of Nepal, Maharaja of Lamjung and Kaski
Motto
"Janani Janmabhumishcha Swargadapi Gariyasi"
Mother and Motherland are superior to heaven
PropertiesRana palaces of Nepal
Dissolution1951

The Rana dynasty descended from the Kunwar family, a nobility of the Gorkha Kingdom.[11] Due to the marital lineages with the politically reigning Thapa dynasty (of Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa) from early 19th century, Ranas gained entry to central Darbar politics.[12][5] Ranas were also linked to a minor faction of the Pande dynasty of Gorkha through the Thapa dynasty.[5]

Origins

Chronicler Daniel Wright has published the genealogy of Jang Bahadur Kunwar Rana. The genealogy begins with Tattā Rāṇā as Raja (King) of Chittaurgarh.[4] His nephew Fakht Siṃha Rāṇā had a son named Rāma Siṃha Rāṇā, who came to hills after the siege of Chittaur.[4] He was employed by a hill Raja for ten or twelve months who wanted to retain Rāma Siṃha in his country. The hill Raja asked for the daughter of Raja of Bīnātī, a Bagāle Kṣetrī and married her to Rāma Siṃha.[4] They had six sons over 10–12 years, one of whom was recognized by the title of Kum̐vara Khaḍkā for bravery displayed in the battle against Raja of Satān Koṭ.[4] The title was used by his descendants. Rāma Siṃha was suddenly met by his younger brother who requested him to return Chittaur for once and Rāma Siṃha died reaching there.[13] The hill Raja made Rāma Siṃha's son Rāut Kunwar a nobleman (Sardār) and commandant of the army.[13] Ahirāma Kunwar, a son of Rāut Kunwar, was invited by King of Kaski and was made nobleman with a birta or jagir of Dhuage Saghu village.[13] King of Kaski asked the hand of Ahirāma's daughter, who was a great beauty through only Kalas Puja to which Ahirāma replied to give his daughter only through lawful marriage.[13] King brought his troops and tried to take on the village by force.[13] Ahirāma was supported by the villagers belonging to Parājulī Thāpā caste and a war was initiated.[13] On the same day, Ahirāma took his immediate family including two sons namely; Ram Krishna Kunwar and Jaya Krishna Kunwar, to King of Gorkha, Prithvi Narayan Shah where lands of Kunwar-Khola was given to them as birta.[14]

John Whelpton opines that Kunwar origin legend which states that first of their ancestors to enter hill married a daughter of Bagale Kshetri might have directed their family links to Bagale Thapa, the clan of Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa.[15]

Rana dynasts; Prabhakar, Gautam and Pashupati Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana claim the descent of Ranas of Nepal from Kunwar Kumbhakaran Singh, younger brother of Guhila King of Mewar, Rawal Ratnasimha. During the first siege of Chittorgarh in 1303 A.D., Kumbhakaran Singh's descendants left Mewar to north towards Himalayan foothills according to the book " Rana's Of Nepal" where the preface is written by Arvind Singh Mewar.[16][17] The Rana dynasty claimed to be Rajputs of western Indian origin, rather than the native Khas Kshatriyas despite they spoke Khas language and attempted to disassociate from their Khas past.[18] Also, many historians are of the opinion that ruling families in Nepal often claim Indian Rajput descent for the political purposes.[19] The Ranas claimed the Vatsa gotra.[2]

Historical background

Further information: Kunwar family
 
Sardar Ram Krishna Kunwar, prominent male ancestor of Ranas of Nepal

The founder of this dynasty was Jang Bahadur Kunwar Rana, who belonged to the Kunwar family,[11] which was then considered a noble family of Kshatriya status.[11] Jang Bahadur was a son of Gorkhali governor Bal Narsingh Kunwar and nephew of Mathabarsingh Thapa,[12] the reigning Prime Minister of Nepal (1843–1845) from the Thapa dynasty.[20] Bal Narsingh Kunwar was the son of Kaji Ranajit Kunwar and grandson of Sardar Ram Krishna Kunwar,[21] who was prominent military general of King Prithvi Narayan Shah.[22][23] Ram Krishna Kunwar was born to Ahiram Kunwar.[21] There were ample of rewards and recognitions received by Sardar Ram Krishna Kunwar from the Gorkhali monarch Prithvi Narayan.[24] His grandson Bal Narsingh was initially a follower of the renounced King Rana Bahadur Shah and Kaji Bhimsen Thapa, and followed the King in his exile to Banaras on 1 May 1800.[25] On the night of 25 April 1806, King Rana Bahadur was killed by step-brother Sher Bahadur in desperation after which Bal Narsingh immediately killed the King's assassin.[26][27][28] He was a close ally of the influential minister Bhimsen Thapa,[26] who initiated a great massacre at Bhandarkhal garden following the chaos from the King's murder.[29][30][31] Following closeness to Mukhtiyar Bhimsen, he became the son-in-law of Bhimsen's brother Kaji Nain Singh Thapa of Thapa dynasty.[5] The close relatives and supporters of Thapa faction replaced the old courtiers and administrators.[29] The Kunwar family came to power being relatives of powerful Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa. Similarly, Kunwars were related to Pande dynasty by their maternal grandmother Rana Kumari Pande who was daughter of Mulkaji Ranajit Pande.[5]

Rise of Jung Bahadur

 
Jung Bahadur Kunwar Ranaji, founder of Rana dynasty

Bal Narsingh's son Kaji Jung Bahadur Kunwar became a significant person in the central politics of Nepal during the prime ministership of his uncle Mathabar Singh Thapa.[22] On 17 May 1845 around 11 pm, Mathabar Singh was summoned to the royal palace and was assassinated in a cold blood by Jung Bahadur on the royal orders.[22] He was considered to have been merciless, ruthless and fatal due to his association with Mathabar Singh.[22] Jung Bahadur was made a Kaji (equivalent to minister) after following the order of assassination of Mathabar.[11]

On the night of 14 September 1846, Queen Rajya Lakshmi Devi summoned the courtiers on the mysterious murderer of her aide General Kaji Gagan Singh, to which courtiers hurried to the Kot quickly.[32] Many of the courtiers were unarmed except for a sword, as they had responded immediately to the royal summons. The armies allocated by Jung Bahadur Rana also had taken most of the arms of courtiers who had managed to bring them. Queen Rajya Lakshmi Devi and King Rajendra Bikram Shah were also present in the Kot.[33] Queen Rajya Lakshmi demanded the execution of Kaji Bir Keshar (Kishor) Pande on alleged suspicion to which General Abhiman Singh Rana Magar looked towards King for confirmation. Jang misinformed Queen that Abhiman Singh's troops were arriving for overpowering the Queen's faction and demanded an immediate arrest.[11] Abhiman tried to force his way out and was killed by Jung's soldier. In the chaos followed, Jung and his brothers began bloodshed and many rival nobles and courtiers were eliminated by them.[34] The letter to British Resident Henry Montgomery Lawrence stated that there were 32 Bharadars (courtiers) killed in the massacre.[35]

Kot massacre episode

When Jang Bahadur refused the Junior Queen's request to place Prince Ranendra in the place of Crown Prince Surendra of Nepal, the Queen secretly contacted the victims of Kot and conspired to assassinate Jung Bahadur in the royal Bhandarkhal garden. After receiving a command from the Queen to come to Bhandarkhal, Jang Bahadur took his fully armed troops and headed towards the garden. The troops killed the chief conspirator, Birdhwaj Basnyat on the way, and marched towards Bhandarkhal where seeing Jang Bahadur approach fully armed with his troops, the other conspirators started to flee. 23 people were killed in the massacre while 15 escaped.[36] In the 23rd of September 1846, all officers of military and bureaucracy were called upon to their respective offices within 10 days. Then, Jung Bahadur appointed his brothers and nephews to the highest ranks of the government.[37] He consolidated the position of premiership after conducting Kot massacre (Kot Parva) and Bhandarkhal Parva[38] on the basic templates provided by his maternal grand-uncle Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa.[12]

Rana Regime; Rule of Jang

After the massacres of Kot and Bhandarkhal, the Thapas, Pandes, Basnyats and other citizens had settled in Banaras. Similarly, some citizens had gone to settle in Nautanwa and Bettiah. Chautariya Guru Prasad Shah too had gone to live with the King of Bettiah. After knowing about the presence of the King and the Queen in Benaras, Guru Prasad went there and started to congregate an army and a plan to execute Jung Bahadur started to be formed.[37]

Battle of Alau

On 12 May 1847, Jung Bahadur gave a speech in Tundikhel. There he accused the King of the attempted assassination of the Prince and the Prime Minister. The Council then decided to dethrone King Rajendra deeming him mentally ill, and on the same day Surendra was crowned as the new king of Nepal. Hearing the news of the coronation of Surendra, Rajendra decided to take the responsibility of removing Jung Bahadur upon himself and declaring himself as the leader of the army, he left Benaras. Rajendra then appointed Guru Prasad Shah as the Chief of the Army for the operation of removal of Jung Bahadur Rana from Nepal and started to accumulate weapons and training the troops. Antagonism from the British-India Company forced Rajendra and his troops to enter Nepal. On 23 July, the troops reached a village called Alau in Bara and set a camp there. One spy group of the Government of Nepal was keeping close eyes on the event of the rebel groups at Bettiah. They sent the news to Jung Bahadur, immediately after which he sent a troop in the leadership of Sanak Singh Tandon to Alau. They were told to suppress the rebellions, arrest Rajendra and bring him to Kathmandu. On 27 July, the Gorakhnath Paltan (Gorakhnath Battalion) reached and rested in a village called Simraungadh, not too far from Alau. The battle of Alau was a decisive one between the forces of King Rajendra and Jang Bahadur. The King lost significantly in the battle. If the massacre of Kot had established Jung Bahadur as a dictator, the battle of Alau had helped him strengthen his dictatorship. Rajendra was imprisoned in an old palace in Bhaktapur.[37]

Rise to royalty

On 15 May 1848, a Lal Mohar (Red sealed document) was issued claiming descent from Ranas of Mewar and authorizing the Kunwar family of Jang Bahadur to style themselves as Kunwar Ranaji.[39] On 6 August 1856, Jang Bahadur Kunwar (now Ranaji) was conferred the title of Maharaja (Great King) of Kaski and Lamjung, two former hill principalities, by King of Nepal, Surendra Bikram Shah.[40]

Rana Regime; Rule of the Shamshers

 
Bir Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana, the first Shumsher Rana ruler

In 1885, the Shumsher family, the nephews of Jung Bahadur Kunwar Rana, murdered many of the sons of Jung Bahadur and took over Nepal in a military coup d'état thus bringing in the rule of the Shumsher Rana family also known as the Satra Bhai (17 brothers) Rana family. They murdered Ranodip Singh Kunwar and occupied the hereditary throne of Prime Minister. After this they added Jang Bahadur to their name, although they were descended from Jang's younger brother Dhir Shumsher.[5]

Kunwar family tree

Ram Krishna Kunwar
Ranajit Kunwar
Bal Narsingh KunwarBalaram KunwarRewant Kunwar
Bhakta Bir KunwarJang Bahadur KunwarBam Bahadur KunwarBadri Narsingh KunwarJaya Bahadur KunwarKrishna Bahadur KunwarRanauddip Singh KunwarJagat Shamsher KunwarDhir Shamsher Kunwar

Rana Prime Ministers

Nine Rana rulers took the hereditary office(s) of Prime Minister, Supreme Commander-in-Chief and Grand Master of the Royal Orders. All were crowned as the Maharaja of Lamjung and Kaski.

Succession

Succession to the role of the Prime Ministers and the title of Shree Teen Maharaja of Nepal and Maharaja of Lamjung and Kaski was by agnatic seniority, by which the oldest male heir among the sons of equal (a-class) marriages in a generation would succeed. The order of succession was determined by seniority, with each eligible male heir holding a military command, as follows:

  1. Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief (Mukhtiyar the Heir Apparent, with the rank of Field Marshal).
  2. Western Commanding-General.
  3. Eastern Commanding-General.
  4. Southern Commanding-General.
  5. Northern Commanding-General.

Notable Rana members

Other notable connected members

Gallery

  •  

    Major-General Vishnu Shamsher Rana and wife

  •  

    Commanding General Babar Shumsher Rana and family

  •  

    Dhir Shamsher Rana and sons make up Shamsher Rana dynasty

  •  

    Chandra Shamsher and sons

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ Founder of this dynasty, Jang Bahadur Kunwar Rana, was a noble of Khas community[1] and he belonged to the Kunwar family of Gorkha which was historically a Khadka[2] and a Chhetri clan.[3] Kunwar genealogy also states the title of 'Kunwar Khadka' taken by the ancestors of the Kunwar family.[4] They also had marital relations with other Chhetri families as Thapa dynasty of Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa and Pande dynasty of Ranajit Pande.[5]

Notes

  1. ^ Dor Bahadur Bista 1991, p. 37.
  2. ^ a b Sharma Baral 1964, p. 111.
  3. ^ Regmi 1975, p. 90.
  4. ^ a b c d e Wright 1877, p. 285.
  5. ^ a b c d e f JBR, PurushottamShamsher (1990). Shree Teen Haruko Tathya Britanta (in Nepali). Bhotahity, Kathmandu: Vidarthi Pustak Bhandar. ISBN 978-99933-39-91-5.
  6. ^ Van PraaghD (2003). Greater Game. MQUP. p. 319. ISBN 978-0-7735-7130-3. from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  7. ^ Dietrich, Angela (1996). "Buddhist Monks and Rana Rulers: A History of Persecution". Buddhist Himalaya: A Journal of Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods. from the original on 1 October 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  8. ^ Lal, C. K. (16 February 2001). "The Rana resonance". Nepali Times. from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  9. ^ "The Rana reign | Nepali Times Buzz | Nepali Times".
  10. ^ Kraemer, Karl-Heinz. "Democratization and political parties in Nepal". Harvard University. from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  11. ^ a b c d e Joshi & Rose 1966, p. 30.
  12. ^ a b c Acharya 2012, p. 11-12.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Wright 1877, p. 286.
  14. ^ Wright 1877, pp. 286–87.
  15. ^ Whelpton 1991, p. 36.
  16. ^ Rana, Prabhakar S. J. B.; Rana, Pashupati Shumshere Jung Bahadur; Rana, Gautam S. J. B. (2003). "THE RANAS OF NEPAL".
  17. ^ "Ranas Of Nepal". 2003.
  18. ^ Richard Burghart 1984, pp. 118–119.
  19. ^ Nagendra Kr Singh (1997). Nepal: Refugee to Ruler : a Militant Race of Nepal. APH Publishing. pp. 1–2. ISBN 978-81-7024-847-7.
  20. ^ Acharya 2012, p. 177-178.
  21. ^ a b Pradhan 2012, p. 193.
  22. ^ a b c d Adhikari 1984, p. 27.
  23. ^ Hamal 1995, pp. 180–181.
  24. ^ Hamal 1995, p. 181.
  25. ^ Pradhan 2012, p. 13.
  26. ^ a b Acharya 2012, p. 67.
  27. ^ Nepal 2007, pp. 62–63.
  28. ^ Pradhan 2012, pp. 27–28.
  29. ^ a b Pradhan 2012, p. 28.
  30. ^ Acharya 2012, pp. 68–71.
  31. ^ Nepal 2007, pp. 63–64.
  32. ^ Acharya 2013, pp. 137.
  33. ^ Acharya 2013, pp. 137–145.
  34. ^ Joshi & Rose 1966, pp. 30–31.
  35. ^ Stiller 1981, pp. 304–306.
  36. ^ Jung, Padma (1909). Life of Maharaja Sir Jung Bahadur Rana. Allahabad. pp. 88.
  37. ^ a b c Rana, Pramod Shumsher (2009). Ranashasanko Britanta. Kathmandu: Pairavi Book House. pp. 31, 32, 44. ISBN 9789994630721.
  38. ^ Rana, Purushottam S.J.B. (1998). Jung Bahadur Rana: the story of his rise and glory. Book Faith India. p. 150. ISBN 978-81-7303-087-1.
  39. ^ Whelpton 1991, p. 253.
  40. ^ Whelpton 1991, p. 192.

Bibliography

  • Acharya, Baburam (2013). The Bloodstained Throne: Struggles for Power in Nepal (1775–1914). New Delhi: Penguin Books Ltd. ISBN 978-0-14-341637-1.
  • Acharya, Baburam (2012), Acharya, Shri Krishna (ed.), Janaral Bhimsen Thapa : Yinko Utthan Tatha Pattan (in Nepali), Kathmandu: Education Book House, p. 228, ISBN 9789937241748
  • Adhikari, Krishna Kant (1984), Nepal Under Jang Bahadur, 1846–1877, vol. 1, Nepal: Buku, ISBN 9788180698132
  • Dor Bahadur Bista (1991). Fatalism and Development: Nepal's Struggle for Modernization. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-81-250-0188-1.
  • Hamal, Lakshman B. (1995). Military history of Nepal. Sharda Pustak Mandir. p. 125. OCLC 32779233.
  • Joshi, Bhuwan Lal; Rose, Leo E. (1966). Democratic Innovations in Nepal: Case Study of Political Acculturation. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-00622-5.
  • Nepal, Gyanmani (2007), Nepal ko Mahabharat (in Nepali) (3rd ed.), Kathmandu: Sajha, p. 314, ISBN 9789993325857
  • Pradhan, Kumar L. (2012), Thapa Politics in Nepal: With Special Reference to Bhim Sen Thapa, 1806–1839, New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company, p. 278, ISBN 9788180698132
  • Regmi, Mahesh Chandra (1 May 1975), "Preliminary Notes on the Nature of Rana Law and Government" (PDF), Regmi Research Series, 7 (5): 88–97
  • Richard Burghart (1984). "The Formation of the Concept of Nation-State in Nepal". The Journal of Asian Studies. 44 (1): 101–125. doi:10.2307/2056748. JSTOR 2056748.
  • Sharma Baral, Leelanatheshwar (1964), Life and Writings of Prithvinarayan Shah (PDF), University of London
  • Stiller, Ludwig F. (1981), Letters from Kathmandu: The Kot Massacre, Research Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur
  • Vaidya, Tulsi Ram (1993), Prithvinaryan Shah, the founder of Nepal, Anmol Publications, ISBN 9788170417019
  • Whelpton, John (1991). Kings, soldiers, and priests: Nepalese politics and the rise of Jang Bahadur Rana, 1830–1857. Manohar Publications. p. 254. ISBN 9788185425641.
  • Wright, Daniel (1877), History of Nepal, Cambridge University Press

External links

  • Friend in need:1857, Friendship forgotten:1887 William Digby
  • Old pictures of Nepal from Rana Dynasty

March 24, 2023
rana, dynasty, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, september, 2. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Rana dynasty news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message Rana dynasty Nepali र ण व श Sanskrit pronunciation raːɳaː ʋɐ ɕɐ Nepali pronunciation raɳa bʌŋsʌ was a Chhetri note 1 dynasty that 6 imposed totalitarianism in the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1951 reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making Prime Minister and other government positions held by the Ranas hereditary They claimed Kshatriya status themselves 7 8 Rana dynasty is historically known for the iron fisted rule 9 This changed after the Revolution of 1951 with the promulgation of a new constitution when power shifted back to the monarchy of King Tribhuvan 10 Rana dynastyर ण व शRanas of NepalParent familyKunwar familyCountryKingdom of NepalFounded1846FounderBir Narsingh Kunwar Jung Bahadur Rana Final headMohan Shumsher RanaTitlesShree Teen Maharaja of Nepal Maharaja of Lamjung and KaskiMotto Janani Janmabhumishcha Swargadapi Gariyasi Mother and Motherland are superior to heavenPropertiesRana palaces of NepalDissolution1951The Rana dynasty descended from the Kunwar family a nobility of the Gorkha Kingdom 11 Due to the marital lineages with the politically reigning Thapa dynasty of Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa from early 19th century Ranas gained entry to central Darbar politics 12 5 Ranas were also linked to a minor faction of the Pande dynasty of Gorkha through the Thapa dynasty 5 Contents 1 Origins 2 Historical background 2 1 Rise of Jung Bahadur 2 2 Kot massacre episode 3 Rana Regime Rule of Jang 3 1 Battle of Alau 3 2 Rise to royalty 4 Rana Regime Rule of the Shamshers 5 Kunwar family tree 6 Rana Prime Ministers 6 1 Succession 7 Notable Rana members 7 1 Other notable connected members 8 Gallery 9 See also 10 References 10 1 Footnotes 10 2 Notes 10 3 Bibliography 11 External linksOrigins EditChronicler Daniel Wright has published the genealogy of Jang Bahadur Kunwar Rana The genealogy begins with Tatta Raṇa as Raja King of Chittaurgarh 4 His nephew Fakht Siṃha Raṇa had a son named Rama Siṃha Raṇa who came to hills after the siege of Chittaur 4 He was employed by a hill Raja for ten or twelve months who wanted to retain Rama Siṃha in his country The hill Raja asked for the daughter of Raja of Binati a Bagale Kṣetri and married her to Rama Siṃha 4 They had six sons over 10 12 years one of whom was recognized by the title of Kum vara Khaḍka for bravery displayed in the battle against Raja of Satan Koṭ 4 The title was used by his descendants Rama Siṃha was suddenly met by his younger brother who requested him to return Chittaur for once and Rama Siṃha died reaching there 13 The hill Raja made Rama Siṃha s son Raut Kunwar a nobleman Sardar and commandant of the army 13 Ahirama Kunwar a son of Raut Kunwar was invited by King of Kaski and was made nobleman with a birta or jagir of Dhuage Saghu village 13 King of Kaski asked the hand of Ahirama s daughter who was a great beauty through only Kalas Puja to which Ahirama replied to give his daughter only through lawful marriage 13 King brought his troops and tried to take on the village by force 13 Ahirama was supported by the villagers belonging to Parajuli Thapa caste and a war was initiated 13 On the same day Ahirama took his immediate family including two sons namely Ram Krishna Kunwar and Jaya Krishna Kunwar to King of Gorkha Prithvi Narayan Shah where lands of Kunwar Khola was given to them as birta 14 John Whelpton opines that Kunwar origin legend which states that first of their ancestors to enter hill married a daughter of Bagale Kshetri might have directed their family links to Bagale Thapa the clan of Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa 15 Rana dynasts Prabhakar Gautam and Pashupati Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana claim the descent of Ranas of Nepal from Kunwar Kumbhakaran Singh younger brother of Guhila King of Mewar Rawal Ratnasimha During the first siege of Chittorgarh in 1303 A D Kumbhakaran Singh s descendants left Mewar to north towards Himalayan foothills according to the book Rana s Of Nepal where the preface is written by Arvind Singh Mewar 16 17 The Rana dynasty claimed to be Rajputs of western Indian origin rather than the native Khas Kshatriyas despite they spoke Khas language and attempted to disassociate from their Khas past 18 Also many historians are of the opinion that ruling families in Nepal often claim Indian Rajput descent for the political purposes 19 The Ranas claimed the Vatsa gotra 2 Historical background EditFurther information Kunwar family Sardar Ram Krishna Kunwar prominent male ancestor of Ranas of Nepal The founder of this dynasty was Jang Bahadur Kunwar Rana who belonged to the Kunwar family 11 which was then considered a noble family of Kshatriya status 11 Jang Bahadur was a son of Gorkhali governor Bal Narsingh Kunwar and nephew of Mathabarsingh Thapa 12 the reigning Prime Minister of Nepal 1843 1845 from the Thapa dynasty 20 Bal Narsingh Kunwar was the son of Kaji Ranajit Kunwar and grandson of Sardar Ram Krishna Kunwar 21 who was prominent military general of King Prithvi Narayan Shah 22 23 Ram Krishna Kunwar was born to Ahiram Kunwar 21 There were ample of rewards and recognitions received by Sardar Ram Krishna Kunwar from the Gorkhali monarch Prithvi Narayan 24 His grandson Bal Narsingh was initially a follower of the renounced King Rana Bahadur Shah and Kaji Bhimsen Thapa and followed the King in his exile to Banaras on 1 May 1800 25 On the night of 25 April 1806 King Rana Bahadur was killed by step brother Sher Bahadur in desperation after which Bal Narsingh immediately killed the King s assassin 26 27 28 He was a close ally of the influential minister Bhimsen Thapa 26 who initiated a great massacre at Bhandarkhal garden following the chaos from the King s murder 29 30 31 Following closeness to Mukhtiyar Bhimsen he became the son in law of Bhimsen s brother Kaji Nain Singh Thapa of Thapa dynasty 5 The close relatives and supporters of Thapa faction replaced the old courtiers and administrators 29 The Kunwar family came to power being relatives of powerful Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa Similarly Kunwars were related to Pande dynasty by their maternal grandmother Rana Kumari Pande who was daughter of Mulkaji Ranajit Pande 5 Rise of Jung Bahadur Edit Jung Bahadur Kunwar Ranaji founder of Rana dynasty Bal Narsingh s son Kaji Jung Bahadur Kunwar became a significant person in the central politics of Nepal during the prime ministership of his uncle Mathabar Singh Thapa 22 On 17 May 1845 around 11 pm Mathabar Singh was summoned to the royal palace and was assassinated in a cold blood by Jung Bahadur on the royal orders 22 He was considered to have been merciless ruthless and fatal due to his association with Mathabar Singh 22 Jung Bahadur was made a Kaji equivalent to minister after following the order of assassination of Mathabar 11 On the night of 14 September 1846 Queen Rajya Lakshmi Devi summoned the courtiers on the mysterious murderer of her aide General Kaji Gagan Singh to which courtiers hurried to the Kot quickly 32 Many of the courtiers were unarmed except for a sword as they had responded immediately to the royal summons The armies allocated by Jung Bahadur Rana also had taken most of the arms of courtiers who had managed to bring them Queen Rajya Lakshmi Devi and King Rajendra Bikram Shah were also present in the Kot 33 Queen Rajya Lakshmi demanded the execution of Kaji Bir Keshar Kishor Pande on alleged suspicion to which General Abhiman Singh Rana Magar looked towards King for confirmation Jang misinformed Queen that Abhiman Singh s troops were arriving for overpowering the Queen s faction and demanded an immediate arrest 11 Abhiman tried to force his way out and was killed by Jung s soldier In the chaos followed Jung and his brothers began bloodshed and many rival nobles and courtiers were eliminated by them 34 The letter to British Resident Henry Montgomery Lawrence stated that there were 32 Bharadars courtiers killed in the massacre 35 Kot massacre episode Edit When Jang Bahadur refused the Junior Queen s request to place Prince Ranendra in the place of Crown Prince Surendra of Nepal the Queen secretly contacted the victims of Kot and conspired to assassinate Jung Bahadur in the royal Bhandarkhal garden After receiving a command from the Queen to come to Bhandarkhal Jang Bahadur took his fully armed troops and headed towards the garden The troops killed the chief conspirator Birdhwaj Basnyat on the way and marched towards Bhandarkhal where seeing Jang Bahadur approach fully armed with his troops the other conspirators started to flee 23 people were killed in the massacre while 15 escaped 36 In the 23rd of September 1846 all officers of military and bureaucracy were called upon to their respective offices within 10 days Then Jung Bahadur appointed his brothers and nephews to the highest ranks of the government 37 He consolidated the position of premiership after conducting Kot massacre Kot Parva and Bhandarkhal Parva 38 on the basic templates provided by his maternal grand uncle Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa 12 Rana Regime Rule of Jang EditAfter the massacres of Kot and Bhandarkhal the Thapas Pandes Basnyats and other citizens had settled in Banaras Similarly some citizens had gone to settle in Nautanwa and Bettiah Chautariya Guru Prasad Shah too had gone to live with the King of Bettiah After knowing about the presence of the King and the Queen in Benaras Guru Prasad went there and started to congregate an army and a plan to execute Jung Bahadur started to be formed 37 Battle of Alau Edit On 12 May 1847 Jung Bahadur gave a speech in Tundikhel There he accused the King of the attempted assassination of the Prince and the Prime Minister The Council then decided to dethrone King Rajendra deeming him mentally ill and on the same day Surendra was crowned as the new king of Nepal Hearing the news of the coronation of Surendra Rajendra decided to take the responsibility of removing Jung Bahadur upon himself and declaring himself as the leader of the army he left Benaras Rajendra then appointed Guru Prasad Shah as the Chief of the Army for the operation of removal of Jung Bahadur Rana from Nepal and started to accumulate weapons and training the troops Antagonism from the British India Company forced Rajendra and his troops to enter Nepal On 23 July the troops reached a village called Alau in Bara and set a camp there One spy group of the Government of Nepal was keeping close eyes on the event of the rebel groups at Bettiah They sent the news to Jung Bahadur immediately after which he sent a troop in the leadership of Sanak Singh Tandon to Alau They were told to suppress the rebellions arrest Rajendra and bring him to Kathmandu On 27 July the Gorakhnath Paltan Gorakhnath Battalion reached and rested in a village called Simraungadh not too far from Alau The battle of Alau was a decisive one between the forces of King Rajendra and Jang Bahadur The King lost significantly in the battle If the massacre of Kot had established Jung Bahadur as a dictator the battle of Alau had helped him strengthen his dictatorship Rajendra was imprisoned in an old palace in Bhaktapur 37 Rise to royalty Edit On 15 May 1848 a Lal Mohar Red sealed document was issued claiming descent from Ranas of Mewar and authorizing the Kunwar family of Jang Bahadur to style themselves as Kunwar Ranaji 39 On 6 August 1856 Jang Bahadur Kunwar now Ranaji was conferred the title of Maharaja Great King of Kaski and Lamjung two former hill principalities by King of Nepal Surendra Bikram Shah 40 Rana Regime Rule of the Shamshers Edit Bir Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana the first Shumsher Rana ruler In 1885 the Shumsher family the nephews of Jung Bahadur Kunwar Rana murdered many of the sons of Jung Bahadur and took over Nepal in a military coup d etat thus bringing in the rule of the Shumsher Rana family also known as the Satra Bhai 17 brothers Rana family They murdered Ranodip Singh Kunwar and occupied the hereditary throne of Prime Minister After this they added Jang Bahadur to their name although they were descended from Jang s younger brother Dhir Shumsher 5 Kunwar family tree EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed June 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Ram Krishna KunwarRanajit KunwarBal Narsingh KunwarBalaram KunwarRewant KunwarBhakta Bir KunwarJang Bahadur KunwarBam Bahadur KunwarBadri Narsingh KunwarJaya Bahadur KunwarKrishna Bahadur KunwarRanauddip Singh KunwarJagat Shamsher KunwarDhir Shamsher KunwarRana Prime Ministers EditNine Rana rulers took the hereditary office s of Prime Minister Supreme Commander in Chief and Grand Master of the Royal Orders All were crowned as the Maharaja of Lamjung and Kaski Ranajit Kunwar Rana 1723 1815 Bal Narsingh Kunwar Rana 1783 1841 I Shri Tin Jung Bahadur Kunwar Rana GCB GCSI 18 June 1816 25 February 1877 Prime Minister and C in C 15 September 1846 to 1 August 1856 and from 28 June 1857 until his death Granted the hereditary title of Rana on 5 May 1848 as a suffix to the male members of his family Granted the hereditary title of Maharaja of Lamjung and Kaski to be enjoyed offspring to offspring and the hereditary offices of Prime Minister and C in C to be enjoyed in succession by his surviving brothers his sons then his nephews 6 August 1856 Received a salute of 19 guns from the British Bam Bahadur Kunwar Rana 1818 25 May 1857 Prime Minister 1 August 1856 25 May 1857 II Shri Tin Ranodip Singh Kunwar aka Ranodip Singh Rana KCSI 3 April 1825 assassinated 22 November 1885 Ruled 25 February 1877 to 22 November 1885 General Sri Dhir Shumsher Kunwar Rana 1828 1884 III Shri Tin Bir Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana GCSI 10 December 1852 5 March 1901 Ruled 22 November 1885 to 5 March 1901 IV Shri Tin Dev Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana 17 July 1862 20 February 1914 Ruled 5 March to 27 June 1901 when as a result of his progressive nature he was deposed by his relatives and exiled to India V Shri Tin Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana GCB GCSI GCMG GCVO 8 July 1863 26 November 1929 Ruled 27 June 1901 to 26 November 1929 IX Shri Tin Mohan Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana GCB GCIE GBE 23 December 1885 6 January 1967 Ruled 30 April 1948 to 18 February 1951 at which date he was divested of his titles and later went to India VI Shri Tin Bhim Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana GCSI GCMG KCVO 16 April 1865 1 September 1932 Ruled 26 November 1929 to 1 September 1932 VIII Shri Tin Padma Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana GCSI GCIE GBE 5 December 1882 11 April 1961 Ruled 29 November 1945 to 30 April 1948 whereupon he abdicated in favor of his cousin VII Shri Tin Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana GCB GCSI GCIE 19 April 1875 20 November 1952 Ruled 1 September 1932 to 29 November 1945 whereupon he abdicated in favour of his nephew Succession Edit Succession to the role of the Prime Ministers and the title of Shree Teen Maharaja of Nepal and Maharaja of Lamjung and Kaski was by agnatic seniority by which the oldest male heir among the sons of equal a class marriages in a generation would succeed The order of succession was determined by seniority with each eligible male heir holding a military command as follows Prime Minister and Commander in Chief Mukhtiyar the Heir Apparent with the rank of Field Marshal Western Commanding General Eastern Commanding General Southern Commanding General Northern Commanding General Notable Rana members EditJang Bahadur Kunwar Rana Bam Bahadur Kunwar Ranodip Singh Kunwar Bir Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana Dev Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana Bhim Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana Juddha Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana Rudra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana Padma Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana Baber Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana Kaiser Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana Kiran Shamsher Rana Nir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana Toran Shumsher J B R Nara Shumsher J B R Ratna Shumsher J B R Pradip Shumsher J B R Satchit Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana Pashupati Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana Madhukar Shamsher Rana Om Bikram Rana Gaurav Shumsher JB Rana Udaya Shumsher Rana Himalaya Shamsher Rana Prabhakar Shamsher RanaOther notable connected members Edit Ranajit Pande maternal grandfather of Ganesh Kumari mother of Jung Bahadur Rana George Jivaji Rao Scindia father in law of Pashupati Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana Prithvi Bahadur Pande son in law of Himalaya Shamsher JBRGallery Edit Major General Vishnu Shamsher Rana and wife Commanding General Babar Shumsher Rana and family Dhir Shamsher Rana and sons make up Shamsher Rana dynasty Chandra Shamsher and sonsSee also EditLamjang and Kaski Daudaha system Pajani System rajputs of Nepal Rolls of Succession in Rana Nepal History of Nepal Rana palaces of Nepal Thapa dynastyReferences EditFootnotes Edit Founder of this dynasty Jang Bahadur Kunwar Rana was a noble of Khas community 1 and he belonged to the Kunwar family of Gorkha which was historically a Khadka 2 and a Chhetri clan 3 Kunwar genealogy also states the title of Kunwar Khadka taken by the ancestors of the Kunwar family 4 They also had marital relations with other Chhetri families as Thapa dynasty of Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa and Pande dynasty of Ranajit Pande 5 Notes Edit Dor Bahadur Bista 1991 p 37 a b Sharma Baral 1964 p 111 Regmi 1975 p 90 a b c d e Wright 1877 p 285 a b c d e f JBR PurushottamShamsher 1990 Shree Teen Haruko Tathya Britanta in Nepali Bhotahity Kathmandu Vidarthi Pustak Bhandar ISBN 978 99933 39 91 5 Van PraaghD 2003 Greater Game MQUP p 319 ISBN 978 0 7735 7130 3 Archived from the original on 11 September 2017 Retrieved 11 September 2017 Dietrich Angela 1996 Buddhist Monks and Rana Rulers A History of Persecution Buddhist Himalaya A Journal of Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods Archived from the original on 1 October 2013 Retrieved 17 September 2013 Lal C K 16 February 2001 The Rana resonance Nepali Times Archived from the original on 28 September 2013 Retrieved 17 September 2013 The Rana reign Nepali Times Buzz Nepali Times Kraemer Karl Heinz Democratization and political parties in Nepal Harvard University Archived from the original on 24 May 2013 Retrieved 25 November 2012 a b c d e Joshi amp Rose 1966 p 30 a b c Acharya 2012 p 11 12 a b c d e f Wright 1877 p 286 Wright 1877 pp 286 87 Whelpton 1991 p 36 Rana Prabhakar S J B Rana Pashupati Shumshere Jung Bahadur Rana Gautam S J B 2003 THE RANAS OF NEPAL Ranas Of Nepal 2003 Richard Burghart 1984 pp 118 119 Nagendra Kr Singh 1997 Nepal Refugee to Ruler a Militant Race of Nepal APH Publishing pp 1 2 ISBN 978 81 7024 847 7 Acharya 2012 p 177 178 a b Pradhan 2012 p 193 a b c d Adhikari 1984 p 27 Hamal 1995 pp 180 181 Hamal 1995 p 181 Pradhan 2012 p 13 a b Acharya 2012 p 67 Nepal 2007 pp 62 63 Pradhan 2012 pp 27 28 a b Pradhan 2012 p 28 Acharya 2012 pp 68 71 Nepal 2007 pp 63 64 Acharya 2013 pp 137 Acharya 2013 pp 137 145 Joshi amp Rose 1966 pp 30 31 Stiller 1981 pp 304 306 Jung Padma 1909 Life of Maharaja Sir Jung Bahadur Rana Allahabad pp 88 a b c Rana Pramod Shumsher 2009 Ranashasanko Britanta Kathmandu Pairavi Book House pp 31 32 44 ISBN 9789994630721 Rana Purushottam S J B 1998 Jung Bahadur Rana the story of his rise and glory Book Faith India p 150 ISBN 978 81 7303 087 1 Whelpton 1991 p 253 Whelpton 1991 p 192 Bibliography Edit Acharya Baburam 2013 The Bloodstained Throne Struggles for Power in Nepal 1775 1914 New Delhi Penguin Books Ltd ISBN 978 0 14 341637 1 Acharya Baburam 2012 Acharya Shri Krishna ed Janaral Bhimsen Thapa Yinko Utthan Tatha Pattan in Nepali Kathmandu Education Book House p 228 ISBN 9789937241748 Adhikari Krishna Kant 1984 Nepal Under Jang Bahadur 1846 1877 vol 1 Nepal Buku ISBN 9788180698132 Dor Bahadur Bista 1991 Fatalism and Development Nepal s Struggle for Modernization Orient Blackswan ISBN 978 81 250 0188 1 Hamal Lakshman B 1995 Military history of Nepal Sharda Pustak Mandir p 125 OCLC 32779233 Joshi Bhuwan Lal Rose Leo E 1966 Democratic Innovations in Nepal Case Study of Political Acculturation Berkeley University of California Press ISBN 978 0 520 00622 5 Nepal Gyanmani 2007 Nepal ko Mahabharat in Nepali 3rd ed Kathmandu Sajha p 314 ISBN 9789993325857 Pradhan Kumar L 2012 Thapa Politics in Nepal With Special Reference to Bhim Sen Thapa 1806 1839 New Delhi Concept Publishing Company p 278 ISBN 9788180698132 Regmi Mahesh Chandra 1 May 1975 Preliminary Notes on the Nature of Rana Law and Government PDF Regmi Research Series 7 5 88 97 Richard Burghart 1984 The Formation of the Concept of Nation State in Nepal The Journal of Asian Studies 44 1 101 125 doi 10 2307 2056748 JSTOR 2056748 Sharma Baral Leelanatheshwar 1964 Life and Writings of Prithvinarayan Shah PDF University of London Stiller Ludwig F 1981 Letters from Kathmandu The Kot Massacre Research Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies Tribhuvan University Kirtipur Vaidya Tulsi Ram 1993 Prithvinaryan Shah the founder of Nepal Anmol Publications ISBN 9788170417019 Whelpton John 1991 Kings soldiers and priests Nepalese politics and the rise of Jang Bahadur Rana 1830 1857 Manohar Publications p 254 ISBN 9788185425641 Wright Daniel 1877 History of Nepal Cambridge University PressExternal links EditFriend in need 1857 Friendship forgotten 1887 William Digby Old pictures of Nepal from Rana Dynasty Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rana dynasty amp oldid 1142912523, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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