The Shah dynasty (Nepali: शाह वंश), also known as the Shahs of Gorkha or the Royal House of Gorkha, was the ruling ChaubiseThakuri dynasty ;[1] and the founder of Gorkha Kingdom from 1559 to 1768 and later the unified Kingdom of Nepal from 1768 to 28 May 2008.
The Shah dynasty traces their historical ancestor to King of Kaski, Kulamandan Shah Khand, whose grandson Dravya Shah captured the throne of Ligligkot from Khadka kings with the help of accomplices from six resident clans of Majhkot and Ligligkot. Dravya Shah named his new kingdom Gorkha.
The Shah descendants claimed to be of Rajput origin.[1] However, they are ranked as Thakuris.[2] He argues that:
The first family of Gurkhas which now governs Nepal, although it pretends to come from Chittor, according to Sadhu Ram[note 1], a good authority, is, in reality, of the Magar tribe; and, at any rate, these people are now firmly attached to its interests, by having largely shared in the sweets of conquest; and by far the greatest part of the regular troops of that family is composed of this nation.
The family pretends to be of the Pamar tribe; but it is alleged, as I have already explained, that this is a mere fable, and that, on the arrival of the colony from Chitaur, this family were Magars.
Dravya Shah was the youngest son of Yasho Brahma Shah, Raja (King) of Lamjung and grandson of Kulamandan Shah Khad, Raja (King) of Kaski.[6] He became the king of Gorkha with the help of accomplices namely Kaji Ganesh Pandey. He ascended the throne of Gorkha on 1559 A.D. The loose translation of the Nepali work known as the "Wright Chronicle"[7] describes the coronation of Dravya Shah thus:
On Wednesday the 8th of Bhadon Badi, Saka 1481 (A.D. 1559) Rohini Nakshatra (i.e. the moon in the Rohini mansion) being an auspicious day, Drabya Shah aided by Bhagirath Panth, Ganesa Pande, Gangaram Rana, Busal Arjyal, Khanal Bohra and Murli Khawas of Gorkha, concealed himself in a hut. Ganesa Pande had collected all the people of who wore the brahmanical thread such as the Thapas, Busals, Ranas and Maski Ranas of the Magar tribe, they went by the Dahya Gauda route and the Durbar. Drabya Shah killed the Khadka, Raja[note 2] his own hand, with a sword, during the battle ensued. At the same auspicious moment Drabya took his seat on the gaddi, amidst the clash music.
In 1743, Prithvi Narayan Shah became the ruler of Gorkha. He declared war with other principalities, defeating them one by one. In September 1768, he established the unified kingdom of Gorkha. He became the first king of large Gorkha Kingdom. He, his sons and their successors continued fighting and defeating other kingdoms and enlarging the kingdom of Gorkha. In 1814, the Anglo–Nepalese War between Gorkha and the East India Company began. By 1815, the Shah king had been thoroughly defeated. By 1816, Gorkha had lost one-third of its territory. The Shah kings continued to rule as an absolute monarch until 1846 when the political order changed from absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy.
Hereditary prime ministers (1846–1951)
In 1846, the Rana dynasty gained power in Nepal. The Ranas became prime ministers and reduced the King's status to a figurehead position. The Ranas ruled Nepal as hereditary prime ministers though in the name of the figurehead king. In 1950, the Shah king King Tribhuvan went into exile in India. He and his family, including the crown prince Mahendra, later returned. After India became a secular state in 1950, and the remaining rajas retired, Nepal was the only remaining Hindu kingdom. In 1951, with the help of India, a popular politician common man Matrika Prasad Koirala became the prime minister of Nepal. Tribhuvan returned to Kathmandu. The Shah dynasty regained control and the prime minister, Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, resigned. King Tribhuvan ruled until 1955 and King Mahendra ruled until 1972. Mahendra's son, Birendra, became king.
In 1990, under King Birendra, Nepal became a constitutional monarchy after a mass movement from people forced Birendra Shah to restore democracy.[8]
Massacre of the royal family
On 1 June 2001, some members of the Shah dynasty were murdered in the royal palace. A High Commission report concluded that the royal family was slaughtered by Crown Prince Dipendra. This remains controversial.[9] Among the dead were the Crown Prince's father, King Birendra and his brother, Prince Nirajan. After the attack, Dipendra was in a coma and was declared king for a short time. He died a few days later. Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, Dipendra's uncle, took the throne. In February 2005, he dismissed the parliament in order to govern in his own right.
Abolition of the Shah monarchy
On 24 December 2007, Nepal's Provisional Parliament met. It was decided that the monarchy would be abolished in 2008 after the Constituent Assembly elections.[10] The motion enjoyed overwhelming support in the chamber, passing by a 270-vote majority. Of the 329 sitting members of parliament, only three voted against abolishing the monarchy.[11] It was decided that for the time being, Gyanendra would retain his title and continue residing in the Royal Palace, albeit stripped of all political power and authority.[11]
Gyanendra vacated the palace in Kathmandu which later became a museum. Until they could find permanent accommodation, the royal couple were offered residence as commoners at the Nagarjuna Palace, a former royal summer residence. The Nagarjuna palace lies in forested hills about eight kilometres (five miles) northwest of Kathmandu.[citation needed]
^On the historicity and publication history of the "Wright Chronicle," see pp. 86-92 of Manik Bajracharya and Axel Michaels, "On the Historiography of Nepal: The ‘Wright’ Chronicle Reconsidered," European Bulletin of Himalayan Research 40: 83-98 (2012). [1]
^"Nepal king bows to protests: From the archive: April 9, 1990". TheGuardian.com. 9 April 2015.
^"Nepal royal massacre: 'Eyewitness' claims Dipendra innocent". timesofindia. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
^"Nepalese monarchy to be abolished." BBC 24 December 2007 Accessed 25 December 2007.
^ abSharma, Gopal, “Nepal parliament votes to end monarchy”, Reuters, (December 28, 2007). www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSSP27532120071228. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
^Acharya, Baburam. Shree Panch BadaMaharajdhiraj Prithivi Narayan Shah ko Sanxipta Jiwani, Part I (in Nepali). p. 42.
^Chaudhari, K.C (1960). Anglo-Nepalese Relation. Calcutta: Modern Book Agency Private Ltd.
^राणा, प्रमोदशमशेर (2009). राणाशासनको वृत्तान्त. Kathmandu: Pairavi Book House. p. 3. ISBN978-11146-30-72-7.
Books
Wright, Daniel (1877), History of Nepal, Cambridge University Press
Hamilton, Francis Buchanan (1819), An Account of the Kingdom of Nepal, and the Territories Annexed to this Dominion by the House of Gorkha, A Constable
External links
Nepalese government website.
Gregson J. "Massacre at the palace; the doomed royal dynasty of Nepal." 2002.
March 02, 2023
shah, 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, april, 2012,. 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 Shah dynasty news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Shah dynasty Nepali श ह व श also known as the Shahs of Gorkha or the Royal House of Gorkha was the ruling Chaubise Thakuri dynasty 1 and the founder of Gorkha Kingdom from 1559 to 1768 and later the unified Kingdom of Nepal from 1768 to 28 May 2008 Shah Dynastyश ह व शHouse of Shah Royal House of GorkhaRoyal HouseCountryKingdom of Kaski Kingdom of Lamjung Kingdom of Bajhang Kingdom of Bhirkot Kingdom of Lalitpur Patan Gorkha Kingdom Kingdom of NepalFounded15th centuryFounderKulamandan Shah KhadCurrent headGyanendra Bir Bikram ShahFinal rulerGyanendra Bir Bikram ShahTitlesKing of Kaski King of Lamjung King of Lalitpur Patan King of Gorkha King of Nepal Raja of Bajhang Raja of BhirkotStyle s Shree Paanch BadamaharajdhirajaMottoBidya Mai Chha Maha Shakti Karma Mai Chha Supujan Great power lies in knowledge Better worship lies in action Estate s Kingdom of NepalDeposition28 May 2008Cadet branchesChautariya familyThe Shah dynasty traces their historical ancestor to King of Kaski Kulamandan Shah Khand whose grandson Dravya Shah captured the throne of Ligligkot from Khadka kings with the help of accomplices from six resident clans of Majhkot and Ligligkot Dravya Shah named his new kingdom Gorkha Contents 1 Origins 2 Coronation of Dravya Shah 3 Absolute monarchy 1768 1846 4 Hereditary prime ministers 1846 1951 5 Constitutional monarchy 1990 2008 5 1 Massacre of the royal family 6 Abolition of the Shah monarchy 7 Monarchs of Shah dynasty 1559 2008 7 1 Monarchs of Shah dynasty of Gorkha 1559 1768 7 2 Monarchs of Shah dynasty of Patan 1761 1765 7 3 Monarchs of Shah dynasty of Nepal 1768 2008 8 Paternal roots of Shah dynasty 9 See also 10 References 10 1 Footnotes 10 2 Notes 11 Books 12 External linksOrigins EditThe Shah descendants claimed to be of Rajput origin 1 However they are ranked as Thakuris 2 He argues that The first family of Gurkhas which now governs Nepal although it pretends to come from Chittor according to Sadhu Ram note 1 a good authority is in reality of the Magar tribe and at any rate these people are now firmly attached to its interests by having largely shared in the sweets of conquest and by far the greatest part of the regular troops of that family is composed of this nation An account of the Kingdom of Nepal 4 He further contended on Shah family that The family pretends to be of the Pamar tribe but it is alleged as I have already explained that this is a mere fable and that on the arrival of the colony from Chitaur this family were Magars An account of the Kingdom of Nepal 5 Coronation of Dravya Shah EditDravya Shah was the youngest son of Yasho Brahma Shah Raja King of Lamjung and grandson of Kulamandan Shah Khad Raja King of Kaski 6 He became the king of Gorkha with the help of accomplices namely Kaji Ganesh Pandey He ascended the throne of Gorkha on 1559 A D The loose translation of the Nepali work known as the Wright Chronicle 7 describes the coronation of Dravya Shah thus On Wednesday the 8th of Bhadon Badi Saka 1481 A D 1559 Rohini Nakshatra i e the moon in the Rohini mansion being an auspicious day Drabya Shah aided by Bhagirath Panth Ganesa Pande Gangaram Rana Busal Arjyal Khanal Bohra and Murli Khawas of Gorkha concealed himself in a hut Ganesa Pande had collected all the people of who wore the brahmanical thread such as the Thapas Busals Ranas and Maski Ranas of the Magar tribe they went by the Dahya Gauda route and the Durbar Drabya Shah killed the Khadka Raja note 2 his own hand with a sword during the battle ensued At the same auspicious moment Drabya took his seat on the gaddi amidst the clash music History of Nepal 6 Absolute monarchy 1768 1846 Edit King Prithvi Narayan Shah the last king of Gorkha Kingdom 1743 1768 and the first Shah king of Nepal 1768 1775 In 1743 Prithvi Narayan Shah became the ruler of Gorkha He declared war with other principalities defeating them one by one In September 1768 he established the unified kingdom of Gorkha He became the first king of large Gorkha Kingdom He his sons and their successors continued fighting and defeating other kingdoms and enlarging the kingdom of Gorkha In 1814 the Anglo Nepalese War between Gorkha and the East India Company began By 1815 the Shah king had been thoroughly defeated By 1816 Gorkha had lost one third of its territory The Shah kings continued to rule as an absolute monarch until 1846 when the political order changed from absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy Hereditary prime ministers 1846 1951 EditIn 1846 the Rana dynasty gained power in Nepal The Ranas became prime ministers and reduced the King s status to a figurehead position The Ranas ruled Nepal as hereditary prime ministers though in the name of the figurehead king In 1950 the Shah king King Tribhuvan went into exile in India He and his family including the crown prince Mahendra later returned After India became a secular state in 1950 and the remaining rajas retired Nepal was the only remaining Hindu kingdom In 1951 with the help of India a popular politician common man Matrika Prasad Koirala became the prime minister of Nepal Tribhuvan returned to Kathmandu The Shah dynasty regained control and the prime minister Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana resigned King Tribhuvan ruled until 1955 and King Mahendra ruled until 1972 Mahendra s son Birendra became king Constitutional monarchy 1990 2008 Edit King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah the first constitutional monarch of Nepal In 1990 under King Birendra Nepal became a constitutional monarchy after a mass movement from people forced Birendra Shah to restore democracy 8 Massacre of the royal family Edit On 1 June 2001 some members of the Shah dynasty were murdered in the royal palace A High Commission report concluded that the royal family was slaughtered by Crown Prince Dipendra This remains controversial 9 Among the dead were the Crown Prince s father King Birendra and his brother Prince Nirajan After the attack Dipendra was in a coma and was declared king for a short time He died a few days later Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev Dipendra s uncle took the throne In February 2005 he dismissed the parliament in order to govern in his own right Abolition of the Shah monarchy EditOn 24 December 2007 Nepal s Provisional Parliament met It was decided that the monarchy would be abolished in 2008 after the Constituent Assembly elections 10 The motion enjoyed overwhelming support in the chamber passing by a 270 vote majority Of the 329 sitting members of parliament only three voted against abolishing the monarchy 11 It was decided that for the time being Gyanendra would retain his title and continue residing in the Royal Palace albeit stripped of all political power and authority 11 On 28 May 2008 following scheduled elections the 1st Nepalese Constituent Assembly declared Nepal a Federal Democratic Republic and the monarchy was abolished removing the Shah dynasty from power Kul Bahadur Gurung said of the 601 member assembly 560 voted in favour 4 were against and 37 were absent or abstained citation needed Following an Assemby agreement involving the Nepali Congress and both Nepalese Communist parties the Leninists and the much larger Maoist faction Gyanendra stepped down citation needed Gyanendra vacated the palace in Kathmandu which later became a museum Until they could find permanent accommodation the royal couple were offered residence as commoners at the Nagarjuna Palace a former royal summer residence The Nagarjuna palace lies in forested hills about eight kilometres five miles northwest of Kathmandu citation needed Monarchs of Shah dynasty 1559 2008 EditMonarchs of Shah dynasty of Gorkha 1559 1768 Edit The following is list of all ten kings of Gorkha hill principality citation needed NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImageDravya Shahर ज द रव य श हdied 157015591570Son of Yasho Brahma ShahShahPurna Shah Purendra Shahप र ण श ह प र न द र श हdied 160515701605Son of Dravya ShahShahChatra Shahछत र श हdied 1609 heirless 16051609First son of Purendra Purna ShahShahRam ShahRam Shah The Justश र मन त मह र जध र ज र म श हdied 163616091633 abdicated Second son of Purna Purendra Shahadopted title of Svasti Sri GirirajShah Dambar Shahडम वर श हdied 164516331645Son of Ram ShahShahKrishna Shahश र क ष ण श हdied 166116451661Son of Dambar ShahShahRudra Shahर द र श हdied 167316611673Son of Krishna ShahShahPrithvipati Shahप थ व पत त श हdied 171616731716Son of Rudra ShahShahNara Bhupal Shahनरभ प ल श ह1697 3 April 174317161743Grandson of Prithvipati Shah and Son of Prince Birbhadra ShahShahPrithvi Narayan Shahबड मह र जध र ज प थ व न र यण श ह 1723 01 07 7 January 1723 citation needed 11 January 1775 1775 01 11 aged 52 174325 September 1768Son of Nara Bhupal ShahShah Monarchs of Shah dynasty of Patan 1761 1765 Edit NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImageDal Mardan Shahर ज दल मर दन श ह 17611765Son of Nara Bhupal ShahShahMonarchs of Shah dynasty of Nepal 1768 2008 Edit NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImagePrithvi Narayan Shahबड मह र जध र ज प थ व न र यण श ह 1723 01 07 7 January 1723 12 11 January 1775 1775 01 11 aged 52 25 September 176811 January 1776Son of Nara Bhupal ShahShah Pratap Singh Shahप रत पस ह श ह 1751 04 16 16 April 1751 17 November 1777 1777 11 17 aged 26 11 January 177517 November 1777Son of Prithvi Narayan ShahShah Rana Bahadur Shahरण बह द र श ह 1775 05 25 25 May 1775 25 April 1806 1806 04 25 aged 30 17 November 17778 March 1799 abdicated Son of Pratap Singh ShahShah Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shahग र व णय द ध व क रम श ह 1797 10 19 19 October 1797 20 November 1816 1816 11 20 aged 19 8 March 179920 November 1816Son of Rana Bahadur ShahShah Rajendra Bikram Shahर ज न द र ब क रम श ह 1813 12 03 3 December 1813 10 July 1881 1881 07 10 aged 67 20 November 181612 May 1847 abdicated Son of Girvan Yuddha Bikram ShahShah Surendra Bikram Shahस र न द र ब क रम श ह 1829 10 20 20 October 1829 17 May 1881 1881 05 17 aged 51 12 May 184717 May 1881Son of Rajendra Bikram ShahShah Prithvi Bir Bikram Shahप थ व व र ब क रम श ह 1875 08 18 18 August 1875 11 December 1911 1911 12 11 aged 36 17 May 188111 December 1911Grandson of Surendra Bikram ShahShah Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah 1st reign त र भ वन व र ब क रम श ह 1900 06 30 30 June 1900 13 March 1955 1955 03 13 aged 54 11 December 19117 November 1950 went into exile Son of Prithvi Bir Bikram ShahShah Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah 1st reign ज ञ न न द र व र ब क रम श ह 1947 07 07 7 July 1947 age 75 7 November 19507 January 1951 stepped down Grandson of Tribhuvan Bir Bikram ShahShah Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah 2nd reign त र भ वन व र ब क रम श ह 1900 06 30 30 June 1900 13 March 1955 1955 03 13 aged 54 7 January 195113 March 1955Son of Prithvi Bir Bikram ShahShah Mahendra Bir Bikram Shahमह न द र व र ब क रम श ह 1920 06 11 11 June 1920 31 January 1972 1972 01 31 aged 51 14 March 195531 January 1972Son of Tribhuvan Bir Bikram ShahShah Birendra Bir Bikram Shahव र न द र व र ब क रम श ह 1945 12 28 28 December 1945 1 June 2001 2001 06 01 aged 55 31 January 19721 June 2001 assassinated Son of Mahendra Bir Bikram ShahShah Dipendra Bir Bikram Shahद प न द र व र ब क रम श ह 1971 06 27 27 June 1971 4 June 2001 2001 06 04 aged 29 1 June 20014 June 2001 declared braindead Son of Birendra Bir Bikram ShahShah Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah 2nd reign ज ञ न न द र व र ब क रम श ह 1947 07 07 7 July 1947 age 75 4 June 200128 May 2008 deposed Son of Mahendra Bir Bikram ShahShah Paternal roots of Shah dynasty EditFamily tree of the all Shah kings of Nepal not of previous Gorkha Kingdom except Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah brother of King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Prithvi Narayan ShahNarendra Rajya Lakshmi Devi Rajput 13 14 Pratap Singh ShahRajendra Rajya Lakshmi Devi Thakuri Rana Bahadur ShahKantavati Devi Maithil Brahmin Girvan Yuddha Bikram ShahGorakshya Rajya Lakshmi Devi unknown Rajendra Bikram ShahSamrajya Lakshmi Devi Rajput Surendra Bikram ShahTrailokya Rajya Lakshmi Devi Thakuri Trailokya Crown Prince of Nepal died as prince Lalit Rajeshwari Rajya Lakshmi Devi Chhetri Prithvi Bir Bikram ShahDivyeshwari Rajya Lakshmi Devi Rajput Tribhuvan Bir Bikram ShahKanti Rajya Lakshmi Devi Rajput Mahendra Bir Bikram ShahIndra Rajya Lakshmi Devi Chhetri Birendra Bir Bikram ShahAishwarya Rajya Lakshmi Devi Chhetri Dipendra Bir Bikram ShahSee also EditNepalese royal massacreReferences EditFootnotes Edit As per Francis Buchanan Hamilton Sadhu Ram Upadhyaya was a Brahmin belonging to the family of hereditary Purohits royal priests of Kingdom of Palpa 3 Khadka Raja belonged to Khas tribe 6 Notes Edit a b Karl J Schmidt 20 May 2015 An Atlas and Survey of South Asian History Routledge pp 138 ISBN 978 1 317 47681 8 Dharam Vir 1988 Education and Polity in Nepal An Asian Experiment Northern Book Centre pp 56 57 ISBN 978 81 85119 39 7 Hamilton 1819 p 4 Hamilton 1819 p 26 Hamilton 1819 p 240 a b c Wright 1877 p 278 On the historicity and publication history of the Wright Chronicle see pp 86 92 of Manik Bajracharya and Axel Michaels On the Historiography of Nepal The Wright Chronicle Reconsidered European Bulletin of Himalayan Research 40 83 98 2012 1 Nepal king bows to protests From the archive April 9 1990 TheGuardian com 9 April 2015 Nepal royal massacre Eyewitness claims Dipendra innocent timesofindia Retrieved 23 July 2008 Nepalese monarchy to be abolished BBC 24 December 2007 Accessed 25 December 2007 a b Sharma Gopal Nepal parliament votes to end monarchy Reuters December 28 2007 www google com amp s mobile reuters com article amp idUSSP27532120071228 Retrieved March 9 2021 Acharya Baburam Shree Panch BadaMaharajdhiraj Prithivi Narayan Shah ko Sanxipta Jiwani Part I in Nepali p 42 Chaudhari K C 1960 Anglo Nepalese Relation Calcutta Modern Book Agency Private Ltd र ण प रम दशमश र 2009 र ण श सनक व त त न त Kathmandu Pairavi Book House p 3 ISBN 978 11146 30 72 7 Books EditWright Daniel 1877 History of Nepal Cambridge University Press Hamilton Francis Buchanan 1819 An Account of the Kingdom of Nepal and the Territories Annexed to this Dominion by the House of Gorkha A ConstableExternal links EditRoyal Court of Nepal Nepalese government website Gregson J Massacre at the palace the doomed royal dynasty of Nepal 2002 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Shah dynasty amp oldid 1127055805, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
