Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana

Field-Marshal Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCB, GCIE, GBE (23 December 1885 - 6 January 1967) was the prime minister and foreign minister of Nepal from 30 April 1948 until 12 November 1951.

He was the last prime minister from the Rana family, which had controlled Nepal for more than a century and reduced the monarchy to a figurehead. He was the son of the 5th Rana Prime Minister of Nepal Chandra Shamsher. He became prime minister at a time when the king, Tribhuvan was attempting to assert himself. Tribhuvan wanted to establish a stronger monarchy and some democracy, which Mohan opposed.

In 1950, Mohan Shamsher forced Tribhuvan and his son Mahendra to flee to India, allowing Mahendra's three-year-old son Gyanendra of Nepal to become king.

Early in 1951, Tribhuvan and Mahendra returned, became king again, and began to establish their power. By the end of 1951, the king and his allies had triumphed, and Mohan Shamsher and the rest of the Rana family lost power.

Death

On 14 December 1951, Mohan Shamsher went into self-imposed exile in India, and died in Bangalore in 1967, aged 81.

Family

His granddaughter, Yasho Rajiya Lakshmi, by his eldest son, married Karan Singh, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, on 5 March 1956.

From : www.wikipedia.org

Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana

Field-Marshal Maharaja Sri Teen Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCB, GCSI, GCVO, GCMG, FRGS (8 July 1863-26 November 1929), was the fifth Prime Minister of Nepal from the Rana dynasty. He served in this capacity from 27 June 1901, following the deposition of his brother Deva Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, to his death in 1929. He received the title of Tung-ling-ping-ma-kuo-kang-wang, as had all of his predecessors, from the Qing Dynasty in 1902. He received George V in 1911, and the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VIII) in 1921, respectively. He abolished sati in 1920 and slavery from 1924–1926, also signing the Anglo-Nepalese Treaty of Friendship in 1923, which recognised the independence of Nepal. However, he was a domineering figure who mercilessly controlled the King of Nepal, Tribhuvan, once going so far as to hold a loaded pistol to his head.

He was one of the three nephews who murdered Sri Teen Maharaja Ranodip Singh for the hereditary throne of Prime Minister.

For much of his life he was sick with tuberculosis and followed a strict diet regimen of rice and black lentils (kalo daal)exclusively.

He was succeeded in turn by his brothers Maharaja Sri Teen Bhim Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (1929–1932), and Maharaja Sri Teen Juddha Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (1932–1945).

Children

    * 1. Khagaraja Divyeshwari Rajya Lakshmi (1880-19?)

    * 2. Field-Marshal Mohan Shamsher, GCB, GCIE, GBE, (23 December 1885-6 January 1967) who succeeded to the title of the 9th Rana Prime Minister of Nepal.

    * 3. Commanding-General HH Baber Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCVO, GBE, KCSI, KCIE (27 January 1888-12 May 1960), desc.

    * 4. Field-Marshal HH Kaiser Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GBE (8 January 1892-7 June 1964), desc.

    * 5. Commanding-General HH Singha Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, KBE (23 December 1893-19?), desc.

    * 6. Commanding-General Krishna Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, KCSI, KBE (28 February 1900-19 May 1977), desc.

    * 7. Major-General Vishnu Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (13 November 1906-4 February 1946). Exiled, died in the Bahamas having had one son.

    * 8. General Shankar Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GBE (1909-4 June 1976), desc.

    * 9. Lieutenant-General Madan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (1909–1955), desc.

    * 10.Khagaraja Divyeshwari Rajya Lakshmi (1918–1999), desc.

From : www.wikipedia.org

Dev Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana

Sri Teen Maharaja, Dev Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (July 17, 1862 - February 20, 1914) was Prime Minister of Nepal for only 144 days in 1901.

Family and Early Life

He was the fourth of 17 sons born to the Chief of the Army Dhir Shamsher Rana (a younger brother of Jang Bahadur) and Rani Nanda Kumari, niece of Bhimsen Thapa and Mathbar Singh Thapa who were both prime ministers of Nepal.

His father and brothers had difficulties in maintaining a huge family. The Shamshers were poorer than the Jang and other cousins, so to ease the burden on Dhir Shamsher, Dev Shamsher was adopted at a very young age by his father's childless elder brother, General Krishna Bahadur Kunwar Ranaji and was raised by him and his wife.

As the adopted child of General Ranaji, who was a governor of Palpa, Dev Shamsher had a lavish upbringing compared to his natural brothers. The only occasions that he met his own siblings were during festivities and family gatherings. He was closer to the sons of Jang Bahadur and spent the majority of his time in their palace, Thapathali Durbar. He inherited the entire wealth of his uncle as well as a share of his father's wealth. Since he was much richer than his brothers they became envious.

Coup

In 1885, the Shamsher family, the nephews of Jang Bahadur, 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 Shamsher Rana family also known as the Satra bhai (17 brothers) family. They murdered Sri Teen Maharaja Ranodip Singh 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 Shamsher.

Dev Shamsher felt guilty for what had transpired during the coup, also a key incident happened during the coup which affected him deeply. He was held at gunpoint by General Dhoj Narsingh Rana, but was allowed to live and forgiven. For this he felt a lot of guilt and asked for the exiled family members to return to Nepal. General Dhoj Narsingh Rana, adopted son of Ranodip Singh (biological father was Badri Narsingh Rana) had to flee with his family to India along with many of Jang Bahadur's descendants. The British government did not help any of the exiled Jang princes whose fathers had saved the British and their Empire in 1857.

Although this bloody coup was plotted by the Shamsher brothers, Dev Shamsher was kept ignorant about it all throughout. Because of his close relationship with the Jang family the Shamshers did not trust Dev to be part of the coup against the Jangs. In fact, the night that the Shamshers attacked and killed the Jang Ranas, Dev Shamsher was sleeping intoxicated in the quarters of one of the sons of Jang Bahadur, Ranabir Jang. He was mistaken for being a Jang and nearly killed had it not been for one of the killers who recognized him as a Shamsher and spared him.

When the Shamshers killed and exiled the powerful Jang family and other rival Rana families, they took control of the immense wealth of the Jangs. It is said that the deprived Shamshers and their family did not even know how to wear all this new jeweleries and use other items of glamour and constantly sought the advice of Dev Shamsher and his wives who used to mock them at their ignorance.

Accession

He became the Prime Minister of Nepal at the age of 37 years and 7 months on March 5, 1901 (1957 Falgun 15). He claimed his heredity from his late brother Sri Teen Maharaja, Prime Minister Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, and got the "Laal Mohur", official stamp of the King of Nepal from then King Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah.

According to the traditions of the Rana family, relatives were appointed to high office.

    * Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana became Chief of the Army

    * Bhim Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana became Western Commanding General

    * Fathe Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana became Eastern Commanding General

    * Jeet Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana became Southern Commanding General

    * Juddha Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana became Northern Commanding General

Dev Shamsher kept his brother Fathe Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana as Hujuriya General (Chief of the Prime Minister’s body guard) and his nephew General Gehendra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana in his post of spy-chief and head of police. Gahendra Shamsher was one of the most powerful people at this time. He had placed his allies in all the high positions of the police force since the time of his father, Prime Minister Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana. Dev Shamsher appointed his brother Sher Shamsher as the Chief of Staff to then King Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah and even built a palace for him. And in the same year 1901 A.D. Sher Shamsher was appointed as the first director of Nepal’s first national newspaper Gorkhapatra which is still the government national daily.

His brothers' envy led them to overthrow him in 1901 when he had become Teen Maharajah.

Dev Shamsher was very satisfied with the plan "Universal Education" (Aksharanka Shiksha) prepared by Jay Prithivi Bahadur Singh, King of Bajhang. Later it was published in Gorkhapatra 1st and 2nd Edition 1958 B.S. (1901 A.D.). Dev Shamsher remarked, "If anyone wishes to satisfy the prime minister, it should be with the works like this, not flattery". The publication of Weekly Gorkhapatra started on May 1901 (B.S. 1958. Vaisakha 24). Within a short period of time the paper progressed well and started bi-weekly publication. Owing to its popularity, later it started daily issue, which has become the oldest and largest daily of Nepal today.

Iron ore mine was started in Thosay during Dev Shumshere's time. The Thosay bazaar is 15 km away north from Manthali, the headquarter of Ramechhap district. At one time this was Nepal's largest iron ore processing center. Iron from this area was used for manufacturing weapons that were used during war with Tibet. Trekkers pass through this Thosay bazaar on their way to Mt. Sagarmatha (Everest) (Gorkhapatra Daily, Jan. 16, 2002)

During his short tenure, Dev Shamsher was known as "The Reformist" for his progressive policies, he proclaimed universal education, began to build schools, took steps to abolish slavery, and introduced several other social welfare schemes[citation needed]. He also made improvements to the arsenal at Nakkhu (south of Kathmandu). A democratic person, he took the advice of his nephew General Gahendra Shamsher and decided to establish a parliament and built a big hall in his Thapathali durbar like his uncle, Prime Minister and Chief of the Army (Marshal) Jang Bahadur.

He proposed a system of universal public primary education, using Nepali as the language of instruction, and opening Durbar High School to children who were not members of the Rana clan. His call for reforms did not entirely disappear, however. A few Nepali-language primary schools in the Kathmandu Valley, the Hill Region, and the Tarai remained open, and the practice of admitting a few middle- and low-caste children to Durbar High School continued.

Deva Shamsher was also responsible for introducing a campaign in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan to fight corruption, as well as introducing a cannon shot at midday to let the people know the time. He organized a ladies court like his late uncle Jang Bahadur. He was the first person to introduce the newspaper to Nepal, Gorkhapatra, which is still the national daily. He made his 'Sindure Yatra' royal proclamation 8 times in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Nagarkot, Kakani etc. Sources claim that his lifestyle was lavish. In his short 4-month regime, he introduced gambling for 2 months, along with bhajan from 3-5 p.m. and silent movies from 8-10 p.m.

Now unlike his predecessors Dev Shamsher being a reformist was evidently well-read in the history of Japan and saw a parallelism with the Shogunate of Japan and likewise he emulated the reforms of the Meiji Restoration of Japan. It was Dev Shamsher who planned to send Nepali youths to Japan for higher studies.

Wisteria, Chrysanthemum, Persimmon and the big size Chestnut (Nillahar, Godaboriphool, Haluwabed and thulo Kattus), which are now familiar plants in Nepal, especially the Kathmandu valley, were imported as seeds from Japan by one of the students who studied agriculture there.

He learned a lot through books and people about the modernization programs of Japan since 1868, the famous Meiji Ishin, the government policy, Meiji Constitution and realized Japan was becoming a powerful nation in economy and national security. Dev Shumsher was every inch a democrat, convinced by the idea of constitutional monarchy and Parliamentary system. He saw Japan as his model. He chose an advanced Asian nation for learning probably because of some similarities between Nepal and Japan rejoining their cultural and then political situation. Unfortunately Dev Shumsher could not implement his plan during his very short period of 144 days rule. However, the next Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher sent the students to Japan in April 1902.

Family life

His personal lifestyle was considered to be extravagant, even by Rana standards and he led the most flamboyant and lavish lifestyle out of all the Rana Maharajahs.

Dev Shamsher had 12 sons and 3 daughters. His principal wife was Badamaharani Karma Kumari, Maharani Krishna Kumari (daughter of the King Surendra, in fact, Dev Shamsher was the only amongst the 17 Shamsher brothers to marry a princess from the royal family of Nepal) and Rani Ganesh Kumari.

Sons of Dev Shamsher,

   1. General Maharajkumar Jang Shamsher

   2. Maharajkumar Bhuwan Shamsher

   3. Maharajkumar Narendra Shamsher

   4. Maharajkumar Bahadur Shamsher

   5. Maharajkumar Jagat Shamsher

   6. Maharajkumar Mussorie Shamsher

   7. Lieutenant-General Kunwar Laba Shamsher (his real name was Babar Shamsher but later was forced to change his name to Laba Shamsher because the name was similar to a son of Chandra Shamsher also called Babar Shamsher)

   8. Lieutenant-Colonel Kunwar Totra Shamsher

   9. Lieutenant-Colonel Kunwar Prakash Shamsher

  10. Lieutenant-Colonel Kunwar Hem Shamsher

  11. Kunwar Lokendra Shamsher

  12. Kunwar Krishna Shamsher

Daughters of Dev Shamsher,

   1. Maharajkumari Mandalasa Rajya Lakshmi Devi (H.H. Maharani Shri Mandalasa Deviji Sahiba, Maharani of Sirmur)

   2. Maharajkumari Bhuvaneshwari Rajya Lakshmi Devi (Rani Bhuvaneshwari Rajya Lakshmi Devi Sahiba, of Khairigarh Raj)

   3. Maharajkumari Indra Rajya Lakshmi (Rani Narpat Singh, Maharaja of Idar)

   4. Gupta Devi - Rani of Lieutenant-Colonel H.H. Shri Maharaja Sir Amar Prakash Bahadur, Maharaja of Sirmur

Deposition and exile

He was deposed by his brothers and sent into exile in India. He was succeeded by his brother Chandra Shamsher. He was first exiled to Dhankuta as governor of East Nepal hence he was also known as the 'Dhankute Maharaj' but he later fled to Ilam and Darjeeling.

Dev Shamsher sent a message to the League of Nations informing them of his exile and the good work he had been doing in Nepal, but nothing came of it. Chandra Shamsher made a special request to the British to look after Dev Shamsher and to ensure a comfortable retirement so as to ensure that he would not interfere with Nepal matters ever again. The British offered him a large plot of land in New Delhi, which is now the Connaught Place/Connaught Circle but he refused choosing to settle in Jharipani in Mussoorie instead citing that he favored the cooler hills to the heat of Delhi. He built a sprawling collection of grand buildings near Jharipani with huge gateways marking the entrances to what they had named the Fairlawn Palace which remained his residence until the day he died. Fairlawn Palace in Jharipani Mussorie was later sold by his descendants and was in ruins for a long time. The ruins of the Palace are still present and part of the estate has been developed for a school and residential purpose.

All of Dev Shamsher's children were in exile with him in Mussorie although they were allowed to travel back and forth to Nepal. It was only during the time of Prime Minister Juddha Shamsher that they were allowed to return back to Nepal. Juddha Shamsher being very young was raised by Dev Shamsher's wife Karmakumari. Dev Shamsher had agreed to the wishes of his dying father Dhir Shamsher to have Juddha in the line of succession. The issue of Juddha Shamsher's mother Johar Kumari's caste remains a mystery till date and it is widely believed that she came from a no-caste Sanyasi (Giri-Puri-Bharati) background.

Despite this both Dev and his wife were very supportive to Juddha Shamsher throughout and were crucial in ensuring him in the line of succession. They were like his foster parents. So when Juddha Shamsher eventually became Prime Minister of Nepal he called back all of Dev's descendants in exile back to Nepal. They were given back their palaces in Thapathali and large plots of land in Banke and Bardiya districts of Nepal where some of his descendants still reside. They were once again enlisted in top military position and all of Dev's children and grandchildren were given allowances from the state. As a tribute to his foster mother, the wife of Dev Shamsher, Juddha Shamsher later built a huge statue of her which can be seen inside the premises of the present day Zoo in Jawalakhel. It is the biggest statue of any female in the country. Much of Dev Shamsher's descendants can now be found either in Thapathali in Kathmandu, the traditional home of the Ranas, or in Nepalgunj in western Nepal and in Dehradun in India.

From : www.wikipedia.org

Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana

Maharaja Sir Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCSI, (10 December 1855 March 1901), was the 17th Prime Minister of Nepal. He was born to the Chief of the Army Dhir Shamsher Rana (a younger brother of Jang Bahadur). He then served from 1885 to 1901 and was invested as Tung-ling-ping-ma-kuo-kang-wang in 1889. During his tenure, he received both Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and the ill-fated Archduke Franz Ferdinand. His successor for three months, at his death in 1901, was his progressive brother Deva Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana. There were many reforms during Bir Sumshere’s time. Water pipes were laid, English was taught in schools and hospitals were made. He reorganized land tax and created a better administrative body. He sent large number of troops to the British. The British gave him the title of Knight Grand Commander of the Star of India on Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee. He was an earnest ruler, a great builder and a lover of music, he started a new line of succession to the Prime Ministership of Nepal, excluding all others except the legitimate sons of Dhir Shumsher. He established Durbar High School, Bir Hospital, Bir Tower (Ghanta Ghar), Pathshala (School) and a sanitary system. He also provided a good supply of drinking water to the towns of Kathmandu in 1891 and Bhadgaon in 1895. He established the Bir Library for the collection and preservation of valuable books and manuscripts, the postal system was reformed, the Narayanhity Palace was built with a modern design and many roads of Kathmandu were broadened. Maharaja Bir Sumshere Jung Bahadur Rana died on 1900. He ruled the country for 15 years. He is among the great rulers of the country.

From : www.wikipedia.org

Ranodip Singh Bahadur

Maharaja Sir Renaudip Singh Bahadur also spelt Ranodip or Ranadip, KCSI, Kaiser-i-Hind (3 April 1825-22 November 1885), was the second Prime Minister of Nepal from the Rana dynasty.

As per the family laws of succession, he succeeded his elder brother Jang Bahadur following his death in 1877. Deeply pious, he composed several devotional hymns and was granted a personal salute of 15 guns from the British in 1883 and the title of Tung-ling-ping-ma-kuo-kang-wang (Truly Valiant Prince; commander of foot and horse) from the Guangxu Emperor in 1882. He was assassinated by his nephews (Khadga Shumsher the grandfather of Vijayaraje Scindia, Chandra Shumsher and Dhumber Shumsher), the sons of Dhir Shamsher, during a coup d'etat in 1885, and was succeeded by his nephew, Bir Shamsher.

Jang Bahadur's remaining sons, as well as Crown Prince General Dhoj Narsingh Rana (son of Maharaja Sir Renaudip Singh Bahadur), were forced to seek refuge in India. The descendants of Jang and Ranodip live today in North India (mainly Dehra Dun, Allahabad and Udaipur) and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Many of Crown Prince General Dhoj Narsingh's children and family remained with Sri Teen Ranodip Singh's widow in Benares and were then relocated later to Udaipur upon the invitation by Maharana Fateh Singh, who sought to give refuge to his Rana cousins.

Out of seven sons and three daughters of General Dhoj Narsingh three sons and one daughter moved to Udaipur on an invitation from the Maharana who graciously requested them to settle in Udaipur. The Rana princes Shri Narsingh and Dev Narsingh established themselves to carry on the family's name in the city of their forefathers. Late Raja Durga Narsingh Rana was and is one of the best known names among the Rajputs of Udaipur.

Their families established marital relations with the Royal families & Thikanas like Jasmor (head of the Pundir clan), Banka, Gogunda, Samode, Neemrana (descendents from the family of Prithviraj Chauhan), Mahendragarh etc.

The only known male descendants from these lines are Gyanendra Narsingh Rana, Mahendra Narsingh Rana & Virendra Narsingh Rana.

The British government did not help any of the exiled princes whose fathers had saved the British and their Empire in 1857.

Two of General Dhoj Narsingh's daughters were married into the family of Wazir Ishwari Singh Katoch, Prime Minister of Kangra, and settled in Nabha, their in-laws being members of the royal family of Nabha. The only known descendant from this line is Dr. Sumerendra Vir Singh Chauhan.

Originally, the Rana dynasty was a part of the Royal family of Udaipur/Chittor in India, also known as Mewar. The dynasty traces its roots to Maharaj Kumbhakaran Singh of Chittor, Mewar. Maharaj Kumbhakaran Singh was the younger brother of Rana Ratan Singh of Mewar. Rana Ratan Singh married Rani Padmini. Rani Padmini along with hundreds of Rajput women performed Jauhar (Jaihar), while the men performed Saka during the siege of the Chittorgarh by the ignominious Sultan of Delhi, Allauddin Khilji.

From : www.wikipedia.org

Rana Prime Ministers

Nine Rana rulers took the hereditary office of Prime Minister. All were styled self proclaimed King of Lamjung and Kaski.

   1. Shree 3 Jung Bahadur Rana, GCB, GCSI (18 June 1816–25 February 1877)

           Ruled 1846 to 25 February 1877. Received the hereditary rights to the title of Rana and a salute of 19 guns from the British.

   2. Shree 3 Renaudip Singh aka Ranodip Singh Rana, KCSI (3 April 1825–22 November 1885

           Ruled 25 February 1877 to 22 November 1885.

   3. Shree 3 Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCSI (10 December 1852–5 March 1901)

           Ruled 22 November 1885 to 5 March 1901.

   4. Shree 3 Dev Shamsher Jang 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 sent into exile in India.

   5. Shree 3 Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCVO, Kaisar-i-Hind (8 July 1863–26 November 1929)

           Ruled 27 June 1901 to 26 November 1929.

   6. Shree 3 Bhim Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCSI, GCMG, KCVO (16 April 1865–1 September 1932)

           Ruled 26 November 1929 to 1 September 1932.

   7. Shree 3 Juddha Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCB, GCSI, GCIE (19 April 1875–20 November 1952)

           Ruled 1 September 1932 to 29 November 1945, whereupon he abdicated in favor of his nephew.

   8. Shree 3 Padma Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCSI, GBE, KCIE (5 December 1882–11 April 1961)

           Ruled 29 November 1945 to 30 April 1948, whereupon he abdicated in favor of his cousin.

   9. Shree 3 Mohan Shamsher Jang 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 exiled to India.

From : www.wikipedia.org

Jung Bahadur Rana

Maharaja Jung Bahadur Rana (Nepali: जंग बहादुर राणा) (or Jung Bahadur Kunwar (Nepali: जंग बहादुर कुँवर), GCB, GCSI, June 18, 1816, Kathmandu, Nepal -February 25, 1877, Kathmandu) was a ruler of Nepal and founder of the Rana dynasty of Nepal. His real name was Bir Narsingh Kunwar but he became famous by the name Jung Bahadur, given to him by Mathebar Thapa, his maternal uncle.

During his lifetime, he eliminated the factional fighting at the court, introduced innovations into the bureaucracy and the judiciary, and made efforts to "modernize" Nepal. He remains one of the most important figures in Nepalese history, though modern historians have also blamed Jung Bahadur for setting up the dictatorship that repressed the nation for more than 100 years and left it in a primitive economic condition. Others exclusively blame his nephews, the Shumsher Ranas, for Nepal's dark period of history.

Immediate Ancestors

His father, Bal Narsingh Kunwar (aka Bala Narsingh Kunwar), was in court the day Rana Bahadur Shah was murdered by his own half-brother Sher Bahadur Shah; as a retaliation Bal Narsingh killed him on the spot. For this action, he was rewarded with the position of Kaji, which was made hereditary in his family, also he was the only person allowed to carry weapons inside the court.

Early Life

Jung Bahadur Kunwar joined the military service (1832-33) at the age of sixteen. As maternal grandson of Bhimsen Thapa, he lost his job and his property when the latter fell. After wandering in north India for several years, he returned to Nepal as a captain in the artillery in 1840. In November 1841, he was asked by the king to join his bodyguard, and in January 1842 he began work as Kaji in the palace. When his maternal uncle Mathbar Singh Thapa returned to power, Jung Bahadur rose with him. However Mathbar Singh disliked Jung Bahadur's ambition and had him removed to a lesser position on the staff of the heir apparent. When Fateh Jung Chautaria came to power, Jung Bahadur became fourth in the hierarchy of the coalition government and took pains to flatter the queen while showing no signs of ambition to Gagan Singh. A career opportunist, he was ready and waiting when the time came to act at the Kot Massacre.

Queen Lakshmidevi, the favorite wife of King Rajendra Bikram was not pleased by the new prime minister. She conspired to eliminate Jung Bahadur Kunwar and elevate her son to the throne. The Basnyat Conspiracy -- so called because many of its participants belonged to one of the last leading noble families, the Basnyat -- was betrayed and its ringleaders were rounded up and executed in 1846 at Bhandarkhal Parva. A meeting of leading notables packed with Rana supporters found the queen guilty of complicity in the plot, stripped her of her powers, and sent her into exile in Banaras along with King Rajendra. The king still had delusions of grandeur and began plotting his return from India. In 1847 Jung Bahadur informed the troops of the exiled king's treasonous activities, announced his dethronement, and elevated Rajendra's son to the throne as Surendra Bikram Shah (1847-81). King Rajendra Bikram was captured later that year in the Tarai and brought back as a prisoner to Bhadgaon, where he spent the rest of his life under house arrest.

By 1850 Jung Bahadur had eliminated all of his major rivals, installed his own candidate on the throne, appointed his brothers and cronies to all the important posts, and ensured that major administrative decisions were made by himself as prime minister. At this point, he took the unprecedented step of travelling to Britain and France[2], leaving from Calcutta in April 1850 and returning to Kathmandu in February 1851. Although he unsuccessfully tried to deal directly with the British government while he was there, the main result of the tour was a great increase in goodwill between the British and Nepal. Recognizing the power of industrialized Europe, he became convinced that close cooperation with the British was the best way to guarantee Nepal's independence. From then on, European architecture, fashion, and furnishings became more prevalent in Kathmandu and among the Nepalese aristocracy in general.

Control of Nepal

After Jung Bahadur's visit to Europe, he took steps to increase his hold over the country. He reduced the king to a prisoner in his own palace, surrounded by agents of the prime minister and restricted and supervised at all times. No one outside the king's immediate family could see the king without permission from the prime minister. All communications in the name of the king were censored, and he was allowed to read only approved literature. In 1856 the king issued a royal decree (sanad) that formalized the dominance of the Kunwar family. There were three main provisions in this crucial document. First, the prime minister had complete authority over all internal administration, including civil, military, and judicial affairs, and all foreign relations, including the powers to make war and peace. Second, Jung Bahadur was made great king (maharajah) of Kaski and Lamjung districts, in effect serving as their independent ruler. The Shah king retained the title of maharajadhiraja (supreme king) and the right to use the honorific term shri five times with his name. The prime minister could use shri three times with his name. In this way, Jung Bahadur stopped short of taking the throne outright but elevated his family to a level second only to the royal house, which remained as a symbol of the nation. Finally, provisions were established for hereditary succession to the post of prime minister. Brothers and then sons would inherit the position in order of seniority. These provisions meant that the dictatorship of the Kunwar family, a virtual monarchy within the monarchy, would be passed down in the family for generations, with no legal mechanism for changing the government. Later, Jung Bahadur established official Rolls of Succession that ranked all his descendants in relation to their hereditary rights to the office of prime minister.

Jung Bahadur sealed the arrangement with the Shah Dynasty by arranging marriages between his heirs and the royal house. In 1854, his eldest son Jagat Jung (aged eight) married the eldest daughter (aged six) of king Surendra. In 1855 his second son married the second daughter of the king. The ultimate test was passed in 1857, when heir apparent Trilokya Bir Bikram married two daughters of Jung Bahadur. A son of this union, Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah, ascended to the throne in 1881.

Lineage

Maharaja Sir Jung Bahadur Rana's eldest son was Gen. Jagat Jung, known as "Mukhiya Jarnel". His eldest grandson and Gen. Jagat Jung's eldest son was Gen. Yuddha Pratap, known as "Naati Jarnel". Their descendants currently live in Manahara, Kathmandu.

Presently if someone carries the name Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, then they come from Dhir Shumsher's lineage (Jung Bahadur's younger brother) whose son Bir Shumsher committed the coup d'etat of 1885 murdering most of Jung Bahadur's sons and forcing the remaining sons, as well as, Prince General Dhoj Narsingh Rana (son of Prime Minister Ranodip Singh) to seek refuge in India. The descendants of Jung and Ranodip live today in North India (mainly Dehra Dun, Allahabad and Udaipur) and Toronto, Ontario, Canada, some did return to Nepal and live in Kathmandu, Nepalgunj and Pokhara.

Another branch of descendants of Jung Bahadur are from two of his sons Gen. Ranabir Jung and Commander-in-Chief Gen. Padma Jung Bahadur Rana KIH Gold Medal 1877 who were escorted to Allahabad. Gen. Ranabir Jung later attempted to reclaim his position, after having raised an army, but was thwarted and finally killed in battle. Ranabir Jungs descendants with the title Bir Jung Bahadur are very widespread, and live in Kathmandu, Dehra Dun, Delhi, Kolkata, Australia and The UK.

Descendants of Commander-in-Chief Gen. Padma Jung Bahadur Rana KIH Gold Medal 1877 today live in Allahabad, Nepalgunj, Dehradun, Kathmandu, New York, Australia and United Kingdom. Gen. Padma Jung Bahadur Rana later wrote the book called "Life of Sir Jung Bahadur" which was published in early 1900 in India.

His sons and grand-sons fought and commanded forces in places like France, Italy, Afghanistan, Burma, Flanders, Egypt, Mesopotamia and Wazirstan during the Great World War I and the Great World War II and won long list of medals.

Many of his daughters, grand-daughters and great-grand-daughters were/are married to various Maharajas of Indian Principality States. Similarly many of his sons, grand-sons and great-grand-sons were/are married to various Princesses of Indian Royal Houses. Maharaja Sir Jung Bahadur Rana of Kaski & Lamjung himself started the process of marrying Rana Gentlemen and Ladies to the Indian Royal Households in mid 1800 AD. Commander-in-Chief Gen. Padma Jung KIH Gold Medal 1877 continued the process of marrying his sons and daughters to the Indian Royal Households in late 1800 AD.

One of his great-grand-daughter Sita Rani Devi is Rajmata of Indian Princely State of Makrai. Another great-grand-daughter is Geeta Rani Rana who is married to Late Thakuri Prachanda Singh of Royal House of Tulsipur.

Present rulers of Kingdom of Nepal, Jajorkot, Bajhang and Indian Princely States such as Jhalai, Jubbal, Bagribari, Tripura, Oel Kaimara, Khairagarh, Rajgarh, Tehri-Garhwal, Khajurgaon Thalrai, Benaras, Ramnagar, Mayurbanj, Poonch, Sikar and many other states share a direct bloodline with Commander-in-Chief Gen. Padma Jung Bahadur Rana KIH Gold Medal 1877 and Maharaja of Kaski & Lamjung Sir Jung Bahadur Rana.

From : www.wikipedia.org