History of Nepal

The 26th Commander-In-Chief of the Nepalese Army, Gen. Kiran Shumsher JBR was the son of the then-Northern Commanding General Juddha Shumsher JBR as his eleventh son. Born in October, 1916 at Jawalakhel Durbar, he started his military career in his early youth (1933) and rapidly rose through various ranks to become Major General in 1943. He served in the Second World War as the commander of the Mahindra Dal Battalion in the North-West Frontier. He was appointed the Director General of Health, Transport and Communication and the Royal Mint from 1946 to 1950. During the insurgency in 1950, he was deployed to maintain peace in the Eastern Nepal. Because of his success and proper handling of the military operations, he was promoted to the rank of Deputy Commander-In-Chief. In 1951, he was again promoted to the rank of Commander-In-Chief, when he was just 35 years old. He was also appointed as the aide-de-camp (ADC) of King Tribhuwan and King Mahendra. He embarked on an official visit to ...

"The Great War for Civilization" or more famously known as "World War I" claimed millions of lives from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. The immediate cause of the war was the assassination of His Imperial Highness The Archduke of Austria-Hungary Franz Ferdinand ( the heir-apparent to the throne) and Her Serene Highness Princess Sophie in Serbia. Nepal sent 14000 soldiers to fight for Britain, against Austria-Hungary. His Imperial Highness Archduke Franz Ferdinand with Her Serene Highness Princess Sophie The Archduke had a morganatic wedding with Sophie Chotek in 1899, who he met at a ball in 1894. The marriage meant that Sophie couldn't be seen in public functions anywhere near the Archduke when in royal duty, because of her non-royal lineage. The only exception was when he was fulfilling his military duties. So, under the pretext of inspecting the Serbian army, the Archduke went to meet his death, But, 21 years before he was shot in the neck by Gavrilo...

When it comes to revolutionary leaders in Nepal, most people think of Bisheshwar Prasad Koirala, Kunwar Indrajit Singh, Ganesh Man Singh or even Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda". There is no doubt whatsoever about who the greatest revolutionary leader of Nepal ever was : Subarna Shumsher Rana.  Born as the only son of Commanding General Hiranya Shumsher JBR at Tangal Durbar in 1909, Subarna Shumsher joined the military in 1930 as a captain . Gen. Hiranya Shumsher was the second son of Shree Teen Maharaj Bhim Shumsher, the son of Gen. Dhir Shumsher and Nanda Kumari ( the sister of Commanding Colonel Keshar Singh Thapa ). Subarna was exiled to India along with many members of his family by the then Prime Minister Juddha Shumsher JBR, when Juddha Shumsher was sending many C-class Ranas to exile.  After Subarna and his relatives reached India, they were scarce on money. However, at that time, India was about to be freed from the British Raj and almost all bungalows and palac...

Shree Teen Maharajah Chandra Shumsher ruled over Nepal for 28 long years as the Prime Minister of Nepal and the Maharajah of Kaski and Lamjung. He is popular for his lavish palaces and developmental works. Chandra Nahar , the first irrigation project of Nepal, was constructed during his tenure, with Colonel Dilli Jung Thapa as the chief engineer. He is more popular for the abolishing of Sati and Slavery system, which were major problems back in his day. In 1924 AD, he spent Rs. 36,70,000 to free all the slaves in the country. It was compulsory for all the slaves to be freed, which included his palace as well. Almost all "slaves" who didn't want to stay at their masters' house started leaving. The real shocker came when "Melawi Devi", one of the royal maids of the Maharajah, also expressed her desire to leave the "Singha Durbar", and she did it publicly. Maharaj Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, one of the most influential politicians in the h...

                                           History of time keeping in Nepal Ghantaghar is one of the most noticeable landmarks in all of Kathmandu. Although similar towers have been constructed in other parts of Nepal, the most popular one has been the one behind Rani Pokhari. Before Ghantaghar was made, the residents of Kathmandu valley had no scientific means of knowing the time; they deduced the time by feeling their wrists and watching the sun. The Ghantaghar , literally translated as the "Bell Tower", was constructed during the reign of H.H Maharaj Bir Shumsher JBR. However, it was H.H Maharaj Dev Shumsher JBR who gave him that idea. During the 13- year long reign of Bir Shumsher, various developmental works were completed, including the Bir Dhara, Medical Dispensaries, Bir Library. He constructed magnificient durbars, including the Seto Durbar ( The White Palace ), Fo...

Cricket is a sport which has been lately gathering a lot of popularity in Nepal. After the Nepal first played the world Cup, everyone in Nepal is a cricket fan. The credit  bringing this "gentleman's sport" to Nepal goes to HH Madan Shumsher JBR,  the son of Shree Teen Maharaj Chandra Shumsher JBR.  He introduced this game to Nepal for the very first time during the Rana rule in Nepal. Even though there weren't many cricketing competitions during that time and cricket was only limited among royalty, it didn't become popular until the advent of democracy in 1951 Madan Shumsher JBR in full cricket uniform