History of Nepal

Portrait of Maharaj Bir Shumsher JBR. Photo source: www.royalark.net Maharaj Bir Shumsher JBR was extremely fond of classical music. He had arranged musical greats including Taj Khan (Dhrupad) and Dhundi Khan (Raga) to stay at his palace and train his servants to sing. The two artists were formerly under the employ of the Nawab of Awadh. 5 of his servants had been trained to sing in private occasions inside the palace; they were Muga Nani, Ishakpadi Nani, Harimaya Nani and Haseena Nani. Taj Khan and Dhundi Khan with their trainees at Maharaj Bir's palace. Photo credits: Purusottam Shumsher JBR In Poush of 1956 BS (1899/1900 AD), Maharaj Bir organized a grand gathering of musicians and singers from all over the Indian subcontinent at Bagadi ( near modern-day Birgunj ). Almost 100 singers and musicians participated in this event, of which Ustad Rehmat Khan of Gwalior was declared as the winner. He was awarded a lot of coins and jewels as his prize. The winner of ...

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 

Gehendra Shumsher JBR is rightly regarded as the first scientist of Nepal. Born as the son of Shree Teen Maharaj Bir Shumsher JBR, he was interested in mechanics and ammunition since childhood. He was born on Poush 1928 BS in the Indian city of Kolkata (Calcutta)  as his father was the Nepalese Consul to India at that time. Gehendra Shumsher received formal schooling at Durbar High School.  Original Painting of Gehendra Shumsher posing in front of his newly invented guns. This painting is more than 100 years old. After the parva of 1942 BS, the Shumshers rose into power and Gehendra Shumsher also became powerful as he became the head of the Police Department. It was then that his gun making skills were bettered. He made various guns like Bir Gun, Dhir Gun, Ge-rifle, etc. The Bir gun had a double barrel system which was probably the first of its kind. Bir Gun, which is on display in the Military museum at Chhauni Gun Making Machine of Gehendra Shumsher, wh...

Nepal is a mystical country in which there exist many religions and, de facto, many Gods. As Hinduism was the state religion until the abolition of monarchy, Hinduism is more popular and revered. There are innumerable Gods and Goddesses in Hinduism, and various sects worship and please each God. Among them, both mystical and mysterious one is the God of Wind ( वायु देवता ) of Gorkha. History of वायु देवता : After the separation of Gorkha and Lamjung, there was an unrest in both states. Separated by the Daraudi River ( दरौदी खोला ), the people of Lamjung seemed to advance and were trying to capture Gorkha . In such a crucial time, King Prithvipati Shah ( राजा पृथ्वीपति  शाह ) , thought of renouncing the throne to become an ascetic, which would result in the crowning of Crown Prince Bir Bhadra Shah (युवराज बिरभद्र शाह ). In such a crucial time, Prince Ranashardul Shah (राजकुमार  रणशार्दुल शाह ) created a plot to eliminate and capture Lamj...

The history of Nepal after 1850 is completely overshadowed by court intrigues , bloody incidents , parvas etc . A soldier in the rank of colonel reaches to the height of power as a prime minister getting a title of sri 3 maharajas etc . The glorious history made by great unforgettable leaders like bhim sen thapa , amar singh thapa and other was changed to a new era of politics  by leading ranas of nepal .  Born on 18 th june 1807 , second son of bal narsigha kuwar and ganesh kumari devi rana , jung bahdur rana came in power in 1846 with a great high ambition . He established himself as an unchallenged and undefeated personality with a great mischievous background . King rajendra vir vikrama shah , through on the throne in the name , led a lonely life , with all powers vested on his second queen rajya laxmi . jealous of their apparent and supported by the selfish courtiers , the second queen of Rajendra vikram shah became furious and thought of keeping her own son rarend...

International History Russian revolution: After centuries of Tsar rule, the Russian people were tired of the absolute monarchy. The last Tsar, Nicholas II, who was also the grandson of  late Queen Victoria and the first cousin of the then- British King George V and German Kaiser Wilhelm II, had implemented various reforms for the people, but they were too late. Tsar Nicholas II Russian Revolution is more generally referred to as the October revolution. This revolution was headed by Vladimir Illyrich Ulyanov "Lenin". Lenin led a group of revolutionaries named Bolsheviks. Thus, this revolution is also known as the Bolshevik revolution. There were strikes all over the country and the police and army opened fire on the protestors. Nicholas II was a deeply conservative and dictatorial ruler. Lenin started the revolution on the basis of the ideas of Karl Marx. There was violence all over the country and a civil war had been waged after 1918 AD and Russia withdrew fro...

my maternal great grandfather major general jhulendra bikram rana  My today's post will be about dress and jewelry of the   Rana dynasty  of Nepal. They ruled the Kingdom of Nepal since 1846 till 1951 and during the time the king was just a formal figure and the real power belonged to the Ranas. They were made the Prime Minister and other government positions became hereditary.   The Rana clan was  enormous, the first Rana Prime Minister   Jung Bahadur  had 6 brothers, 14 sons and 30 nephews.There was no male Rana who would limit himself with just one wife, all of them had several wives (Jung Bahadur for example had 40). During my last visit to historian Pursottam Shumsher JBR , he explained about two valuable diamonds which were present in Nepal .One was of 94 carats, which was later sold by Lila Shumsher JBR . And the 2 nd  was a yellow coloured diamond, given by Bir Shumsher JBR to his daughter, who was the mother of King  Tr...

The two-day 18th South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation summit will deliberate on a range of crucial issues such as defence and security, improving transport connectivity among the member states and ensuring greater flow of goods and services to boost trade and commerce. KING ADDRESSING 3RD SUMMIT The theme of the summit is ‘Deeper Regional Integration for Peace and Prosperity’ and diplomats of a number of member countries said there have been expectations that the summit will have “breakthroughs” in some areas. The leaders are also expected to deliberate on enhancing cooperation in the fields of education, health care, energy security and poverty alleviation. DIURING 11 TH SAARC SUMMIT HELD IN NEPAL  Modi, after becoming Prime Minister, has been pushing for a stronger SAARC and there has been lot of enthusiasm among top diplomats of various countries about what he brings to the table to make the eight-nation grouping a regional powerho...

King Mahendra (1920-1972) was the ninth Shah dynasty ruler of Nepal. The period of his rule (1955-1972) was marked by a wide variety of experiments in political systems and approaches to economic and social development. coronation of King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev  King Mahendra (Bir Bikram Shah Dev), the ninth Shah (Gorkha) dynasty ruler of Nepal, was born in Kathmandu on July 11, 1920, the eldest son of King Tribhuvan and Queen Kanti. Mahendra's first three decades were a period in Nepal's history when the Shah dynasty ruled in name only and political authority was held by the Rana family. Mahendra was not allowed to participate in the political or social life in Kathmandu except under strict Rana supervision, nor did he attend a "modern" educational institution in Nepal, India, or abroad as did many of the sons of elite families prior to 1950. This sense of exclusion and deprivation, intellectually and politically, strongly influenced his political ...

                  The most popular king of All time  The most popular king of all time, His Majesty the King Late Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev(श्री ५ महाराजधिराज  स्वर्गीय  वीरेन्द्र वीर बिक्रम शाह देव ) , the first son of His Majesty the King Late Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev(श्री ५ महाराजधिराज स्वर्गीय  महेन्द्र वीर बिक्रम शाह देव) and Her Majesty the (then) Queen Ratna Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah (श्री ५ मुमा  बडामहारानी रत्न राज्यलक्ष्मी देवी शाह ), ruled Nepal over a long period of 30 years, from 1971 AD to 2001 AD. He is regarded by the Nepalese people and many world leaders as a peace loving and democracy supporting King. His long reign of 30 years saw various political events, including the downfall of Panchayat System, installed in Nepal by his father, and also the start of the People's War, started by the Maoists on 1994 AD. He was the leader who proposed Nepal as a non-aligned state, and gaine...

Even though cars were made to be driven on ground, cars were carried by the people in Nepal more than 100 years ago. Cars were only accessible to the highest part of the society: the rulers and their relatives. Cars became widely used in the public only after the advent of democracy in 2007 BS (1951 A.D) . The cars were brought from India, during which it was carried by people to transport it safely to Kathmandu. Ironic, isn't it, people carrying the thing invented to carry them? People carrying a car to cross a river.

 Love them or hate them, but you can't ignore them. The legacy of Rana rule remains everywhere: from the imposing fade of Singha Darbar, the presence of Ranas at the top echelons of modern Nepal's business, army and police, and the Rana family tree, which is interwoven with the present members of the Shah dynasty. All this makes for fascinating history that has been documented in research papers, academic treatises, a best-selling novel and recent Rana nostalgia in architecture Rana power transitions were messy affairs, and watching all this from the background was the British regent at Lazimpat. We see how British India tried to influence events in Kathmandu, and this has familiar echoes today. When Bir Shumshere sidelined Jagat Jung and exiled him to India, the British refused for five months to recognise Bir as leader. And when Jagat Jung began preparations to overthrow Bir Shumshere from Indian soil, the British arrested him while he was planning to march into Nepal wi...

Nepal is a beautiful country with many mysterious diversities. In this Blog, we will uncover the mystery of Nepalese History with shocking reveals, stories and rare pictures.