Rana dynasty

The Rana dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1953, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making Prime Minister and other government positions hereditary. It is descended from one Bal Narsingh Kunwar (Ranaji) of Kaski, who moved to Gorkha in the early 18th century and entered the service of Raja Nara Bhupal Shah around 1740. Originally, the Rana dynasty originated from the Royal family of Udaipur in India, also know as Mewar.

Jang Bahadur was the first ruler from this dynasty. His original family name was Rana but in Nepal people mistook his Rajput title of Kunwar for his family name, Kunwar is a title denoting royal lineage used by Rajput princes in northern India. Rana rulers were titled "Shri Teen" and "Maharaja", whereas Shah kings were "Shri Panch" and "Maharajdiraj". Both Rana and Shah are Thakuri/Rajput caste in the Hindu tradition, in contrast with the native Himalayan culture which is largely Buddhist and Bön.

In 1887, the Shumsher family, the nephews of Jung Bahadur, murdered many of the sons of Jung Bahadur and took over Nepal in a military thus bringing in the rule of the Shumsher Rana family also known as the Satra (17) family. They murder Sri Teen Maharaja Ranodip Singh and occupied the hereditary throne of Prime Minister. After this they added Jung Bahadur to their name, although they were descended from Jung's younger brother Dhir Shumsher.

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

The shortest serving Rana was Deva Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana who ruled for two months in 1901. Known as "The Reformist" for his progressive policies, he proclaimed universal education, began to building schools, took steps to abolish slavery, and introduced several other social welfare schemesFact|date=September 2007. He also made improvements to the arsenal at Nakkhu (south of Kathmandu) and started "The Gorkhapatra" newspaper. Dev Shumsher 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 fmaily members to return to Nepal. This brought him in clash with his immediate brothers. He was deposed by his relatives, where he settled in Jhari Pani, near Mussoorie, where his Fairlawn Palace once stood.

Under the British Raj, the Ranas were acclaimed and given much prestige and a 19-gun salute; all with the exception of Deva Shamsher received knighthoods.

The Rana dynasty developed into a powerful family clan and are still very influential in the country today. The family formed a close alliance with the Shah dynasty via marriage and business alliances. This group hoarded its wealth through alliances with British India.

Rana Prime Ministers

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

#Maharaja Sir Jang Bahadur, 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.
#Maharaja Sir Renaudip Singh aka Ranodip Singh Rana, KCSI (3 April 1825–22 November 1885
#:Ruled 25 February 1877 to 22 November 1885.
#Maharaja Sir Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCSI (10 December 1852–5 March 1901)
#:Ruled 22 November 1885 to 5 March 1901.
#Maharaja Deva Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (17 July 1862–20 February 1914)
#:Ruled 5 March to 27 June1901, when as a result of his progressive nature, he was deposed by his relatives and sent into exile in India.
#Maharaja Sir Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCVO, Kaiser-i-Hind (8 July 1863–26 November 1929)
#:Ruled 27 June 1901 to 26 November 1929.
#Maharaja Sir Bhim Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCSI, GCMG, KCVO (16 April 1865–1 September 1932)
#:Ruled 26 November 1929 to 1 September 1932.
#Maharaja Sir 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.
#Maharaja Sir Padma Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCSI, GBE, KCIE (5 December 1882–11 April 1961)
#:Ruled 20 November 1945 to 30 April 1948, whereupon he abdicated in favor of his cousin.
#Maharaja Sir 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.

External links and Sources

* [http://www.4dw.net/royalark/Nepal/lambjang.htm Lambjang and Kaski - Brief History] at Royalark.