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17-398: General Gagan Singh Bhandari (Nepali: गगनसिंह भंडारी)(1796-1846) was a Nepalese General. He was born in a Chettri family of Gorkha Kingdom. He was the commander-in-chief of the most powerful party headed by Queen Rajya Lakshmi Devi , the favourite wife of King Rajendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev . She was anxious to secure the crown for her own son, and meantime permanent regency for herself. At

34-425: A threat to himself, Rana, who had become the prime minister, exiled Rajya Lakshmi to Varanasi . King Rajendra also accompanied her to Varanasi. Before leaving, he made Surendra the prince regent. However, later Rana forced the abdication of King Rajendra, and then Surendra was made the king. King Surendra was like a prisoner in his own palace: with the exception of his immediate family, nobody could visit him without

51-563: The 104-year rule of the Rana dynasty in Nepal. Rajya Lakshmi Devi was born around 1814. She was from Gorakpur , India . She was married to King Rajendra on February 5, 1824. They had two sons, Ranendra and Birendra. Queen Rajya Lakshmi was described as ambitious for power. Her husband was usually described as an incapable ruler, and his senior wife, Queen Samrajya , was the de facto regent from 1839 to 1841. After her death in 1841, Queen Rajya Lakshmi

68-403: The crowd, and he was wounded by a shot to his chest by Jung Bahadur Rana . The dying General Abhiman Singh Rana Magar , shouted, "Junge was the killer of Gagan Singh"(" गगन सिंहको हत्त्यारा जंगे नै हो "). During the free-for-all that followed, swords and knives were used on all sides. Through some scheme that has never been explained adequately, the only leader with organized bodies of troops in

85-477: The dominance and political leadership of the Kunwar family- the family of Jung Bahadur Rana. The king and his descendants could use the honorific title of 'Shri' five times with their names, while the members of the Kunwar family used the title thrice- placing the Kunwar family in a rank that was second only to the royal family. While Surendra remained the king (Maharajadhiraja), he had little power; Jung Bahadur Rana ruled

102-447: The entire administrative establishment of the country to be brought immediately at the courtyard of the palace armoury. Then the queen ordered the man she suspected to be the murderer of Gagan Singh to be executed. After a chaotic situation broke out, Jung Bahadur used the situation for his own advantage and eliminated many nobles. Following the Kot massacre, Jung Bahadur Kunwar declared himself

119-483: The height of his power during 1845, general Gagan Singh controlled seven regiments in the army compared to only three by the prime minister Fateh Jung Shah , making him the one holding the real power behind the throne of Nepal . His notorious affair with the queen also made him an object of jealousy and dislike to the king and the royal family. Little is known about his early days. He was shot to death from behind while offering evening prayers at his private temple on

136-429: The kot area was Jang Bahadur , whose troops suppressed the fighting, killing many of his opponents in the process. When the struggle subsided, the courtyard was strewn with the bodies of dozens of leading nobles and an unknown number of their followers The Pande and Thapa families in particular were devastated during this slaughter. That followed a seek and destroy approach taken by Jung Bahadur Rana against all nobles in

153-842: The next king. Jung had royal pandits read out the accusation. Ultimately, the queen and her two sons were exiled to India. King Rajendra accompanied them, and later tried to overthrow Jung Bahadur, but the king was defeated, kept under house arrest, and Prince Surendra was made the new king in 1847. The former king Rajendra continued to live in house arrest until his death in 1881. Rajya Lakshmi continued to live in Varanasi . Jung Bahadur Rana visited Europe in 1850, and on his way back he visited Varanasi, where Rajya Lakshmi, along with her two sons, met him with submission. Rajya Lakshmi must have died sometime before 1900. Surendra of Nepal Surendra Bikram Shah ( Nepali : श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज सुरेन्द्र विक्रम शाह देव ), (20 October 1829 – 17 May 1881),

170-524: The night of September 14, 1846. His assassination remains mysterious, and is considered by historians as one of the untold stories which led to a turnaround of events in the History of Nepal , and eventually the establishment of the Rana dynasty . Raged by the news of her beloved and trustworthy general, Queen Rajya Lakshmi Devi vowed to punish the culprit. She immediately ordered all the noblemen and parties for an emergency inquiry. This gathering followed one of

187-465: The permission of Jung Bahadur Rana. The king was only allowed to read literature. Frustrated at these circumstances, the king wanted to abdicate in favor of his eldest son Trailokya, but the Rana did not allow it. Surendra was allowed to meet his father, the ex-king Rajendra, once every month. Rajendra continued to live under house arrest until his death. In 1856, King Surendra issued a sanad- which formalized

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204-465: The prime minister. Queen Rajya Lakshmi- who had always trusted Jung- was begun to be shown disrespect and even the king was insulted. Enraged and insecure, the queen plotted to have Jung killed, but the plot was soon revealed. Jung Bahadur thought that the queen might be a threat to him. He accused the queen of actually plotting to kill the then Crown Prince Surendra and his younger brother, Prince Upendra so that her own son, Prince Ranendra, could become

221-458: The royal house and other in the country, that included many ethnic leaders as well. Rajya Lakshmi Devi In 1843, Queen Rajya Lakshmi was made the queen regent and co-regent of her husband. Queen Rajya Lakshmi wanted to have her son, Prince Ranendra, to be crowned the next king instead of her stepson Surendra Bikram Shah . She was somewhat responsible for the Kot massacre in 1846, which initiated

238-554: The worst massacres in the history of Nepal, called the Kot Massacre of September 14, 1846 that catapulted the Ranas into power. The queen suspected Bir Keshar Pande for the killing of her secret lover and ordered Abhiman Singh Rana Magar , the then Commander-in-chief of Nepal Army, to kill the Pande leader. However, having known the real culprit, he hesitated in doing so. Fighting broke out in

255-440: Was King of Nepal . He became the king after Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana forced the abdication of his father, Rajendra Bikram Shah . Surendra was effectively reduced to a figurehead, with Rana being the de facto ruler of the country. Surendra was the son of King Rajendra and his first wife, Queen Samrajya . He was born the crown prince of Nepal and was relatively unpopular. Surendra's stepmother, Queen Rajya Lakshmi ,

272-399: Was ambitious to have her son, Prince Ranendra, sit on the throne. However, Jung Bahadur Rana, who was ambitious and wanted power, might have cooperated with Rajya Lakshmi for his own motive. After the Kot massacre , in which Rana managed to eliminate a large number of nobles, Rana turned against the queen, who in turn plotted to kill him (though the plot failed). Considering Queen Rajya Lakshmi

289-474: Was the de facto regent, and in 1843, she was officially made the Queen regent. Rajya Lakshmi wanted her own son, Prince Ranendra, to become the next king. Jung Bahadur Kunwar might have promised to help her, but in doing this, he had his own motives. Gagan Singh Bhandari , a favorite of Queen Rajya Lakshmi and whom the queen had hoped to use to elevate her son as the king, was found dead. The queen gave orders for

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