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The Intriguing Life of Jung Bahadur Rana

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The first Rana, Prime Minister of Nepal, Jang Bahadur Rana, is renowned for his violence and cruelty during his lifetime. He was born as Bir Narasingh Kunwar on the 7th of Ashadh, 1874 (18 June, 1817), to father Balnarasingh Kunwar and mother Ganesh Kumari Kunwar. His maternal uncle was the famous chief Bhimsen Thapa. When he was young, due to Bhimsen Thapa's influence, he was able to live off the national treasury. That was until Bhimsen Thapa was removed from his post. To earn a living for his family, he went to Vanras for work. His financial situation improved after he married the sister of Colonel Sanak Singh Shripali Tandon. Not only that, but he also got the opportunity to meet the then King Rajendra Bir Bikram. After learning about the relationship between his mother and father, the king, seeing his clever and courageous behaviour, took him to work in the palace. To test his courage, the king ordered him to jump into the Trishuli River on a horse. There are rumours that he also jumped from the Dharara. However, historians have dismissed this rumour as a baseless myth. Historians have dismissed this claim as a baseless myth.

At court, Jung Bahadur Rana worked under Kazi Gagan Singh Bhandari, a close associate of the then king's younger wife. Rajendra Bir Bikram was a puppet king, with real power in the hands of his two wives – both of whom bore him a son each. After the death of his eldest wife, Samrajya Lakshmi Devi, the younger queen, Rajya Lakshmi Devi, assumed power. The younger queen wanted her son to be the next king. But the first prince, the late queen's son, would be the next heir.

When Jung Bahadur Rana was working in the palace, Mathbar Singh Thapa was the prime minister. During his reign, one of Jung Bahadur Rana’s cousins was accused and executed. He pleaded with the queen for help. However, his pleas fell on closed ears. This incident led him to hold a grudge against the younger queen.

The queen assigned Kazi Gagan Singh Bhandari the task of assassinating the first prince to make her son the king. But on Bhadra 31, 1903, the Kazi was assassinated while praying in the puja room of his home, which was a few metres away from Hanuman Dokha. His death remains a mystery. There are many theories that try to answer the questions regarding his mysterious death. The queen assigned Jung Bahadur Rana the task of investigating the murder of her trusted subordinate.

Due to conflicts and rivalries in the palace, Jung Bahadur Rana and his cousins (who had gained positions in the court because of him) massacred their rivals in Kot. This would later be labelled as the Kot massacre, where 40 people The Kot massacre, which resulted in the deaths of 40 individuals, including the prime minister and relatives of the king, would later be labelled as such., including the prime minister and relatives of the king. After the massacre, Jung Bahadur Rana was promoted to the rank of Mukhiyar and Commander-in-Chief. He was then promoted to prime minister by the queen. He was also ordered to kill the first prince, Prince Surendra, and appoint the younger Prince Rajendra as king. However, he ignored this order for the queen to resent him. The queen, with the help of her rivals, the Basnets, was planning to exile him. They invited him and his uncles to a picnic at Bhandarkhal where they would kill them by poisoning the food. After learning about this plan, Jung Bahadur Rana and his cousins ​​armed themselves and killed 93 people, 77 of whom were men and 16 of whom were women. The Bhandarkhal massacre is a classic example of Jung Bahadur Rana's brutal actions. He did not allow the bodies to be given a proper burial but instead threw them on the banks of the Bishnumati River so that vultures could eat them. Then, he also killed all their children, including those as young as 2-3 years old.

After the massacre, the queen was exiled from the country, and the king went to Vanaras with his wife. While they were gone, Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana fully exploited his authority. He crowned Prince Surendra, the eldest queen's son, as king. The exiled people in Vanaras pressured the king to reclaim the throne. The former king led a small army to remove Jung Bahadur Rana from his position but failed and suffered a humiliating defeat in the Battle of Alau. He was then arrested and imprisoned in an old palace in Bhaktapur.

During this time, the British ruled India. To get closer to the British, Jung Bahadur Rana helped them suppress numerous rebellions against them in India. He visited Britain, where he spent millions on his entertainment. There he bathed luxuriously, fooled around with women, and gambled in casinos. He also fell in love with a woman named Laura Bell and offered to help her if she needed it.

After witnessing the development of the British, Jung Bahadur Rana worked on many development projects in Nepal. His most famous contributions were the establishment of the Durbar High School and the first written constitution, the Muluki Ain. When the British asked him for help through Laura Bell to suppress democratic uprisings, he helped pacify the citizens on Mangsir 27, 1994. To give this award, the British returned the present-day Kailalil, Kanchanpur, and Banke lands that they had lost due to the Treaty of Sugauli.

He also gave himself the title of Shri Tin Maharaja. He ensured that his descendants would continue to rule Nepal as prime ministers, thus beginning the 104-year-long Rana rule. He is also known as the first Maharaja of Lamjung and Kaski. He is an important figure in Nepali history, having brought innovations to the governmental and judiciary sectors and attempted to modernise Nepal.

However, the death of such an important but cruel man remains a mystery. Historians speculate that he may have been murdered by Dhir Shamsher or that he may have had a blood clot in a vein near his heart. There is also a story of how a Magar boy murdered him on the charge of stealing his newlywed wife. Although his death remains a mystery, it is certain that despite the efforts to modernise Nepal, he will remain in the history books as a cruel and vile dictator.

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Published on 9/2/2026

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Pasang Doma Sherpa is a student at Deerwalk Sifal School who loves writing articles, exploring diverse topics and engaging in creative discussions.

Pasang Doma Sherpa

Grade 9

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