Khadga Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana

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Commanding-General
Prithvi of Nepal
Preceded byJit Jung Rana
Succeeded byRana Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
Personal details
Born
Khadga Shamsher Kunwar Rana

(1861-02-16)16 February 1861
Dhir Shamsher Rana (father)
  • Nanda Kumari Thapa (mother)
    • Relativessee Rana dynasty
    Known forCoup of 1885
    Discovery of Lumbini (1896)
    Military service
    Allegiance   Nepal
    RankGeneral

    Commanding-General

    Gautam Buddha's birthplace as Lumbini
    .

    Early life

    Further information: Rana dynasty

    Khadga Shamsher was born on 16 February 1861 as the third of the seventeen sons

    Bhim Shamsher.[4] He served as Lieutenant Colonel (Nepali convention) in the Nepalese Army in his early youth.[1]

    Career

    42 Saalko Parva (Coup of 1885)

    Main article: 1885 Nepal coup d'état

    On 30 Ashwin 1941 (14 October 1884), Dhir Shamsher died unexpectedly by choking. His death uplifted the role of succession of all the roleholder Ranas.

    Jagat Jang Kunwar Rana.[6] Also, the Queen Mother Tara Kumari imprisoned Bir Shamsher shortly for protesting against her proposal of Jagat Jang as the successor of Ranoddip Singh. These events escalated the insecurity of Shamsher brothers and were strongly determined to achieve the power against Jagat Jang through the murder of Ranoddip Singh.[7] Ranoddip Singh planned to send the Shamsher brothers with troops to Delhi on a British military exhibition and declare Jagat Jang as his successor. However, Shamsher brothers counterplanned an intrigue to murder their uncle Ranoddip Singh using the large command of troops under them as well as the recently flattened bodyguards and counsellor of Ranodip Singh.[8] The date of the murder was affixed on 9 Mangshir 1942[9] and on that night, Bir Shamsher, Dambar Shamsher, Khadga Shamsher, Chandra Shamsher and Bhim Shamsher entered the Palace of Ranoddip Singh. At 9 pm, the murder was executed by three of them - Dambar Shamsher, Khadga Shamsher and Bhim Shamsher. Khadga Shamsher's second bullet shot mortally wounded Ranodip Singh.[10] Over an hour, there was a declaration in the Tundikhel that Bir Shamsher was the new Shree Teen Maharaja.[11] It was supported by second Queen Mother Lalit Rajeshwari who made an emotional appeal in front of soldiers. Khadga Shamsher in jubilation shouted Shree Teen Maharaja Ki and was responded "Jai" by the soldiers. Bir Shamsher was now legitimately accepted by the soldiers.[12] Till his later life, Khadga Shamsher boasted about the coup that he "... won the Kingdom of Nepal over an hour by a single bullet."[11]

    Coup attempt and removal from succession (1887)

    In the aftermath of coup, all the Shamsher brothers added the title of Jang Bahadur to their name.

    Bratabandha ceremony of his younger brother Colonel Sher Shamsher on middle of Falgun month of 1943 Vikram Samvat at his residence in Thapathali Durbar. He had his brother Commanding-General Chandra Shamsher and youngest Queen Mother Bishnu Divyeshwari, a daughter of uncle Jagat Shamsher Kunwar Rana, by his side.[17] Bir Shamsher, though warned by his bodyguard Colonel Faud Singh Khatri, went on to attend the ceremony. Suddenly, the palace was closed after the end of the ceremony even on the presence of the Prime Minister Bir Shamsher which was against the tradition of the period. The personal spies of Bir Shamsher reported the event of door closure including the absence of Khadga Shamsher from the main scene. Bir Shamsher felt insecure and planned to exit. However, he found the door closed as foretold and quickly exited the palace by threatening the doorguard.[18] The coup attempt was met with failure and the event further escalated the insecurity of Khadga Shamsher. On 23 Falgun 1943, there was an invitation to Prime Minister Bir Shamsher to attend the occasion of Samyak Puja of Buddhists without arms at Swayambhu. Khadga Shamsher yet again planned to arrest Bir Shamsher and exile him. The plan was again revealed to the Prime Minister by his bodyguard Faud Singh Khatri and Prime Minister Bir did not attend the ceremony. Khadga Shamsher also had his maternal uncle Colonel Keshar Singh Thapa and brother Chandra Shamsher by his side. When Prime Minister Bir Shamsher did not attend the ceremony, he sent Chandra Shamsher to call upon the Prime Minister in his private residence at Hiti Darbar. However, Chandra Shamsher stayed and the ambitious plan of Khadga Shamsher was nulled yet again.[19] On the evening of the same day, Prime Minister Bir Shamsher called upon Khadga Shamsher at his residence which he could not disobey. When Khadga Shamsher landed from his riding horse at the Prime Minister's residence, he was subsequently arrested by the security forces. Prime Minister Bir Shamsher himself exclaimed that Khadga Shamsher was removed out of the role of succession and the position of Commander-in-chief, and therefore, he was exiled to Palpa.[20]

    Governorship of Palpa

    Though initially he lived an exile life at Palpa, he was made the provincial governor of Palpa subsequently.[21]

    Discovery of Lumbini (1896)

    Lumbini Rummindei pillar at time of discovery in 1896, with location of the inscription, which was hidden about 1 meter under ground level.[22][23]

    In December 1896, German archaeologist Dr.

    Buddha since Ashoka visited and identified it in the 3rd century BCE.[28][25]
    (As per the many published articles and books written on this subject, it is not true that "Mr A. Fuhrer found the Lumbini pillar on 01 December and then asked the help of the regional Governor Khadga Shamsher Rana, to excavate it". In fact it seems it was the other way around. The Governor Khadga Shamsher Rana had earlier excavated the pillar with the help of Nepali sappers and local men, and on finding inscriptions on it which he was unable to read, made rubbings of it and sent it across the border to India, to a Mr V.Smith who was also interested in archaeology and had a farm nearby, for help in deciphering the strange language. Unfortunately Mr V.Smith was unable to do so as he was not trained in this field. It was only then that the help of Mr A. Fuhrer was sought. He was attached to the Lucknow Archaeology Department as one of its leading members, I am not aware of his exact post title, and had also been searching and excavating across the border in India looking for Buddhas birthplace and the city he lived in. Being an expert in this field Mr Fuhrer immediately identified the language and what it said - That the pillar marked the spot where Lord Buddha was born. Unfortunately Mr Furher took the entire credit of the discovery and failed to mention the important role that Governor General Khadga Shamsher Rana had played in it, not only for the excavation of the Ashokan pillar but also for the entire sequence of events that eventually led to the knowledge that it marked the place where Buddha was born to the entire world. It was only later that this truth came out when Mr Fuhrer was being investigated for fraud and was sacked from his position and sent away in disgrace. During this troublesome period in Mr Fuhrer's life he had written to the Governor General seeking his help in telling the world that he did indeed help in the finding of the birthplace of Lord Buddha, which The Governor General did reply to, in a series of back and forth letters that are very interesting reading. These letters to Mr A.Fuhrer by Governor General Khadga Shamsher Rana, along with his own articles of the various areas he excavated around Lumbini, were published in the Pioneer, the leading newspaper in India at that time that was published in Allahabad, a city in India. The articles and letters to Mr Fuhrer make very interesting reading, they have been dug up from rooms that have been dust covered and with dark interiors, and then have been compiled and published in a book in Nepal, by Harihar Raj Joshi and his wife ) Harihar Raj Joshi

    Retirement and death

    After many years of governing Palpa, Khadga Shamsher finally settled in present day Sagar, Madhya Pradesh in India for rest of his life.[21] He died on 22 December 1921 at Nepal Palace in Saugor (Sagar).[citation needed]

    Descendants

    He had eight sons and several daughters. His grandson Guna Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana was the

    Commander-in-chief of the Nepalese Army from 1975 to 1980. His two granddaughters through his son Tunga Shamsher were married to the sons of Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal Narendra Shah. His grandson Jagadish Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana was the Nepalese ambassador to USSR (1971-1977) and to India (1983-1985).[citation needed] His eldest daughter Ganga Kumari Devi was married to Raja Dev Jang Bahadur Singh of Bajhang.[citation needed] One of his daughter Thakurani Chuda Devyashwari Devi was married to Thakur Mahendra Singh of Sagar; whose children was Vijaya Raje Scindia who went on to become Queen of Gwalior State in India.[citation needed
    ]

    Palaces

    Kali Gandaki river, Palpa

    He had lived in

    Palpa district of Nepal, which was constructed by General Khadga Shamsher in 1893 AD in the memory of his queen.[30]

    Ancestry

    Ancestors of Khadga Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
    16.
    Dhir Shamsher Rana
    20. Amar Singh Thapa (Sanukaji General) (= 12)
    10. Nain Singh Thapa
    21. Satyarupa Maya (= 13)
    5. Ganesh Kumari Thapa
    22. Ranajit Pande
    11. Rana Kumari Pande
    1. Khadga Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana
    24. Bir Bhadra Thapa
    12. Amar Singh Thapa (Sanukaji General)
    6. Bakhtawar Singh Thapa
    13. Satyarupa Maya
    3. Nanda Kumari Thapa

    References

    1. ^ a b c Acharya 2019, p. 247.
    2. ^ Acharya 2019, pp. 279–281.
    3. ^ Acharya 2019, p. 255.
    4. ISBN 99933-39-91-1
      .
    5. ^ Acharya 2019, p. 246.
    6. ^ Acharya 2019, pp. 248–250.
    7. ^ Acharya 2019, pp. 251–252.
    8. ^ Acharya 2019, pp. 254–257.
    9. ^ Acharya 2019, pp. 256–257.
    10. ^ Acharya 2019, pp. 260–262.
    11. ^ a b Acharya 2019, p. 262.
    12. ^ Acharya 2019, p. 265.
    13. ^ Acharya 2019, p. 279.
    14. ^ Acharya 2019, pp. 279–280.
    15. ^ a b Acharya 2019, p. 281.
    16. ^ Acharya 2019, p. 282.
    17. ^ Acharya 2019, p. 283.
    18. ^ Acharya 2019, p. 284.
    19. ^ Acharya 2019, pp. 284–285.
    20. ^ Acharya 2019, p. 286.
    21. ^ a b Acharya 2019, p. 288.
    22. ^ British Library Online
    23. ^ "Dr. Fuhrer went from Nigliva to Rummindei where another Priyadasin lat has been discovered... and an inscription about 3 feet below surface, had been opened by the Nepalese" in Calcutta, Maha Bodhi Society (1921). The Maha-Bodhi. p. 226.
    24. ISBN 978-0-691-17632-1
      .
    25. ^
      JSTOR 25207888
      .
    26. ^ a b Falk, Harry. The discovery of Lumbinī. p. 13.
    27. ^ Barth, A. (1897). "Le Journal des savans". Gallica (Académie des inscriptions et belles–lettres): 72.
    28. ^
      ISBN 978-92-3-001208-3
      .
    29. ^ Acharya 2019, p. 183.
    30. ISBN 978-9994611027
      . Retrieved 9 February 2020.

    Books
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