Prince Bahadur Shah of Nepal
Bahadur Shah | |
---|---|
Prince Regent of Narendra Rajya Lakshmi Devi | |
Religion | Hinduism |
Chief Chautaria & Prince Regent of Nepal[1] | |
In office 31 August 1778 – 20 June 1779[citation needed] | |
Preceded by | established |
Succeeded by | deposed |
In office 13 July 1785 A.D. – 6 June 1794 A.D.[citation needed] | |
Preceded by | reinstated as Chief Chautaria |
Succeeded by | Kirtiman Singh Basnyat as Chief Kazi |
Prince Bahadur Shah (
Early life
Bahadur Shah was born in the palace of Gorkha and was the second son of King Prithvi Narayan Shah. He was originally known as Fateh Bahadur Shah but eventually came to be known as Bahadur Shah. He was educated at the palaces of Gorkha and Nuwakot and also accompanied his father on certain battlefields. Unike his brother Pratap Singh Shah, who ruled Nepal from his father's death in 1775 until 1777 and was a luxury-loving and indulgent king more interested in tantrism; Bahadur spent most of his time learning about diplomacy from the courtiers in Nuwakot.[2]
Exile to India
After the death of King Prithvi Narayan Shah, his eldest son Pratap Singh Shah succeeded him as the King of Nepal. When Pratap Singh Shah ascended to the throne of Nepal, he immediately detained and put under house arrest in Nuwakot with the advice of his top advisor Bajranath Pandit.[3] After his release from immediate imprisonment, Bahadur Shah spent most of his time in Palpa and Tanahu, both of which used to be independent nations back then. His primary goal was to establish friendly relations with these nations and later gain their alliance in order to continue the unification of Nepal, whilst also regaining his brother's trust. He apparently sent letters back to the capital to Pratap Singh, however, was still not allowed to get back to Nepal.[4] Eventually, Bahadur Shah left for Bettiah district in Bihar, India and lived out the rest of his exile there.[citation needed]
Return to Nepal and second exile
After the death of Pratap Singh Shah on 17 November 1777, his two-year old son
Regency (1785–1794)
After the death of Rajendra Laxmi in 1785, Bahadur Shah came back to Nepal and resumed the expansion of Nepal. He took a hardline approach to unification offering one of the options to state kings and princes: accept Gorkha sovereignty while continuing to rule themselves or battle to the death. He also married the sister of King Prithvi Pal Sen of Palpa, one of the more powerful nations bordering Nepal.
Many minor states accepted annexation with notable resistance from Jumla and Doti. The king of Jumla, Shovan Shahi, fled to China, later assisting China in the Sino-Nepalese War. The king of Doti fled to British India and assisted them in the Anglo-Nepalese War.[7] Bahadur Shah then crushed the Limbuwan rebellion on his eastern front and annexed Sikkim with Damodar Pande and Amar Singh Thapa as his military generals. Amar Singh Thapa annexed Kumaon kingdom upon invitation of its minister Hari Singh Dev. However, resistance followed and then a battle. Later the deposed Kumaoni king aided the British in the Anglo-Nepalese War but could not restore his Kingdom.
In 1788 Nepal attacked Tibet over issues of counterfeiting and granted asylum to Shamarpa Lama, who died during the war. Chinese Amban stationes[spelling?] in Lhasa dragged China into war, turning it into Sino-Nepalese War in 1792. Nepal asked for British arms which mediator Colonel William Kirkpatrick refused. Nepal was defeated and a peace treaty was signed with China.
After the war,
Later years
As the child king came of age, Bahadur Shah's influence in the palace continued to decline. By the time he was forced to retire from his office in 1794, he had had multiple disagreements with the king Rana Bahadur Shah and as such the king viewed him suspicion just like his father and former king Pratap Singh Shah had done before him. After retirement, Bahadur Shah attempted to relocate to China, but his request was declined, so he relocated himself near the Pashupatinath Temple and started living a simple life and practicing religion alongside the saints at the temple, until he was arrested again and imprisoned in February 1797 on several false charges including attempting to kill the king, hold the king in captivity. In addition, his wife was also charged as having poisoned Queen Rajendra Laxmi.[9] There he was tortured for months and kept in total isolation until his death in 24 June in 1797. Although most historians of Nepal agree that King Rana Bahadur Shah was definitely involved in his assassination, the exact method remains a matter of controversy. Most historians agree that he was killed by having hot oil poured on his body, while some believe that he was forcibly hanged.[10]
References
- ^ "Regmi Research Series"; Author:Mahesh Chandra Regmi
- ISBN 978-99933-2-406-5.
- ISBN 978-9937-665-40-7.
- ^ Bajracharya, Dhanabajra (1968). "Purnima" (PDF). Sansodhan-Mandala.
- ISBN 978-99933-2-406-5.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ^ Bajracharya, Dhanabajra. "Purnima". Issue 10: 47.
- ^ Subedi, Rajaram (1987). History of Bajhang. Nepal.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ISBN 8170416434.
- ISBN 978-9937-665-40-7.
- ^ "बहादुर शाहको मरण : तातो तेल खन्याएर". Himal Khabar. Retrieved 25 November 2021.