Rana Jang Pande
Shree Mukhtiyar Kaji Saheb Rana Jung Pande | |
---|---|
श्री मुख्तियार काजी साहेब रणजङ्ग पाँडे | |
Ranganath Poudyal | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1789 A.D Kathmandu |
Died | 18 April 1843 A.D Kathmandu |
Citizenship | Nepal |
Nationality | Nepali |
Children | Badarjung, Tekjung, Samarjung, Shumsherjung |
Parent | Damodar Pande |
Rana Jang Pande (
The death of Queen Tripurasundari in 1832, who was a distant cousin of Rana Jang and the strongest supporter and niece of Bhimsen Thapa, and the adulthood of King Rajendra, weakened Bhimsen Thapa's hold on power. The conspiracies and infighting with rival courtiers (especially the Pandes, who held Bhimsen Thapa responsible for the death of Damodar Pande in 1804) finally led to imprisonment of Bhimsen Thapa and death by suicide in 1839. However, the court infighting did not subside with his death, and the political instability eventually paved way for the establishment of the Rana dynasty.
Rise to Power
Rana Jang Pande was stationed as a captain in the army in Kathmandu. He was aware of the disunity between the Samrajya Laxmi and Bhimsen, and thus he had secretly expressed his loyalty to Samrajya Laxmi and had vowed to help her in bringing Bhimsen Thapa down for all the wrongs he had committed against his family.[3] Factions in the Nepalese court had also started to develop around the rivalry between the two queens, with the senior queen supporting the Pandes, while the junior queen supporting the Thapas.[4] About a month after Mathabar's return to Kathmandu, a child was born out of an adulterous relationship between him and his widowed sister-in-law. This news was spread all over the country by the Pandes, and the resulting public disgrace forced Mathabar to leave Kathmandu and reside in his ancestral home in Pipal Thok, Borlang, Gorkha.[3] To save face, Bhimsen gave Mathabar the governorship of Gorkha.[3]
Taking advantage of Mathabar's absence in Kathmandu, the military battalions under his command were distributed to other courtiers during the annual muster at the beginning of 1837.[5] Nevertheless, Bhimsen managed to secure his and his family members' positions in the civil and military offices. An investigation was also started to check Bhimsen's expenditures in establishing various battalions.[5] Such events led the courtiers to feel that Bhimsen's Mukhtiyari (prime ministership) would not last very long; thus Ranabir Singh Thapa, in the hopes of becoming the next Mukhtiyar (Prime Minister), wrote a letter to the King asking him to be recalled to Kathmandu from Palpa. His wish was granted; and Bhimsen, pleased to see his brother after many years, made Ranbir Singh the acting Mukhtiyar and decided to go to his ancestral home in Borlang Gorkha for the sake of pilgrimage.[6] But in truth, Bhimsen had gone to Gorkha to placate his nephew and bring him back to Kathmandu.[6]
In Bhimsen's absence, Rajendra established a new battalion, Hanuman Dal, to be kept under his personal command. By February 1837, both Ranjang Pande and his brother, Ranadal Pande, had been promoted to the position of a Kaji; and Ranjang was made a personal secretary to the King, while Ranadal was made the governor of Palpa.[7] Ranjang was also made the chief palace guard, the position formerly occupied by Ranbir Singh and then Bhimsen. Thus, this curtailed Bhimsen's access to the royal family.[7] On 14 June 1837, the King took over the command of all the battalions put in charge to various courtiers, and himself became the Commander-in-Chief.[8][9]
Mission to China
In December 1835, the political rival of Prime Minister
Hold on power
Immediately after the incarceration of the Thapas, a new government with joint Mukhtiyars was formed with Ranga Nath Poudyal as the head of civil administration, and Dalbhanjan Pande and Rana Jang Pande as joint heads of military administration.[15] This appointment established the Pandes as the dominant faction in the court, and they started to make preparations for war with the British in order to win back the lost territories of Kumaon and Garhwal.[16] While such war posturing was nothing new, the din the Pandes created alarmed not just the Resident Hodgson[16] but the opposing court factions as well, who saw their aggressive policy as detrimental to the survival of the country.[17] After about three months in power, under pressure from the opposing factions, the King removed Ranajang as Mukhtiyar and Ranga Nath Poudyal, who was favorably inclined towards the Thapas, was chosen as the sole Mukhtiyar.[18][19][20][17]
Fearful that the Pandes would re-establish their power, Fateh Jung Shah, Ranga Nath Poudyal, and the Junior Queen Rajya Laxmi Devi obtained from the King the liberation of Bhimsen, Mathabar, and the rest of the party, about eight months after they were incarcerated for the poisoning case.[19][20][21] Some of their confiscated land as well as the Bagh Durbar was also returned. Upon his release, the soldiers loyal to Bhimsen crowded behind him in jubilation and followed him up to his house; a similar treatment was given to Mathabarsingh Thapa and Sherjung Thapa.[17] Although pardon had been granted to Bhimsen, his former office was not re-instated; thus he went to live in retirement at his patrimony in Borlang, Gorkha.[20][21]
However,
Decline from power
Death
Rana Jang Pandey was forced to see the murdered dead bodies of his brothers and nephews on April 18, 1843. Rana Jang lying ill in his bed was not given death sentence. Rana Jang was shocked to death after seeing the dead bodies of his brothers and nephews on 18 April 1843.[25]
References
- ^ "Internal Server Error 500". sanjaal.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ "Prime Ministers of Nepal". We All Nepali. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ a b c Acharya 2012, p. 155.
- ^ Nepal 2007, p. 108.
- ^ a b Acharya 2012, p. 156.
- ^ a b Acharya 2012, p. 157.
- ^ a b Acharya 2012, p. 158.
- ^ Acharya 2012, p. 215.
- ^ Nepal 2007, p. 105.
- ^ Chitta Ranjan Nepali, General Bhimsen Thapa Ra Tatkalin Nepal, Kathmandu: Ratna Pustak Bhandar, Third Edition, 2035 B.S., pp 206-207
- ^ Ludwig F. Stiller, The Silent Cry, Kathmandu: Sahayogi Prakashan, 1976, p 23
- ^ Chinese Amban to King Rajendra, Tao Kwang 16th Year (1839 B.S., Magha 21, MFA, Pako No Pa. 64
- ^ Bhim Bahadur Pande Chhetri, Rastra Bhakti Ko Jhalak:Pande Bamsa Ko Bhumika, 1596-1904 B.S., kathmandu: Ratna Pustak Bhandar, 2034 B.S, P. 156
- ^ B.H. Hodgson, "Route of Two Nepalese Embassies to Peking with Remarks on the watershed and plateau of Tibet", Journal of Asiatic Society, No VI, 1856, pp 486-490
- ^ Nepal 2007, p. 106.
- ^ a b Pradhan 2012, p. 163.
- ^ a b c Pradhan 2012, p. 164.
- ^ Acharya 2012, p. 160.
- ^ a b Oldfield 1880, p. 311.
- ^ a b c Nepal 2007, p. 109.
- ^ a b c Acharya 2012, p. 161.
- ^ a b Oldfield 1880, p. 313.
- ^ Nepal 2007, p. 110.
- ^ Sharma, Balchandra (c. 1976). Nepal ko Aitehasik Rooprekha. Varanasi: Krishna Kumari Devi. p. 295.
- ^ a b Acharya 1971, p. 17.
Bibliography
- Acharya, Baburam (1971), "The Fall of Bhimsen Thapa and The Rise of Jang Bahadur Rana" (PDF), Regmi Research Series, 3, Kathmandu: 214–219
- Acharya, Baburam (2012), Acharya, Shri Krishna (ed.), Janaral Bhimsen Thapa : Yinko Utthan Tatha Pattan (in Nepali), Kathmandu: Education Book House, p. 228, ISBN 9789937241748
- Amatya, Shaphalya (June–November 1978), "The failure of Captain Knox's mission in Nepal" (PDF), Ancient Nepal (46–48), Kathmandu: 9–17, retrieved 11 January 2013
- Hunter, William Wilson (1896), Life of Brian Houghton Hodgson, London: John Murry
- Joshi, Bhuwan Lal; Rose, Leo E. (1966), Democratic Innovations in Nepal: A Case Study of Political Acculturation, University of California Press, p. 551
- Kandel, Devi Prasad (2011), Pre-Rana Administrative System, Chitwan: Siddhababa Offset Press, p. 95
- Karmacharya, Ganga (2005), Queens in Nepalese politics: an account of roles of Nepalese queens in state affairs, 1775–1846, Kathmandu: Educational Pub. House, p. 185, ISBN 9789994633937
- Nepal, Gyanmani (2007), Nepal ko Mahabharat (in Nepali) (3rd ed.), Kathmandu: Sajha, p. 314, ISBN 9789993325857
- Oldfield, Henry Ambrose (1880), Sketches from Nipal, Vol 1, vol. 1, London: W.H. Allan & Co.
- Pemble, John (2009), "Forgetting and remembering Britain's Gurkha War", Asian Affairs, 40 (3): 361–376, S2CID 159606340
- Pradhan, Kumar L. (2012), Thapa Politics in Nepal: With Special Reference to Bhim Sen Thapa, 1806–1839, New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company, p. 278, ISBN 9788180698132