Dev Shamsher

 

Author: Sona Roka Magar

Dev Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana was the 12th prime minister of Nepal. He was born on 17 July 1862. He was Maharaja of Lamjung and Kaski. In the annals of political history, he is remembered as Nepal's 'most liberal' prime minister, considering he came from the Rana dynasty known for their autocratic rulers who presided over the kingdom from 1846 to 1951. He was prime minister of Nepal for only 114 days in 1901. 

Family life

Dev Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana  was the fourth of 17 sons born to the Chief of the Army Dhir Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana (a younger brother of Jung Bahadur Rana) by his third wife, Rani Nanda Kumari, daughter of Kazi Hemdal Singh Thapa (sister of Commanding Colonel Keshar Singh Thapa). Dev Shumsher was adopted at a very young age by his father's childless elder brother, General Krishna Bahadur Kunwar Ranaji and was raised by him and his wife. As the adopted child of general Krishna Bahadur Rana, who was governor of Palpa, Dev Shamsher had a lavish upbringing compared to his natural brothers. Only  festivals and family gathering,  Dev Shumsher can meet his own sibling. The Shumsher were poorer than the Jang and other cousins, so to ease the burden on Dhir Shumsher.Since he was much richer than his brothers, they envied him. He spent the majority of his time in their palace, Thapathali Durbar. 

Dev Shumsher had 12 sons and 3 daughters. His principal wife was Badamaharani Karma Kumari, Maharani Krishna Kumari (daughter of the King Surendra, in fact, Dev Shamsher was the only amongst the 17 Shamsher brothers to marry a princess from the royal family of Nepal) and Rani Ganesh Kumari.

Major Achievement Of Dev Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana 

Dev Shumsher was  known as a reformist. He wanted to abolish slavery. He started building schools to introduce universal education and launched many social welfare schemes, apart from being a firm anti-corruptionist. He introduced gambling, bhajans and silent movies in his less than five-month rule. He also made improvements to the arsenal at Nakkhu (south of Kathmandu). A democratic person, he took the advice of his nephew General Gehendra Shumsher and decided to establish a parliament and built a big hall in his Thapathali Durbar like his uncle, Prime Minister and Chief of the Army (Marshal) Jung Bahadur. 

He proposed a system of universal public primary education, using Nepali as the language of instruction, and opening Durbar High School to children who were not members of the Rana clan. He organized a ladies court like his late uncle Jung Bahadur. He was the first person to introduce the newspaper to Nepal, Gorkhapatra, which is still the national daily. He saw Japan as his model. He chose an advanced Asian nation for learning probably because of some similarities between Nepal and Japan rejoining their cultural and then political situation. It was Dev Shumsher who planned to send Nepali youths to Japan for higher studies.

This all-encompassing, accommodating disposition of the exiled prime minister is perhaps reflected in the curation of the exhibition too. In his fifties, he had a stroke and wrote to his brother to grant him the wish to visit Nepal once before he dies. His brother wrote back saying, "Just as no forest can contain two tigers, no one scabbard two swords, so there is no place in Nepal for you and me." 

Cause of Death

 Dev Shamsher ruled for two months in 1901 and was the shortest serving Rana was, he was deposed by his brothers because of his open display of guilt for what has happened during the coup. Dev Shumsher was forced into exile in British India. Upon his arrival, he was given two options: a place in Delhi or Mussoorie. Dev Shumsher chose the latter as the rolling mountain scenery most closely resembled the home he left behind. There he built a palace again, the famous Fairlawn, and began a new chapter with his twelve sons, four daughters and an array of concubines or talimas. Dev Shumsher Rana died " a mysterious death by his own gun" shortly thereafter on February 20, 1914.

 Some Parts are Adopted from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dev_Shumsher_Jang_Bahadur_Rana