Jung Bahadur Rana

Author: Sona Roka Magar

Jung Bahadur Rana was born on 18 June, 1817 AD in Thapathali, Kathmandu.Originally, his birth name was Bir Narsingh Kunwar. He was the eldest son of Kaji Bala Narasingh and his younger wife Ganesh Kumari. Bal Narsingh Kunwar was appointed a bodyguard of King Rana Bahadur Shah. Jung Bahadur Rana was prime minister of Nepal and virtual ruler of Nepal from 1846 to 1877, who established the powerful Rana dynasty of hereditary prime ministers, an office that remained in his family until 1951.Jung Bahadur Rana died on 25 February 1877 at the age of 59 in Patharghat, Rautahat.

Personal Life 

In 1853, Jung Bahadur Rana married Bada Maharani Hiranya Garva, who was the daughter of chief minister Fateh Jung Shah. They had four daughters who were married to royal princes. She also brought up Jung Bahadur Rana’s infant son Padma Jung, as the mother passed away during birth in 1857.He was known to have had at least 13 wives and numerous mistresses. Among his wives were Ganga Maharani who was a princess from Coorg, daughter of Rana Shere Shah who was called Ramri Maharani, a Magar girl named Mina Rani, and yet another wife called Misri Maharani.In 1877, he set out to hunt with three senior wives and two junior wives. However, he fell ill and died on 25th February 1877 on the banks of river Bagmati in Pattharghatta. His senior wives Bada Maharani Hiranya Garva Kumari, Antaree Maharani and Ramri Maharani committed Sati, while the young wives were persuaded to stay back and take care of their children 

Early Life of Jung Bahadur Rana

His father, Bal Narsingh Kunwar was the personal bodyguard of King Rana Bahadur Shah, and was awarded the post of ‘Kaji’. His mother, Ganesh Kumari, was closely related to the respected Thapa family. The influential position of his parents allowed him to enter the royal court at a young age.At the age of sixteen, Jung Bahadur Rana joined the military, when Nepal was under the leadership of his maternal grandfather Bhimsen Thapa. However, with the loss of power of Bhimsen Thapa, he lost his job as well as property.Following this event, he went on a journey spanning north India for a few years and returned to Nepal in 1840.

Rise of Jung Bahadur Rana

In 1840, upon his return to Nepal, he was made captain in artillery. The following year he was offered a post as the personal bodyguard of the King and in 1842, took up the position of Kaji in the palace.In 1946, he obtained control over the government after killing a usurper, Gagan Singh, who had plotted with the queen to elevate himself as Prime Minister and make the queen’s son as the King, by assassinating Jung Bahadur Rana. The plot was exposed and Jung Bahadur Rana exiled the King and Queen. He was then given the post of prime minister for life.By 1850, he had eliminated his major enemies and established control over important administrative matters. His family and close ones were appointed in pivotal positions at the royal court. Between 1850 and 1851, he visited England and France. He was known to have had good relations with the British throughout his life.Jung Bahadur Rana in an attempt to revise the old penal code, advised his officials to amend the nation’s then existing legal system into a unified body of laws that included procedures and frameworks for understanding and acting in the event of various civil and criminal matters. In 1854, the ‘Muluki Ain’ was completed and included matters like revenue, land, caste disputes, marriage and family law.He was a skillful diplomat and this helped Nepal to stay independent even while India was under the control of the British during his time. At the time of the Indian Mutiny in 1857-1858, he supported the British army with a battalion of Gurkha soldiers.He worked towards the modernization of the country and was highly influenced by European architecture and sense of fashion. Jung Bahadur Rana tried to bring about reform in Nepal by improving administration. He strived to abolish the custom of ‘Sati’, self-immolation of wives at the husband’s pyre.In 1856, a special decree granted complete authority in all judicial, administrative, civil affairs as well as foreign relations to him, as Prime minister. Additionally, he was made the King or ‘Maharaja’ of Kaski and Lamjung districts.In 1858, he was bestowed the honorary title ‘Rana’ by King Surendra. The prime ministers who descended from his family later added his name to theirs and his family went to be known as ‘the house of Ranas’.Upon being given the position of Prime Minister for life, he felt it was his duty that the state should be succeeded by an able adult and thus he created the order of succession in a way that is not passed from father to son but between brothers within the family. In the second generation it would be passed among the sons of his brothers as per the age in a similar manner.He remained Prime minister until 1877 and had supreme authority over all matters of the state. After his death, he was succeeded by his brother Rana Utdip Singh.

Major achievements of Junga Bahadur Rana 

Administrative Achievements 

Once Junga Bahabur Rana returned from his visit to Britain he tries to modernizes the administrative system of Nepal and hence made it efficient. Junga Bahadur established civil court ( Muluki Adda) to conduct daily administration and Jangi adda for administration of Army. Established Aainkhana and Kaushal Adda for drafting laws, Mulukin khana to collect revenues. He also made provision for appointment of officials of post office. He tried to divide Muluki Bandobasta Adda into two part and hence improved governance.

Economic Achievement 

During the Rana regime attempts were made to bring about diversity in agriculture. During the premiership of Junga Bahadur, systematic tea plantation was started in Illam. 

Social Achievements 

After returning from England in 1906 BS Junga Bahadur enforced the civil code ' Muluki Ain ' in 1910 BS in the name of King Surendra. Thus, there was uniformity in law within the country and it strengthened the unity of country in terms of law. He also strived to bring reforms by promoting modernization, revising judicial customs and working towards the abolishment of various social evils like ‘Sati’. 

Development in Education

In 1910 BS Junga Bahadur established Durbar School on the premises of Thapathali palace to impart English Education. 

Jung Bahadur Rana and Kot Massacre 

The Kot massacre (Nepali: कोत पर्व) took place on 14 September 1846 when then Kaji Jang Bahadur Kunwar and his brothers killed about 30-40 civil, military officers and palace guards of the Nepalese palace court including the Prime Minister of Nepal and a relative of the King, Chautariya Fateh Jung Shah and other senior-most ministers and army generals at the palace armory (Kot) of Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu. The Kot meeting was called upon by Queen Rajya Laxmi Devi after the same night murder of her confidante Kaji Gagan Singh Bhandari while performing worship at his prayer room. The Kot meeting turned ugly and eventually, Jang brothers and their supporters led an open court full-fledged assault on all his rival participants in the meeting. This massacre led to the loss of power of political clans such as Chautariyas, Pandes, Thapas, and Basnyats and that of King Rajendra Bikram Shah and Queen Rajya Laxmi Devi and ultimately the establishment of the Rana autocracy in Nepal.

 Awards 

* Sword of Honour from Napoleon III-1851

* India General Service Medal-1854

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB)-1858

* Indian Mutiny Medal-1858

* Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI)-1873

* Prince of Wales's Medal-1876

Adopted from:

a. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jung_Bahadur_Rana

b. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jung-Bahadur