Rana dynasty
The Rana dynasty was a Chhetri dynasty that imposed authoritarianism in the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1951, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead, and making the Prime Minister and other government positions held by the Ranas hereditary. The Rana dynasty is historically known for their iron-fisted rule in Nepal. This changed after the Revolution of 1951 with the promulgation of a new constitution, when power shifted back to the monarchy of King Tribhuvan.
The Rana dynasty were descended from the Kunwar family, a nobility of the Gorkha Kingdom. Due to their marital lineages with the politically reigning Thapa dynasty from the early 19th century, the Ranas gained entry to central Darbar politics. The Ranas were also linked to a minor faction of the Pande dynasty of Gorkha through the Thapa dynasty.
Genealogy
The genealogy of Jang Bahadur Kunwar Rana, a prominent figure of the Rana dynasty, was documented by 19th-century chronicler Daniel Wright. According to his account, the lineage begins with Tattā Rāṇā, described as a king of Chittaurgarh. This account has been regarded by historians such as John Whelpton as likely fabricated, lacking corroborative historical evidence prior to the nineteenth century.Wright claims that Fakht Siṃha Rāṇā, the nephew of Tattā Rāṇā, had a son named Rāma Siṃha Rāṇā who migrated to the Himalayan foothills after the siege of Chittaur. Rāma Siṃha was employed by a local hill raja and later married the daughter of the Raja of Bīnātī, a Bagāle Kṣetrī. They had six sons over a span of 10–12 years, one of whom earned the title Kum̐vara Khaḍkā for his role in a battle against the Raja of Satān Koṭ. This title was inherited by his descendants.
Rāma Siṃha reportedly returned to Chittaur at his brother's request and died shortly thereafter. His son, Rāut Kunwar, became a nobleman and military commander under the local ruler. Rāut Kunwar's son, Ahirāma Kunwar, was later invited by the King of Kaski, who granted him land at Dhuage Saghu as birta. When the King of Kaski attempted to seize Ahirāma's daughter by force after he refused to marry her off through informal rites, a conflict ensued. With the help of villagers from the Parājulī Thāpā caste, Ahirāma resisted the King's forces.
Following this, Ahirāma migrated with his sons, including Ram Krishna Kunwar and Jaya Krishna Kunwar, to Gorkha, where Prithvi Narayan Shah granted them lands known as Kunwar-Khola as birta.
Historian John Whelpton suggests that the Kunwar origin story, involving a marriage into the Bagāle Kshetri lineage, may have been constructed to imply connections with the influential Bagale Thapa clan of Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa.
According to The Ranas of Nepal, the dynasty traced its descent from Kumbhakaran Singh, younger brother of Guhila king Rawal Ratnasimha of Mewar. During the siege of Chittorgarh in 1303 CE, his descendants are said to have migrated north toward the Himalayas. This version of the genealogy is included in works endorsed by Arvind Singh Mewar, but its historical accuracy remains debated.
Origins and Background
The Rana dynasty was a hereditary line of prime ministers who ruled Nepal from 1846 until the early 1950s. The family established a de facto oligarchic rule, reducing the Shah monarchs to ceremonial figures. The dynasty was founded by Jung Bahadur Rana following the Kot Massacre in 1846, which marked a turning point in Nepalese politics.The Ranas claimed descent from the Rajput aristocracy of western India, specifically the Guhila dynasty of Mewar. According to family lore and publications such as The Ranas of Nepal, the dynasty descended from Kumbhakaran Singh, the younger brother of Rawal Ratnasimha, the Guhila ruler of Chittorgarh during the siege of 1303 CE. However, several historians argue that such genealogical claims were politically motivated and part of a broader pattern in South Asia where ruling families adopted prestigious lineages to legitimize their authority.
Although the Ranas identified as Rajputs, they spoke the Khas language and had strong cultural and social ties to the local Khas people. The family belonged to the Vatsa gotra, a Brahminical lineage identifier that they adopted to reinforce their social standing.
Historical background
The founder of this dynasty was Jang Bahadur Kunwar Rana, who belonged to the Kunwar family, which was then considered a noble family of Kshatriya status. Jang Bahadur was a son of Gorkhali governor Bal Narsingh Kunwar and nephew of Mathabarsingh Thapa, the reigning Prime Minister of Nepal from the Thapa dynasty. Bal Narsingh Kunwar was the son of Kaji Ranajit Kunwar and grandson of Sardar Ram Krishna Kunwar, who was prominent military general of King Prithvi Narayan Shah. Ram Krishna Kunwar was born to Ahiram Kunwar. There were ample of rewards and recognitions received by Sardar Ram Krishna Kunwar from the Gorkhali monarch Prithvi Narayan. His grandson Bal Narsingh was initially a follower of the renounced King Rana Bahadur Shah and Kaji Bhimsen Thapa, and followed the King in his exile to Banaras on 1 May 1800. On the night of 25 April 1806, King Rana Bahadur was killed by step-brother Sher Bahadur in desperation after which Bal Narsingh immediately killed the King's assassin. He was a close ally of the influential minister Bhimsen Thapa, who initiated a great massacre at Bhandarkhal garden following the chaos from the King's murder. Following closeness to Mukhtiyar Bhimsen, he became the son-in-law of Bhimsen's brother Kaji Nain Singh Thapa of Thapa dynasty. The close relatives and supporters of Thapa faction replaced the old courtiers and administrators. The Kunwar family came to power being relatives of powerful Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa. Similarly, Kunwars were related to Pande dynasty by their maternal grandmother Rana Kumari Pande who was daughter of Mulkaji Ranajit Pande.Rise of Jung Bahadur
Bal Narsingh's son Kaji Jung Bahadur Kunwar became a significant person in the central politics of Nepal during the prime ministership of his uncle Mathabar Singh Thapa. On 17 May 1845 around 11 pm, Mathabar Singh was summoned to the royal palace and was assassinated in a cold blood by Jung Bahadur on the royal orders. He was considered to have been merciless, ruthless and fatal due to his association with Mathabar Singh. Jung Bahadur was made a Kaji after following the order of assassination of Mathabar.On the night of 14 September 1846, Queen Rajya Lakshmi Devi summoned the courtiers on the mysterious murderer of her aide General Kaji Gagan Singh, to which courtiers hurried to the Kot quickly. Many of the courtiers were unarmed except for a sword, as they had responded immediately to the royal summons. The armies allocated by Jung Bahadur Rana also had taken most of the arms of courtiers who had managed to bring them. Queen Rajya Lakshmi Devi and King Rajendra Bikram Shah were also present in the Kot. Queen Rajya Lakshmi demanded the execution of Kaji Bir Keshar Pande on alleged suspicion to which General Abhiman Singh Rana Magar looked towards King for confirmation. Jang misinformed Queen that Abhiman Singh's troops were arriving for overpowering the Queen's faction and demanded an immediate arrest. Abhiman tried to force his way out and was killed by Jung's soldier. In the chaos followed, Jung and his brothers began bloodshed and many rival nobles and courtiers were eliminated by them. The letter to British Resident Henry Montgomery Lawrence stated that there were 32 Bharadars killed in the massacre.