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The Kot massacre ( ne, 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 The Prime Minister of Nepal ( ne, नेपालको प्रधानमन्त्री) is the head of government of Nepal. The Prime Minister is the head of the Council of Ministers of Nepal and the chief adviser to the President of ...
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 Hanuman Dhoka ( ne, हनुमान ढोका) is a complex of structures with the Royal Palace of the Malla kings and also of the Shah dynasty in the Durbar Square of central Kathmandu, Nepal. It is spread over five acres. The Hanuman ...
in
Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...
. The Kot meeting was called upon by Queen Rajya Laxmi Devi after the same night murder of her confidante Kaji Gagan Singh Thapa while performing worship at his prayer room. The Kot meeting turned ugly and eventually, the Jang brothers and their supporters led an open court full-fledged assault on all 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.


Background

At the peak of instability in Nepalese politics, a coalition ministry was formed in September 1845, headed by Fateh Jang Chautaria, but the real power behind the throne was General Gagan Singh Khawas , who controlled seven regiments in the army compared to the three under the prime minister.
Abhiman Singh Rana Magar Kaji Abhiman Singh Rana Magar ( ne, अभिमान सिंह राना मगर) was an army general and Minister of Nepal until September 15, 1846, and the first victim of the Kot massacre of 1846. According to a government letter to th ...
and Jung Bahadur Kunwar also served as commanders, each with three regiments. It is occasionally alleged that general Gagan Singh Khawas also had an illicit relationship with Queen Rajya Laxmi Devi. Since the king was mentally unfit to rule, it was the queen who handled affairs of state on his behalf, and in this capacity, it was necessary for her to converse occasionally with the general. Gagan Singh Khawas was found dead on the balcony of his palace during the night of 16 September 1846. The queen commanded Bahadur, who happened to be ready with his regiments, to assemble the entire administrative establishment of the country immediately at the courtyard of the palace armoury. Following the queen's orders, Jang Bahadur ordered his men to let people inside the Kot but not to let them out without Queen's or his own orders.


Overview

Following the Queen's order, courtiers hurried to the Kot as soon as they heard a royal summons. 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 also had taken most of the arms of courtiers who had managed to bring them. Queen Laxmi Devi and King Rajendra Bikram Shah were also present in Kot. At almost midnight, most of the courtiers were present at Kot. Everyone there was full of fears and skeptical thoughts. General
Abhiman Singh Rana Magar Kaji Abhiman Singh Rana Magar ( ne, अभिमान सिंह राना मगर) was an army general and Minister of Nepal until September 15, 1846, and the first victim of the Kot massacre of 1846. According to a government letter to th ...
spoke to the King about the possibility of a massacre. His presence had relieved some of the members present. Abhiman Singh also fetched three troops under his control to Kot. Prime Minister Chautariya Fateh Jung Shah had still not arrived. Jung Bahadur Rana called his younger brother Bam Bahadur to fetch Fateh Jung. Emotions ran high among the assembled bands of nobles and their followers, who listened to the Queen give an emotional harangue blaming the Pandes and demanding that
Abhiman Singh Rana Magar Kaji Abhiman Singh Rana Magar ( ne, अभिमान सिंह राना मगर) was an army general and Minister of Nepal until September 15, 1846, and the first victim of the Kot massacre of 1846. According to a government letter to th ...
to execute Kaji
Bir Keshar Pande ''Kaji'' Bir Keshar Pande ( ne, वीर केशर पाँडे) a Nepalese politician, military personnel and courtier in the Kingdom of Nepal. He was member of the Gora Pande clan of Gorkha and the son of Kaji Ranajit Pande. Bir Keshar Pan ...
, whom she suspected for the death of Gagan Singh. Abhiman Singh hesitated and looked to the King. The King hesitated and said to punish the guilty only after a proper investigation of the matter. He pointed out that he must have a discussion with Prime Minister regarding this matter and left. He then left
Hanuman Dhoka Hanuman Dhoka ( ne, हनुमान ढोका) is a complex of structures with the Royal Palace of the Malla kings and also of the Shah dynasty in the Durbar Square of central Kathmandu, Nepal. It is spread over five acres. The Hanuman ...
palace and went to the
British residency The British Residency (), also known as the Government Guest House or Residency Bungalow, is a two-storeyed palace situated at Asramam in the city of Kollam in the Indian state of Kerala. It lies close to the site of the old Kollam Airport sit ...
. When he was denied an audience with the Resident at such a late hour, he went to
Narayanhiti Palace The Narayanhiti Palace Museum ( Nepali: नारायणहिटी दरवार) is a public museum in Kathmandu, Nepal located east of the Kaiser Mahal and next to Thamel. The museum was created in 2008 from the complex of the former N ...
. In Narayanhiti, King Rajendra had some time alone with the Prime Minister. Either King Rajendra had not wanted to give information about the conditions at Kot or Fateh Jung had not understood the point. In either case, Fateh Jung went to Kot with simple security. Meanwhile, at Kot, surrounded by Jang Bahadur's regiments, tension grew high as most of the nobles and Prime Minister Fateh Jang Shah gathered there. Seeing a high possibility of bloodshed, Jang Bahadur, Fateh Jang and Abhiman Singh Rana decided that Jang Bahadur and Fateh Jang should try to calm the Queen, and
Abhiman Singh Rana Magar Kaji Abhiman Singh Rana Magar ( ne, अभिमान सिंह राना मगर) was an army general and Minister of Nepal until September 15, 1846, and the first victim of the Kot massacre of 1846. According to a government letter to th ...
, who had disobeyed the Queen's orders, would stay behind. As the two went to find the Queen, Abhiman Singh decided to move his own regiments to Kot, but he was prevented from leaving. Abhiman Singh tried to force his way out, and was killed in the process. After panic ensued, the bloodshed began. Many Thapas, Pandes and Basnyats died, including Fateh Jang, Khadga Bikram Shah and
Dalbhanjan Pande Dalbhanjan Pande or Dalabhanjan Pande ( ne, दलभञ्जन पाँडे) was a Nepalese minister, politician and military officer of the aristocratic Pande family. He had held ministerial positions and military offices. He jointly headed ...
. Some escaped by climbing over walls and roofs and even through the drainage systems. Jang Bahadur easily used the situation to eliminate his rivals.


Aftermath

Jang Bahadur was made Prime Minister by the queen immediately after the massacre. Feeling he presented a threat to her power, the Queen conspired to eliminate Jang Bahadur and elevate her son to the throne. The Basnyat Conspiracy—so called because many of its participants belonged to one of the last leading noble families, the Basnyat—was betrayed and its ringleaders were rounded up and executed at Bhandarkhal Parva. A meeting of leading notables, packed with Rana supporters, found the Queen guilty of complicity in the plot, stripped her of her powers, and sent her into exile at
Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic tr ...
, along with King Rajendra. The King began plotting his return from India. In 1847, Jang Bahadur informed the troops of the exiled King's activities, announced his dethronement, and elevated Rajendra's son to the throne as Surendra Bikram Shah. King Rajendra Bikram was captured later that year in the
Terai , image =Terai nepal.jpg , image_size = , image_alt = , caption =Aerial view of Terai plains near Biratnagar, Nepal , map = , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption = , biogeographic_realm = Indomalayan realm , global200 = Terai-Duar savanna ...
and brought back as a prisoner to Bhadgaon, where he spent the rest of his life under house arrest. Jang Bahadur then established the Rana dynasty, which ruled Nepal for more than a century.


See also

* List of massacres in Nepal


Further reading


Library of Congress - Nepal and Bhutan: Country Studies


References


Notes

{{Authority control Conflicts in 1846 1846 in Nepal September 1846 events Massacres in 1846 Massacres in Nepal Rana regime Jung Bahadur Rana History of Kathmandu