Field-Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons ...

His Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style (manner of address), style used to address (in grammatical person, second person) or refer to (in grammatical person, third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly ...

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

Sri Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Assamese, Meitei ( Manipuri), Marathi, Malay (including In ...

Teen Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (8 July 1863 – 26 November 1929) was the

Prime Minister of Nepal The prime minister of Nepal (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of Nepal. The prime minister leads the Council of Ministers of Nepal, Council of Ministers and holds the chief executive authority in the country. They must maintain ...

from the Rana dynasty. He served in this capacity from 27 June 1901 to his death in 1929 after he successfully deposed his liberal and reformist brother Dev Shamsher. Although generally perceived as despotic and conservative, he is credited with several reforms including the

abolition of slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. T ...

and establishing the Nepal-Britain Treaty of 1923, which recognised Nepal as an independent nation and an ally of Britain.

Family and early life

Chandra Shumsher was the sixth of the seventeen sons of Dhir Shumsher Rana (the youngest brother of the Rana dynasty founder

Jung Bahadur Rana Jung Bahadur Rana, , was born Bir Narsingh Kunwar (1817-1877). His mother, Ganesh Kumari, was the daughter of Kaji Nain Singh Thapa, the brother of Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa from the prominent Thapa dynasty. During his lifetime, Jung Bahadur eli ...

) through his Thapa wife Nanda Kumari, of whom he was the third son. He was educated in

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

and thus became the first Nepalese Prime Minister who had passed

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

examination. In the convocation address of 1884, the Vice Chancellor of

Calcutta University The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

praised him as: "a gentleman who has shown he can handle pen as efficiently as sword." ''Seto Bagh'', a historical novel set on the early days of Chandra Shumsher, depicts him as an ambitious and cunning young man with an excellent command of the English language.

Rise to power

He along with his brothers Khadga Shumsher and Bhim Shumsher orchestrated the murder of his uncle Sri Teen Maharaja Ranodip Singh in order to rise in the line of succession for the hereditary Rana Prime Minister of Nepal. After the demise of his eldest brother Bir Shamsher in March 1901, he became the Commander in Chief of the Nepalese Army under the premiership of his brother Dev Shamsher. Dev Shamsher was a liberal and, fearing the rise in public awareness and eventual

democratisation Democratization, or democratisation, is the structural government transition from an authoritarian government to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. Whether and to what ...

that his short rule had brought, Chandra Shamsher orchestrated a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

and seized the power for himself in June 1901. Although opposed to reforms and public education, he would later bring numerous reforms, most of them unwillingly, after his visit to Europe, as he found

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

to be far more backwards than Europe. In Chandra Shumsher's regime, Sardar Ram Mani Acharya Dixit was one of the mandarins to wield enormous influence by virtue of his proximity. Chandra used Ram Mani's native genius to keep the Mahila Gurujyu in check and ran the country with the advice of these two brilliant

brahmins Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

. With their help, Chandra amassed a fortune by making deals with the British over the recruitment of Gurkha soldiers and the mercenary services rendered by the Royal Nepali Army on the side of the British Empire.

Rule

During the 28 years of his rule, Chandra Shumsher held the firm control of domestic as well as the foreign policy of Nepal. His ADC (Assistant Deputy Commissioner) was Nar Narayan Shah. He went to Britain under the guidance of his ADC. Nar Narayan Shah worked as ADC for 20 years. After his return from the European tour, he is said to have been embarrassed by the backwardness of his country, so he executed noteworthy reforms. He abolished Sati custom, and made it illegal for a person to be killed for witchcraft. He was counseled by Sardar Ram Mani Acharya Dixit, which further assured him to ban the ritual suicide, and make additional reforms such as abolishing slavery with the money from the treasury of

Pashupatinath temple Shri Pashupatinātha Temple () is a revered Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupati, a manifestation of the god Śiva. Located on the banks of the sacred Bagmati River in Kathmandu, Nepal, the temple is one of the oldest and most significant religiou ...

. He built the first college of Nepal,

Tri-Chandra College Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus () is a constituent campus of Tribhuvan University located in Ghantaghar, Kathmandu. Founded in 1918 by Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, Chandra Shumsher, it is the oldest institute of higher learning in Nepal. E ...

in 1975 B.S. He established several canals in Terai region and established hospitals throughout Nepal. The first railway service in Nepal, Nepal Government Railway from

Raxaul Raxaul is a sub-divisional town in the East Champaran district of the Indian state of Bihar. It is situated at the India-Nepal border with Birgunj city (Nepal). Raxaul is a major railway junction. The other part of Raxaul is Mehsi where litchi ...

to Amlekhganj, started its service in his tenure. These reforms, however, were mostly brought for the benefit of his family. He was the second Nepalese prime minister to visit Britain and tour Europe after

. In Britain, he stayed in Mortimer house and was entertained by His Majesty

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

. He also observed naval exercises of British Royal navy and in one of the warships, he met the French President under the arrangement of

. On 24 June, the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

conferred the honoris causa degree of Doctor of Civil Laws on him. On his departure, the Daily Telegraph wrote:

During the last few years this country has been visited by an unexampled succession of foreign personages, but none of them has been more interesting and few more important than the Prime Minister of Nepal.

He provided monetary and military assistance to Britain in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, as a result of which Nepal received a huge sum of monetary assistance and the friendship became even more cordial after the successful conclusion of the Nepal–Britain Treaty of 1923, which recognised Nepal as an independent nation and an ally of the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

Legacy

Chandra Shamsher suffered from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

and followed a strict diet regimen of rice and black lentils exclusively, as a result he was extremely thin and is sometimes called "Phistey Maharaj". A popular quote "चन्द्रे हाँस्यो त नास्यो" suggests that he seldom laughed and his laughter was rather an ominous one. He abolished Sati custom and slavery from Nepal. TriChandra Campus, Tribhuwan Chandra Military Hospital, and Chandra Jyoti Hydro Power at Pharping still bear his name as he established them.

Singha Durbar Singha Durbar () is a palace in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The palace complex lies in the centre of Kathmandu, to the north of Babar Mahal and Thapathali Durbar and east of Bhadrakali Temple (Kathmandu), Bhadrakali Temple. This palace wa ...

, then the largest palace in Asia with over 1,200 rooms, was built by him. Chandra Nahar, the oldest canal of Nepal located in Saptari, was built by him as well. The city of Chandranigahpur in Rautahat district was named after him.

Descendants

Chandra Shamsher's descendants are still among the most prominent members of the Rana family. They are scattered all over the princely states of the Indian subcontinent. Since Chandra Shamsher ruled Nepal for a period of 28 years and had the exclusive control of the national economy, he accumulated immense wealth and built lavish palaces for his sons. His descendants are the richest in all of the Rana dynasty. Given below is the list of Chandra Shamsher's children: * Khagaraja Divyeshwari Rajya Laxmi (1880–19?), married to Raja Jai Prithvi Bahadur Singh of Bajhang. *

Shree

Mohan Shamsher, GCB, GCIE, GBE, (23 December 1885 – 6 January 1967) who succeeded to the title of the 9th Rana Maharaja of Nepal. The century-old family

oligarchy Oligarchy (; ) is a form of government in which power rests with a small number of people. Members of this group, called oligarchs, generally hold usually hard, but sometimes soft power through nobility, fame, wealth, or education; or t ...

of the Ranas came to an end during the reign of Mohan Shamsher. * Commanding General Sir Baber Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCVO, GBE, KCSI, KCIE (27 January 1888 – 12 May 1960), ''desc''. Senior Rana during the Mohan Shamsher premiership, Sir Baber was the Mukthiyar and Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Nepalese Army. Minister of Defence in the Congress Rana Cabinet. * Field-Marshal HH Sir Kaiser Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana, GBE (8 January 1892 – 7 June 1964), ''desc''. Married Lakshmi Rajya Lakshmi, the then heir apparent of king Prithvi of Nepal. * Commanding General Singha Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana,

KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...

(23 December 1893 – 19?), ''desc''. He was the Ambassador to India (1948–1951). * Commanding General Krishna Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, KCSI,

(28 February 1900 – 19 May 1977), ''desc''. In 1909, he married Princess Tara Rajya Laxmi Devi, the third daughter of King Prithvi of Nepal. He died in

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

, India in 1977. * Major-General Vishnu Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana (13 November 1906 – 4 February 1946). Exiled, died in the

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

having had one son – Rajkumar Pitamber Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana (1931–2005). Removed from the line of succession. * General Shanker Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana, GBE (1909 – 4 June 1976), ''desc''. Nepal's Representative to the Court of St. James. * Lt.-Gen. Madan Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (1909–1955), ''desc''. * Khagaraja Divyeshwari Rajya Laxmi (1918–1999), ''desc''. * Major-General Maharajkumar Badri Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, ''desc''.

Honours

* Empress of India Medal – 1877 *

Delhi Durbar The Delhi Durbar ( lit. "Court of Delhi") was an Indian imperial-style mass assembly organized by Britain at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it was he ...

Medal – 1902 * T'ung-ling-ping-ma-Kuo-Kang-wang (Truly valiant Prince, Commander-in-chief of foot and horse) – 1902 *

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior military officers or senior civil servants, and the monarch awards it on the advice of His ...

(GCB) – 1905 *

Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

(GCSI) – 1905 *

Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the ...

(GCVO) – 1911 *

Medal – 1911 * Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) – 1919 * Grand Officer of the

Legion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

– 1925 * Grand Cross of the

– 1929

Ancestry

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rana, Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur 1863 births 1929 deaths Nepalese military personnel Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Honorary Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Rana regime Rana dynasty 20th-century prime ministers of Nepal 20th-century Nepalese nobility 19th-century Nepalese nobility Nepalese Hindus Nepalese members of the Order of the Star of India Nepalese members of the Order of the British Empire Nepalese members of the Order of the Bath Nepalese members of the Order of St. Michael and St. George Nepalese members of the Royal Victorian Order Nepalese Fellows of the Royal Geographic Society