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 a ...

Shri 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 ...

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 ...

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...

Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana () GCB

GCSI 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 (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India, GCSI) # K ...

GCIE The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander ( GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) Appoint ...

(19 April 1875 in

Narayanhity Palace The Narayanhiti Palace Museum () 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 Narayanhiti Palace (or Narayanhiti Durbar) following the ...

Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...

– 20 November 1952 in

Dehradun Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, d ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

) 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 1 September 1932 to 29 November 1945 as the head of the Rana dynasty. He was the

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 a ...

and

Lamjung Lamjung District ( ), a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Besisahar as its district headquarters, covers an area of and had a population of 167,724. lies in the mid-hills of Nepal spa ...

and Kaski. He is credited for rebuilding the

Dharahara Dharahara or ''Bhimsen Stambha'' (; or ), is a tower at the centre of Sundhara, Kathmandu, Nepal. It was first built in 1832 by ''Mukhtiyar'' (equivalent to Prime Minister) Bhimsen Thapa under the commission of Queen Lalit Tripurasundari and ...

which was destroyed by the

1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maxi ...

Early life

Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana was born on 19 April 1875 at the

Narayanhiti Palace The Narayanhiti Palace Museum () 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 Narayanhiti Palace (or Narayanhiti Durbar) following the ...

Durbar Marg Durbar Marg or Durbarmarg (; informally known as ''King's way'') is a broad, long avenue in the Nepali capital, Kathmandu. It can be considered the heart of the city, akin to the Champs Elysées and the chief avenues of many capitals. As it leads ...

Dhir Shumsher Rana Dhir Shumsher Kunwar (1828 – 1884 Kathmandu), after 1848 known as Dhir Shumsher Kunwar Ranaji () or Dhir Shumsher Jang Kunwar Ranaji or shortly Dhir Shumsher Rana posthumously known as Dhir Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana, was a Nepalese politician ...

and Juhar Kumari Devi. Rana was born into a noble Hindu

Chhetri Chhetri (Kshetri, Kshettri, Kshetry or Chhettri), ( ; IAST: ''Kṣetrī'') historically called Kshettriya or Kshetriya or Khas are Nepali language, Nepali speaking people historically associated with the warrior class and administration, some of ...

family, his father Dhir Shamsher, was the youngest brother of

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 ...

who started the Rana dynasty, and his mother belonged to a noble

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

family from Kangra. He was made

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

by Jung Bahadur during his Annaprashana ceremony which marks an infant's first intake of food other than milk. At the age of nine, his father Dhir Shumsher died, subsequently, he was looked after by his brothers. Following the 1885 Nepal coup d'état, his elder brother Bir Shumsher became the

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

and Juddha was made a

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and given an allowance of 21,000

Nepalese rupees The Nepalese rupee (; currency sign, sign: रु; ISO 4217, code: NPR) is the official currency and legal tender of Nepal. It is also sometimes abbreviated as N₨ or Re./Rs. informally. The rupee is subdivided into 100 paisa, although coins of ...

(NPR). At the age of 12, he was enrolled in a school, however, due to his deteriorating health, Rana had to leave his studies. During that time, he lived with Bhim Shumsher, who also performed his

Upanayana ''Upanayana'' () is a Hindu educational sacrament, one of the traditional saṃskāras or rites of passage that marked the acceptance of a student by a preceptor, such as a ''guru'' or ''acharya'', and an individual's initiation into a school in ...

ceremony. In 1888, he was married to Padma Kumari Devi of

Gulmi Gulmi District (), a part of Lumbini Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Tamghas as its headquarters, covers an area of , had a population of 296,654 in 2001, 280,160 in 2011 and 268,597 in 2016. Introd ...

Ancestors

References

Citations

* 1875 births 1952 deaths Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Honorary Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Rana regime Rana dynasty 20th-century prime ministers of Nepal 20th-century Nepalese nobility 19th-century Nepalese nobility Nepalese Hindus People from Kathmandu Nepalese expatriates in India {{Nepal-politician-stub Nepalese members of the Order of the Star of India Nepalese members of the Order of the Bath Nepalese members of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire

Early life

Ancestors

See also

References

Citations