Raj Rajeshwari Devi () (died 5 May 1806) was a

queen consort A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...

and twice regent of

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 ...

. She was the Queen consort of Rana Bahadur Shah. She ruled as regent during the minority of her son Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah in 1799, and in 1801–1804. She was forced to commit sati on the orders of

Bhimsen Thapa Bhimsen Thapa ( (August 1775 – 29 July 1839)) was a Nepalese statesman who served as the ''Mukhtiyar'' (equivalent to prime minister) and de facto ruler of Nepal from 1806 to 1837. He is widely known as the List of Prime Ministers of Nepal, l ...

, on the bank of the Salinadi rivulet, at Sankhu, 5 May 1806.

Life

She was the granddaughter of Shiva Shah,

Raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

of Gulmi. In 1799, her consort abdicated to become a

sanyasi ''Sannyasa'' (), sometimes spelled ''sanyasa'', is the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' ashramas'', the first three being '' brahmacharya'' (celibate student), '' grihastha'' (householder) and '' vanaprasth ...

, and she became regent in the name of her underage son. She ruled alongside the other two wives of her consort, Maharani Subarna Prabha Devi and Maharani Lalit Tripura Sundari Devi. After her husband abdicated in favor of his son

Girvan Girvan (, "mouth of the River Girvan") is a burgh and harbour town in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Girvan is situated on the east coast of the Firth of Clyde, with a population of about 6,450. It lies south of Ayr, and north of St ...

, Queen Rajeshwari became the regent. She, however, decided to accompany her husband to exile in

Benaras Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or 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 tradition of ...

. Queen Subarna Prabha then became the regent. On 26 July 1801, however, Queen Rajeshwari returned to Nepal. As a result, Subarnaprabha's favorite courtier ''Mul Kaji'' (Chief minister) Kirtiman Singh Basnyat was secretly assassinated on 28 September 1801, by the supporters of Rajrajeswori. She resumed her role as the regent, while Queen Subarna Prabha was put under house arrest. In 1804, her husband returned and resumed power. Two years later, her spouse was assassinated by his brother, and ten days later, on 5 May 1806, Maharani Raj Rajeshwari Devi, as a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

widow, was forced to commit sati on the orders of

. The sati took place on the bank of the Salinadi rivulet at Sankhu. Her co-regents, Subarna Prabha Devi and Lalit Tripura Sundari Devi, were not, however, forced to commit sati despite the fact that they were widows after the same man, and continued their rule as regents.Guide 2
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References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Devi, Maharani Raj Rajeshwari 1806 deaths Hindu monarchs People murdered in Nepal Nepalese women in politics Queens consort of Nepal Year of birth missing People who committed sati 18th-century women regents 18th-century regents 19th-century women regents 19th-century regents 1800s suicides People of the Nepalese unification People from Gulmi District 18th-century Nepalese nobility 19th-century Nepalese nobility Nepalese Hindus Suicides in Nepal Violence against women in Nepal People murdered in 1806 Royalty who died by suicide