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The Shreepali
Basnet Basnet/Basnyat ( ne, बस्‍नेत/बस्न्यात) is a surname of Khasas of Nepal and India. It is found among Jharra Chhetri community. There are five different branches of Basnets in Nepal: *The Shreepali (Sripali) Juml ...
are originally from the Saipal, Far West Region who got their prominence in
Gorkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Go ...
district of
Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...
. They mainly worship 'Masto' as their 'Kulayan' but saipali from Gorkha has changed their worship to "Sishakoti Mahadev", "Veerabhadra", "
Mahakali Mahakali () is the Hindu goddess of time and death in the goddess-centric tradition of Shaktism. Similar to Kali, Mahakali is a fierce goddess associated with universal power, time, life, death, and both rebirth and liberation. She is the co ...
" as their Kul Deuta and Aradhe Devi " Dakshinkali" as Istha deuta in style of Kunwar Rana. They became very powerful during the unification of Nepal and remained so until the emergence of Jung Bahadur Kunwar or later known as Jang Bahadur Rana.


The King's men

It is known that during the reign of King Prithivi Narayan Shah the Shreepali Basnyats of
Gorkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Go ...
were the leading military force. They were either highly ranked officers in the army or key figures in the king's court. King Prithvi Narayan Shah formed an alliance between the Basnyat and Pandey families of Gorkha in his quest for the unification of Nepal.
Shivaram Singh Basnyat Shivaram Singh Basnyat ( ne, शिवराम सिंह बस्न्यात) was the military commander of Gorkha. After the conquest of Naldum area by the Gorkhalis, he along with Commander Bir Bhadra Thapa conquered Sanga, Panauti, ...
, the commander of Gorkhali forces belonged to Shreepali Basnyat clan. He was son of Jaya Ram Singh Basnyat.


Families strengthened

King Prithivi Narayan Shah is known to have arranged the marriage between General
Kehar Singh Basnyat Kehar Singh Basnyat ( ne, केहरसिंह बस्न्यात) or Kehar Singh Basnet was a Nepalese military commander and warhero who led down his life in the Unification battles of Nepal. He was born in the illustrious clan of Shr ...
, son of General (Kazi)
Shivaram Singh Basnyat Shivaram Singh Basnyat ( ne, शिवराम सिंह बस्न्यात) was the military commander of Gorkha. After the conquest of Naldum area by the Gorkhalis, he along with Commander Bir Bhadra Thapa conquered Sanga, Panauti, ...
and Chitra Devi, the daughter of General(Kaji) Kalu Pandey. Later, Chitra Devi constructed the Narayan temple in Timal Danda in honour of her Father-in-law Kaji Shivram Singh. Kehar Singh would go to
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
to negotiate with its leaders to have Nepalese coins circulated there. He was a major military leader accredited with uniting the western districts and
Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Provinces of Nepal, Province , subdivision_name1 ...
valley to
Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...
. Kehar Singh would die at the battle of Satahun. Kaji
Abhiman Singh Basnyat Abhiman Singh Basnet/Basnyat ( ne, अभिमान सिंह बस्न्यात) was first Commander-in-Chief of Unified Nepal."Regmi Research Series" Author:Mahesh Chandra Regmi Abhiman Singh became the first Commander in Chief of a U ...
, the third son of General (Kaji) Shivaram Singh Basnyat became the first Commander in Chief of a united Nepal after the death of General (Kaji) Kalu Pandey during the second attempt to capture
Kirtipur Kirtipur (Nepal Bhasa: किपू ''Kipoo'') is a Municipality and an ancient city of Nepal. The Newars are the natives of Kipoo (Kirtipur) that is believed to be derived from Kirati King Yalamber. It is located in the Kathmandu Valley 5  ...
. His father Shivram Singh was the first military leader of Gorkha who laid down his life in the campaign of unification of Nepal in 1746 in Chhaling, (Naldum) near
Bhaktapur , motto = ne, पुर्खले सिर्जेको सम्पत्ती, हाम्रो कला र संस्कृति , lit=Creation of our ancestors, our heritage and culture , image_map ...
. Abhiman's two elder brothers were Kaji Naahar Singh and Kaji Kehar Singh. His youngest brother Kazi Dhaukal Simha Basnyat, who also became the governor of Kumaun, was the first owner of present Narayanhity Palace. Abhiman Singh died at the age of fifty-six in 1857 B.S. when he was sent to settle the area of
Morang Morang District ( ne, मोरङ जिल्ला ) is located in Province No. 1 in eastern Nepal. It is an Outer Terai district. It borders with Bihar, India to the South, Jhapa to the East, Dhankuta and Panchthar to the North, and ...
and
Sunsari , nickname = , native_name_lang = , image_skyline = , image_size = , image_alt = , image_caption = Night view of Dharan, Itahari & Tarahara :: Barahakshetra Temple: BPKIHS, Dharan :Dharan Clock Tower , image_map = Sunsari district l ...
, then called Kaala Banzaar. It was seen as a great injustice for him to be sent to this area at his age when he was already a Mulkazi. He was reported to have suffered from fever, possibly malaria and died.


Recognition of the Basnyats

King Prithvi Narayan Shah has stressed the importance of the Basnyats in his poetic piece known as "Dibya Upadesh" or "Divine Counsel" in English. Here is a link to the translation of the "Dibya Upadesh" into English. This translation was done by Prawin Adhikari, from a transcription originally published by historian Baburam Acharya. Samudaya.org owns the copyrights to the article. A quote from the Dibya Upadesh: I said—"''Now, I will make ties between the Pandeys and the Basnyats, so give your daughter to Sivaram Basnyat's son Keher Singh Basnyat,''" and the two houses were tied by marriage. Thus, after the conjugal tie, with the shields of the Pandes and the swords of the Basnyats I attacked Nepal.


Defenders of the throne

After the royal palace moved to Basantapur in Kathmandu, the Shreepali Basnyat's of Gorkha moved with the royal family, living close to the palace in Indra Chowk and Ason. In 1833 B. S. Kazi Abhiman Singh constructed a house for himself in Ason, which is known as Maan Mandir and it still exists today as Tilanga Ghar. The Basnyats shared a great amount of power in the royal court alongside the Pandey's and Thapa's. This alliance continued until the reign of King
Rana Bahadur Shah Rana Bahadur Shah, King of Nepal ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज रण बहादुर शाह देव) (1775–1806) was the King of Nepal from 1777 to 1799. In 1777, he succeeded to the throne after the deat ...
, when Prime Minister
Bhimsen Thapa Bhimsen Thapa ( ne, भीमसेन थापा (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 ...
came into power. But then followed a power struggle between the Pandeys and the Thapa's. The Basnyat's sided with the Pandey's because of their earlier marital links with them back in
Gorkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Go ...
, ultimately removing the Thapa's from power.


References


Notes


Sources

{{Chhetri communities Nepalese royalty Nepalese Hindus