Subarna Prabha Devi (1779–1806) ( ne, सुवर्णप्रभा देवी) was the Queen Regent of Nepal between 1802 and 1806 during the minority of Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah.

Biography

She was the second wife 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 ...

of Nepal. She was the mother of eldest Prince Ranodyat Bikram Shah, Prince Samarsher Shah and a princess. She was daughter of Subudhi Khadka Basnyat. In 1799, her consort abdicated to become a

sanyasi ''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' ...

in favor of his son

Girvan Girvan ( gd, Inbhir Gharbhain, "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, ...

, the first wife Raj Rajeshwari Devi was immediate regent.Guide 2
/ref> As King Rana Bahadur Shah, Regent Raj Rajeshwari Devi and his advisor,

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 ...

left for Varanasi, she stayed back in Kathmandu to serve as the regent. Meanwhile, Raj Rajeshwari Devi, the first wife entered the border of Nepal on 26 July 1801, and taking advantage of the weak regency of Subarna Prabha, was slowly making her way towards Kathmandu with the view of taking over the regency. As a result, Subarnaprabha's favorite courtier ''Mul Kaji'' (Chief minister)

Kirtiman Singh Basnyat Kirtiman Singh Basnyat ( ne, कीर्तिमान् सिंह बस्न्यात) was Mul Kaji (Chief Minister) of the Royal Court of Nepal between 1794 and his death on 28 September 1801. He was a military commander of the Nepales ...

was secretly assassinated on 28 September 1801, by the supporters of Rajrajeswori. On 28 October 1801, a Treaty of Commerce and Alliance was finally signed between Nepal and East India Company. This led to the establishment of the first

British Resident A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of ind ...

, Captain William O. Knox, who was reluctantly welcomed by the courtiers in Kathmandu on 16 April 1802.

Regent

Almost eight months after the establishment of the Residency, Queen Rajrajeshwari finally managed to assume the regency on 17 December 1802 throwing Subarna Prabha out of power. Rajrajeshowri's presence in Kathmandu also stirred unrest among the courtiers that aligned themselves around her and Subarnaprabha. Sensing an imminent hostility, Resident Knox aligned himself with Subarnaprabha. When Resident Knox found himself persona non grata and the objectives of his mission frustrated, he voluntarily left Kathmandu to reside in Makwanpur citing a cholera epidemic. That caused Subarnaprabha and the members of her faction were arrested. After Rana Bahadur Shah's reinstatement to power, Subarnaprabha and her supporters were released and given a general pardon. On the night of 25 April 1806 at around 10 pm,

Sher Bahadur Shah Sher Bahadur Shah ( ne, शेरबहादुर शाह; January 1778 – 25 April 1806) was a Nepalese noble who served as Chautaria from 1794 until his assassination in 1806. He was the son of King Pratapsingh Shah and the 3rd dynasty r ...

killed Rana Bahadur Shah. Taking advantage of the political chaos, Bhimsen became the ''mukhtiyar'' (1806–37), and

Tripurasundari Tripurasundari may refer to: *Queen Tripurasundari of Nepal, regent and writer-translator *Tripura Sundari, a Hindu goddess * Tripurasundari, Baitadi, a village in Mahakali zone, Nepal *Tripurasundari, Dolpa, a municipality in Karnali province, Nep ...

was given the title Lalita Tripurasundari and declared regent and Queen Mother (1806–32) of Girvan Yuddha Shah, who was himself 9 years old. All the other wives and concubines of Rana Bahadur, along with their handmaidens, were forced to commit sati barring Subarna Prabha.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * Nepalese queens consort 1779 births Year of death missing Nepalese women in politics 19th-century women rulers People of the Nepalese unification 18th-century Nepalese nobility 19th-century Nepalese nobility Nepalese Hindus {{Nepal-royal-stub