Thapa dynasty or Thapa noble family ( ) also known as Dynasty of Borlang was a

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 ...

political family that handled Nepali administration affairs from 1806 to 1837 A.D. and 1843 to 1845 A.D. as

Mukhtiyar Mukhtiyar () was the position of head of government, head of executive of Kingdom of Nepal between 1806 and 1843. It was equivalent to Prime Minister of Nepal. There were 7 Mukhtiyars appointed between 1806 and 1843. Meaning ''Mukhtiyar'' is for ...

(

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 ...

). This was one of the four noble families to be involved in the active politics of the Kingdom of Nepal, along with the

Shah dynasty The Shah dynasty (), also known as the Shahs of Gorkha or the Royal House of Gorkha, was the ruling Chaubise Thakuri dynasty and the founder of the Gorkha Kingdom from 1559 to 1768 and later the unified Kingdom of Nepal from 1768 to 28 May ...

Basnyat family Basnyat/Basnet family or Basnyat/Basnet dynasty () was a Khas-Chhetri and a warlord clan family involved in the politics and administration of the Gorkha Kingdom and Kingdom of Nepal. This family got entry into Thar Ghar aristocracy group of G ...

, and the

Pande dynasty The Pande family or Pande dynasty (also spelled as Pandey or Panday) (; or ) was a Chhetri political family with ancestral roots from Gorkha Kingdom that directly ruled Nepali administration affairs from the 16th century to 19th century as ...

before the rise of the Rana dynastyor

Kunwar family The Kunwar family () was a noble Khas-Chhetri family in the Gorkha Kingdom and the Kingdom of Nepal. The Kunwars were linked to the Thapa dynasty and family of Amar Singh Thapa by marital lineages and, thus, to Pande dynasty through the Thapa ...

. At the end of 18th century, Thapas had extreme dominance over Nepalese Darbar politics alternatively contesting for central power against the

Pande family The Pande family or Pande dynasty (also spelled as Pandey or Panday) (; or ) was a Chhetri political family with ancestral roots from Gorkha Kingdom that directly ruled Nepali administration affairs from the 16th century to 19th century as ...

Bir Bhadra Thapa Bir Bhadra Thapa or Birabhadra Thapa () also spelled Virabhadra or Virbhadra, was a politician, courtier and military officer in the Gorkha Kingdom during the 18th century. Born in the medieval Tanahun Kingdom, he left his ancestral property ther ...

was a

Thapa Thapa (pronunciation: ̪ʰapa is a surname used by the Khas people, Khas Chhetri, Chhetris of Nepal. It is also used by the Magars, Magar people, a Tibeto-Burman languages, Tibeto-Burmese people. The Surname has origins in the military titles ...

group and leading Bharadar during

Unification of Nepal The unification of Nepal () was the process of building the modern Nepalese state, by invading fractured Malla kingdoms including the Baise Rajya's 22 kingdoms and the Chaubisi Rajya's 24 kingdoms. It began in 1743 CE (1799 BS), by Prithvi N ...

. His grandson

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 ...

became

of Nepal and established Thapa dynasty to the dominating position of central court politics of Nepal. The Thapa family gave rise to the Rana dynasty of Jung Bahadur Kunwar Rana whose father Bal Narsingh Kunwar was the son-in-law of ''Kaji'' Nain Singh Thapa. Similarly, this dynasty was connected to the Pande aristocratic family through Nain Singh Thapa who was the son-in-law of once

Mulkaji ''Mulkaji'' () was the position of head of executive of Kingdom of Nepal The Kingdom of Nepal was a Hindu monarchy in South Asia, founded in 1768 through the unification of Nepal, expansion of the Gorkha Kingdom. The kingdom was also k ...

Ranajit Pande Ranajit Pande () was a Nepalese politician, military personnel and courtier in the Kingdom of Nepal. He was a member of the Gora Pande clan of Gorkha. He became Mulkaji of Nepal for a brief period in 1804 A.D. Family He was born as the second ...

Background

The Thapa dynasty comes from the family of Kaji

, commander of

. He had three sons: Jeevan Thapa (died at the Battle of Kirtipur), Bangsha Raj Thapa, and Amar Singh Thapa (Sardar). The eldest son of Amar Singh Thapa (Sardar) was

who later became an essential ruler in Nepalese history.

The rise of Thapas (1743–1806)

The family became prominent during the rule of King

Prithvi Narayan Shah Prithvi Narayan Shah (; 7 January 1723 – 11 January 1775), was the last king of the Gorkha Kingdom and first king of the Kingdom of Nepal (also called the ''Kingdom of Gorkha''). Prithvi Narayan Shah started the unification of Nepal. He is a ...

and were established as a dominant faction during the reign of King Rana Bahadur Shah. After the assassination of King Rana Bahadur Shah,

rose to the event killing all enemies and proving the strength and presence of the Thapa family in the Royal Court of Nepal. He went on to become the second Prime Minister of Nepal and thus founded the Thapa family in the political context of Nepal. Afterwards, the Thapas took the stronghold of the military power with an absolute order, which leads to a rivalry among other nobles.

Thapas on power (1806–1837)

Tripurasundari Tripurasundari may refer to: People *Tripura Sundari, Hindu goddess, a form of Durga * Queen Tripurasundari of Nepal, regent and writer-translator Places * Tripurasundari, Baitadi, a village in Mahakali zone, Nepal * Tripurasundari, Dolpa, a munic ...

was the daughter of Bhimsen's brother, Kazi Nain Singh Thapa. After the chaos that followed King Rana Bahadur's murder, Bhimsen became the ''Mukhtiyar'' and his niece Tripurasundari was given the title Lalita Tripurasundari and declared regent and Queen Mother of Nepal. The Thapa family remained in power continuously even after the death of King Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah and even after the peace deal (

Treaty of Sugauli The Treaty of Sugauli (also spelled Sugowlee, Sagauli and Segqulee), the treaty that established the boundary line of Nepal, was signed on 4 March 1816 between the East India Company and Guru Gajraj Mishra following the Anglo-Nepalese War of ...

) with the British East India Company done between the then ruling prime minister Bhimsen Thapa representative of Nepal and British. The modernization of the

Nepalese Army The Nepali Army (), also referred to as the Gorkhali Army (; see ''Gurkha, Gorkhas''), formally known as "Royal Nepal Army" is the Ground warfare, land Military branch, service branch of the Nepalese Armed Forces, Nepali Armed Forces. After t ...

was done to keep things in control while convincing the suspicious British of no intention to use. Bhimsen increased his family members in court and military and also transferred other aristocratic families away from the capital. Bhimsen instated his youngest brother, General Ranabir Singh Thapa, in the royal palace as chief palace authority. Any meetings between the royal family and commoners or Bhardars were done under his permission and observation. Thapas remained on political power from the military domination by Bhimsen Thapa. It was no secret that Bhimsen was able to maintain his supremacy due to the large standing army under his and his family's command. Thus, King

Rajendra of Nepal Rajendra Bikram Shah (; 3 December 1813 – 10 July 1881) was King of Nepal. His reign saw the rise of the Ranas; in 1846, Jung Bahadur Rana came to power as prime minister and the next year, Rajendra was forced to abdicate in favor of his son ...

feared the Thapa faction as

The downfall of Thapas (1837–1839)

Bhimsen had committed atrocities against the Pande family by being involved in the execution of Nepalese Chief Kazi

Damodar Pande Damodar Pande () (1752 – March 13, 1804) was the Mulkaji, Mulkaji of Nepal (equivalent to Prime Minister of Nepal) from 1803 until March 1804 and the most influential Kaji from 1794 to his execution on March 13, 1804. He is also arguably ref ...

. Rana Jang Pande, the youngest son of

, was a supporter of Senior Queen Samrajya Laxmi and had planned for the downfall of the 31-year Thapa rule. In the Nepalese court, the rivalry between the two queens rose where the Senior Queen supported the Pandes, while the Junior Queen supported the Thapas. Bhimsen went to his ancestral home in Gorkha for some time, making Ranabir Singh Thapa as ''Acting Mukhtiyar''. Rana Jang Pande, the leading member of Pande aristocratic family and his brother, Ranadal Pande, was elevated in the Nepal Darbar. On 24 July 1837, King

Rajendra Bikram Shah Rajendra Bikram Shah (; 3 December 1813 – 10 July 1881) was King of Nepal. His reign saw the rise of the Ranas; in 1846, Jung Bahadur Rana came to power as prime minister and the next year, Rajendra was forced to abdicate in favor of his son ...

's infant son, Devendra Bikram Shah, died. Bhimsen and members of the Thapa faction were blamed and conspired against. On this charge, Bhimsen and whole the Thapa family, the court physicians, Ekdev and Eksurya Upadhyay, and his deputy Bhajuman Baidya, with relatives of the Thapas were incarcerated, proclaimed outcasts, and their properties confiscated. Fatte Jang Shah, Rangnath Poudel, and the Junior Queen Rajya Laxmi Devi, the anti-Pande faction, obtained from the King the liberation of Bhimsen, Mathabar, and the rest of the party, about eight months after they were incarcerated for the poisoning case. Confiscation of some properties was pardoned. The pro-Thapa soldiers rallied to Bhimsen, Mathabar Singh, and Sherjung Thapa's houses. Mathabar Singh fled to India while pretending to go on a hunting trip; Ranbir Singh gave up all his property and became 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 ...

, titling himself ''Swami Abhayananda''; but Bhimsen Thapa preferred to remain in his old home in Gorkha.

The final chapter of Thapas (1843–1845)

The resurrection of Thapa

Mathabarsingh Thapa fled to India when

and Thapa courtiers were punished. Sher Jung Thapa and other jailed Thapa members were pardoned on the request of Junior Queen after the death of Senior Queen. Mathabar, the most senior Thapa, was requested to return to Nepal by then ruling Junior Queen Rajya Laxmi after six years of exile. Mathabarsingh Thapa arrived in

Kathmandu Valley The Kathmandu Valley (), also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley (, Newar language, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः), National Capital Area, is a bowl-shaped valley located in the Himalayas, Hima ...

on 17 April 1843 where he was greeted with state honors. He then re-opened the murder case of his uncle and godfather

, and members of Pande faction and their supporters were executed.

End of Thapas

The murder of Mathabar Singh on 17 May 1845 by his nephew, Janga Bahadur Kunwar, on the orders of King

and his Junior Queen, ended the Thapa family's rule in Nepal giving rise to

Agnatic Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

Rana dynasty.

Family palaces

The family resided at

Thapathali Durbar Thapathali Durbar () was a palace complex in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Thapathali means abode of the Thapas. It was initially built by Nain Singh Thapa of the Thapa dynasty but was later occupied by Jung Bahadur Rana(Thapa) , as prime minis ...

and

Bagh Durbar Bag Durbar, () is a palace in Kathmandu, Nepal, west of the Dharahara and Tundikhel. Initially the palace was owned by Amar Singh Thapa (Sardar) of the Thapa regime and his descendant, but later was occupied by the Royals of the Shah dynasty and ...

was constructed by

, who moved to reside near the Basantapur Palace. He initially moved from

Gorkha district Gorkha District (), a part of Gandaki Province, is one of seventy-seven districts of Nepal, and the fourth largest district of the country in terms of area. It is historically linked with the creation of modern Nepal and the name of the legenda ...

and eventually to Bagh Durbar. Thapathali complex

Bagh Durbar, which literally means ''The Tiger's Mansion,'' was built in 1805 A.D. by PM

. It had a spacious ''Janarala Bagh'' (General's Garden), a pond and many temples glorifying the Mukhtiyar General. When Thapa rule was revived, PM Mathabarsingh Thapa recaptured the lost palace and resided there for two years. The

National Museum of Nepal National Museum, located at the base of Svayambhu, Swayambhu, a sacred hill in the Kathmandu Valley, is the first Nepalese museum. Covering an area of approximately 50 Nepalese customary units of measurement, Ropani (27.38 hectares), the museum co ...

at Chhauni was once a residence to Prime Minister

. The building has a collection of bronze sculptures, paubha paintings, and weapons including the sword gifted by French Emperor

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

Thapa family members

Family Tree of Bir Bhadra Thapa

Family Tree of Kazi Singh Thapa

Other Thapa nobles

The unrelated family of

Amar Singh Thapa Amar Singh Thapa distinguished as Badakaji Amar Singh Thapa(), or Amar Singh Thapa The Elder, (also spelled Ambar Simha) also known by the honorific name Bada Kaji ("Senior Kaji") or Budha Kaji ("The Old Kaji"), was a Gorkha Kingdom, Gorkhali mil ...

was also included in broader Thapa caucus.

Allies and opponents

List of Allies during Transition Phase (1837–1846) List of Opponents during Transition Phase (1837–1846)

Works

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 ...

tower was built by Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa. Dharahara is said to be built for

Queen Tripurasundari of Nepal Tripurasundari (; 1794 – 6 April 1832), also known as Lalit Tripura Sundari Devi, was a queen consort of Nepal by marriage to King Rana Bahadur Shah of Nepal. Widowed at a very young age and childless, she served as regent of the kingdom for a ...

, who was the niece of

Gallery

Clothes worn by Bhimsen Thapa 1.jpg, Clothes worn by Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa Clothes worn by Bhimsen Thapa 2.jpg, Clothes worn by Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa Picture of bhimsen thapa standing beside a horse.jpg, Picture of Bhimsen Thapa standing beside a horse Mathabar Singh Thapa.jpg, PM Mathabar Singh Thapa in crown Bhimsen-thapa-painting.jpg, Portrait of Mukhtiyar General Bhimsen Thapa Mathabar Singh Thapa portrait.jpg, Portrait of first titled Prime Minister Mathabar Singh Thapa Statue of Queen Tripurasundari 1.jpg, Statue of Queen Tripurasundari Bhimsen Thapa of Nepal.jpg, Portrait of Mukhtiyar General Bhimsen Thapa Colonel Mathabar Singh Thapa 1.jpg, Portrait of Colonel Mathabar Singh Thapa from 1831 Mathabar Simha Thapa.jpg, Portrait of Mathabar Singh Thapa Bhimsen Thapa and two wives.jpg, Bhimsen Thapa and two wives Mathabar Singh Thapa in Panjabi court.jpg, Mathabar Simha Thapa in Panjabi court Ranabir Singh Thapa.jpg, Portrait of Ranabir Singh Thapa Ujir Singh Thapa in crown.jpg, Portrait of Ujir Singh Thapa Ranabir Singh Thapa as Swami Abhayananda.jpg, Portrait of Ranabir Singh Thapa as Swami Abhayananda Bhimsen-thapa-portrait.jpg, Bhimsen Thapa, Ranabir Singh Thapa letter.gif, General Ranabir Singh Thapa's letter signed by his private black seal sent to Mukhtiyar (PM) Bhimsen Thapa and 2nd Kazi (Deputy PM) Ranadhoj Thapa Old Bhardar letter.gif, Letter sent to PM Bhimsen Thapa and Kazi Ranadhoj Thapa by (Pvt. seal L to R) Bakhat Singh Sardar, Dalbhanjan Pande (Pande Kazi), Ranabir Singh Thapa, Kaji Narsingh Thapa (Elder Amar Singh Thapa's another son) and sundry captains Mathabar Singh Thapa letter.gif, Letter sent to PM Bhimsen Thapa and Kazi Ranadhoj Thapa by then Colonel Mathabar Singh Thapa

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thapa Dynasty Kshatriya communities Nepalese noble families Nepalese politicians Chhetri noble families Dynasties of Nepal 18th-century establishments in Nepal