Bhimsen Thapa and the First Bhandarkhal Parva (1806)

After Prithvi Narayan Shah, the royal court became a place of fierce rivalry between powerful families. Nepali history calls the violent turning points of this period parva (or kanda), a word for a bloody incident at court. This chapter explains the first of them, the Bhandarkhal Parva of 1806, and the man who rose out of it, Bhimsen Thapa.

Court politics of this period is complicated, with many shifting alliances. We give the main storyline and the facts that exams most often ask. Years are commonly cited ones; confirm details in your textbook.

Why the court became dangerous

When Prithvi Narayan Shah died, the throne passed to young or weak rulers, and real power passed to those who controlled them: regents, queens and the leading noble families. The main rival groups were the Pandes, the Thapas, the Basnyats (Basnets) and the Chautariyas (royal relatives). There was no clear rule for how a prime minister was chosen, so rivals tried to seize power by force.

Rana Bahadur Shah and the regency

• Pratap Singh Shah (son of Prithvi Narayan) ruled briefly and died young.
• Rana Bahadur Shah became king as a small child, in 1777. Power was held by regents: first his mother, Queen Rajendra Laxmi, and then his uncle Bahadur Shah, a capable administrator who also expanded the kingdom.
• When Rana Bahadur Shah grew up he took power himself, and later gave up the throne in favour of his infant son Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah (1799), choosing to live as a religious ascetic. He went to Banaras (Varanasi) and returned to Nepal in 1804.
• After his return, he took power again, and his harsh rule included the execution of Damodar Pande, the powerful leader of the Pande family, in 1804.

The murder of Rana Bahadur Shah

In 1806, Rana Bahadur Shah was assassinated at the court by his half-brother Sher Bahadur Shah. Sher Bahadur Shah was killed on the spot by supporters of the former king. In the confusion, the strongest figure at court was Bhimsen Thapa, who had been a close attendant and supporter of Rana Bahadur Shah.

The first Bhandarkhal Parva (1806)

The murder was followed by a purge. Bhimsen Thapa moved against the opponents of the dead king, notably the members of the Pande and Basnyat factions and others who might oppose him, and many were killed or removed. This was the Bhandarkhal Parva, named after the Bhandarkhal garden at Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu, where it is associated. It is dated around 25 April 1806 (late Baisakh 1863 BS).

Because there were two famous incidents at the same place, they are called the first (1806) and the second (1846) Bhandarkhal Parva. The second belongs to the story of the Ranas, in our next chapter. Do not mix them up in exams: the first made Bhimsen Thapa powerful; the second helped make Jung Bahadur powerful.

Bhimsen Thapa in power (about 1806–1837)

Bhimsen Thapa became the chief minister, called Mukhtiyar, and effectively ruled in the name of the young king for about three decades, which is a very long time in this period. Key points:

• He is considered the first strong, long-serving head of government in modern Nepal.
• He strengthened and modernised the army and the administration.
• He led the country through the Anglo-Nepal War (1814–1816) and the humiliating Treaty of Sugauli, but then worked to keep Nepal independent and to avoid a second war with the British.
• He built several buildings in Kathmandu, including the Bhimsen Tower (Dharahara), built around 1832.
• He placed many relatives and allies in office, which made enemies.

The fall of Bhimsen Thapa

As the king, Rajendra Bikram Shah, grew up, he and the queens grew tired of Bhimsen Thapa's control. A decisive blow came in 1837, when a young prince died and Bhimsen Thapa's enemies accused his family of poisoning the child. Bhimsen Thapa was dismissed and imprisoned, humiliated, and later died in 1839, said to have taken his own life. His fall opened the way for a new period of intrigue.

What came next

With Bhimsen Thapa gone, the rival families struggled again; ministers rose and fell in quick succession, the king was weak and the queens were powerful. A second Thapa, Mathabar Singh Thapa (Bhimsen's nephew), returned from exile to become prime minister, but he too was killed in 1845 on the order of the junior queen, carried out by his own nephew, Jung Bahadur. We follow that story in the next chapter.

Exam focus

• First Bhandarkhal Parva: 1806 (25 April 1806), after the murder of Rana Bahadur Shah.
• Rana Bahadur Shah was killed by his half-brother Sher Bahadur Shah.
• Person who rose to power: Bhimsen Thapa, who held office for about 30 years.
• Rival families: Pande, Thapa, Basnyat (Basnet).
• Bhimsen Thapa's tower: Dharahara (about 1832).
• King at the time of Bhimsen Thapa's fall: Rajendra Bikram Shah.

Previous: the Anglo-Nepal War. Next: Kot Parva and the second Bhandarkhal Parva.