Few events in Nepal's history are as dramatic, or as often asked in exams, as the Kot Parva and the second Bhandarkhal Parva of 1846. In the space of about six weeks, a murder, a midnight massacre and a second purge changed who ruled Nepal, and gave rise to a family that governed for more than a century.
Sources give slightly different dates and numbers for these events. We use "September 1846" and "October 1846", and describe numbers loosely ("dozens", "at least thirty"). If your exam asks for an exact day or number, use the figure in your own textbook.
The situation in 1846
By the 1840s, King Rajendra Bikram Shah was weak, and the real struggle was between his two wives. The elder queen, Samrajya Laxmi, had died in 1841. The younger queen, Rajya Laxmi, was ambitious, and wanted her own son, Prince Ranendra, to become king instead of the heir, Prince Surendra. At court, the leading figures included Gagan Singh Bhandari, a close favourite of the queen, and Jung Bahadur Kunwar, a young, capable and ambitious army officer. Jung Bahadur was a nephew of the late Mathabar Singh Thapa, whom he had killed in 1845 on the queen's order.
The murder of Gagan Singh Bhandari
One night in mid-September 1846 (Ashwin 1903 BS), Gagan Singh Bhandari was found murdered in the queen's own quarters. The queen, furious, ordered all the leading nobles and officers to gather at the Kot (the royal armoury courtyard) at Hanuman Dhoka. She demanded that the culprit be found, and she suspected a rival minister, Abhiman Singh Rana. In the tense gathering, fighting broke out.
The Kot Parva
At the Kot, Abhiman Singh Rana was killed, and Jung Bahadur's troops, who had surrounded the courtyard, joined in. In the confusion and bloodshed that followed, dozens of nobles and officials, the queen's opponents and, in many accounts, her supporters, were killed. By the end of the night, much of the old aristocracy that had competed for power for decades had been wiped out. Jung Bahadur emerged as the strongest man in the country. The incident is called the Kot Parva, or the Kot Massacre.
Jung Bahadur was appointed prime minister, and in the following days he carried out an extensive purge of those he considered enemies or dangers.
The second Bhandarkhal Parva (October 1846)
Queen Rajya Laxmi did not give up. She secretly arranged a plan to murder Jung Bahadur, using men loyal to her, including Bir Dhoj Basnyat and Wazir Singh, with the aim of putting her son on the throne. The plot was due to be carried out at a gathering at the Bhandarkhal garden. Jung Bahadur discovered it, and, using the powers given to him by the king, he moved first: on 31 October 1846, his supporters killed the conspirators in what is now called the second Bhandarkhal Parva. At least thirty people are said to have been killed.
The aftermath
- The queen, and King Rajendra Bikram Shah, who had sided with her, were sent into exile at Banaras. The king soon returned, but was later deposed.
- Crown Prince Surendra was made king.
- Jung Bahadur took the title of prime minister and soon made the office hereditary in his family, which now used the name Rana.
- The Shah king was reduced to a figurehead, and real power rested with the Rana prime minister for more than a hundred years, until 1951.
Why these events matter
The Kot Parva and the second Bhandarkhal Parva ended the long era of rivalry among the great noble families. They also ushered in the Rana regime, a hereditary autocracy in which the kings were kept at the palace. Nepal's modern political history, including the 1950–51 revolution, is in large part a reaction to this arrangement.
Two Bhandarkhal Parvas: do not confuse them
- First Bhandarkhal Parva — 1806. After the murder of Rana Bahadur Shah. Bhimsen Thapa becomes powerful. Victims: Pande and Basnyat supporters and others.
- Second Bhandarkhal Parva — October 1846. A month after Kot Parva. Jung Bahadur defeats the queen's plot. Victims: Bir Dhoj Basnyat and others in the conspiracy.
Exam focus
- Kot Parva: September 1846 (Ashwin 1903 BS), at the Kot, Hanuman Dhoka.
- Trigger: the murder of Gagan Singh Bhandari.
- Queen: Rajya Laxmi (younger queen); King: Rajendra Bikram Shah.
- Person who rose to power: Jung Bahadur Kunwar (later Rana).
- Second Bhandarkhal Parva: 31 October 1846.
- Result: start of Rana rule, which ended in 1951 (2007 BS).
Previous: Bhimsen Thapa and the first Bhandarkhal Parva. Next: the Rana regime.
Comments
Loading comments…