The Shah dynasty (Nepali: शाह वंश), also known as the Shahs of Gorkha or the Royal House of Gorkha, was the ruling ChaubiseThakuri dynasty[1] and the founder of the Gorkha Kingdom from 1559 to 1768 and later the unified Kingdom of Nepal from 1768 to 28 May 2008.
The Shah dynasty traces its historical ancestor to King of Kaski, Kulamandan Shah Khad, whose grandson Dravya Shah captured the throne of Ligligkot from Ghale Magar king Dalshur ghale Magar with the help of accomplices from six resident clans of Majhkot and Ligligkot. Dravya Shah named his new kingdom Gorkha.
Origins
The Shah descendants are of Rajput origin.[1] However, they are ranked as Thakuris.[2]
Coronation of Dravya Shah
Dravya Shah was the youngest son of Yasho Brahma Shah, Raja (king) of Lamjung and grandson of Kulamandan Shah Khad, Raja of Kaski.[3] He became the king of Gorkha with the help of his accomplices, including Kaji Ganesh Pandey. He ascended the throne of Gorkha in 1559 A.D. The loose translation of the Nepali work known as the "Wright Chronicle"[4] describes the coronation of Dravya Shah thus:
On Wednesday the 8th of Bhadon Badi, Saka 1481 (A.D. 1559) Rohini Nakshatra (i.e. the moon in the Rohini mansion) being an auspicious day, Drabya Shah aided by Bhagirath Panth, Ganesa Pande, Gangaram Rana Magar, Narayan Das Arjyal, Khanal Bohra and Murli Khawas of Gorkha, concealed himself in a hut. Ganesa Pande had collected all the people of who wore the brahmanical thread such as the Thapas, Busals, Ranas and Maski Ranas of the Magar tribe, they went by the Dahya Gauda route and the Durbar. Drabya Shah killed the King Mansingh Khadka Magar[note 1] his own hand, with a sword, during the battle ensued. At the same auspicious moment Drabya took his seat on the gaddi, amidst the clash music.
In 1743, Prithvi Narayan Shah became the ruler of Gorkha. He declared war on other principalities, defeating them one by one. In September 1768, he established the unified kingdom of Gorkha. He became the first king of large Gorkha Kingdom. He, his sons and their successors continued fighting and defeating other kingdoms and enlarging the kingdom of Gorkha. In 1814, the Anglo–Nepalese War between Gorkha and the East India Company began. By 1815, the Shah king had been thoroughly defeated. By 1816, Gorkha had lost one-third of its territory. The Shah kings continued to rule as absolute monarchs until 1846, when the political order changed from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy.
Hereditary prime ministers (1846–1951)
In 1846, the Rana dynasty gained power in Nepal. The Ranas became prime ministers and reduced the King's status to a figurehead position. The Ranas ruled Nepal as hereditary prime ministers though in the name of the figurehead king. In 1950, the Shah king King Tribhuvan went into exile in India. He and his family, including the crown prince Mahendra, later returned. After India became a secular state in 1950, and the remaining rajas retired, Nepal was the only remaining Hindu kingdom. In 1951, with the help of India, a popular politician common man Matrika Prasad Koirala became the prime minister of Nepal. Tribhuvan returned to Kathmandu. The Shah dynasty regained control and the prime minister, Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, resigned. King Tribhuvan ruled until 1955 and King Mahendra ruled until 1972. Mahendra's son, Birendra, became king.
In 1990, under King Birendra, Nepal became a constitutional monarchy after a mass movement from people forced Birendra Shah to restore democracy.[5]
Massacre of the royal family
On 1 June 2001, some members of the Shah dynasty were murdered in the royal palace. A High Commission report concluded that the royal family was slaughtered by Crown Prince Dipendra. This remains controversial.[6] Among the dead were the Crown Prince's father, King Birendra and his brother, Prince Nirajan. After the attack, Dipendra was in a coma and was declared king for a short time. He died a few days later. Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, Dipendra's uncle, took the throne. In February 2005, he dismissed the parliament in order to govern in his own right.
Abolition of the Shah monarchy
On 24 December 2007, Nepal's Provisional Parliament met. It was decided that the monarchy would be abolished in 2008 after the Constituent Assembly elections.[7] The motion enjoyed overwhelming support in the chamber, passing by a 270-vote majority. Of the 329 sitting members of parliament, only three voted against abolishing the monarchy.[8] It was decided that for the time being, Gyanendra would retain his title and continue residing in the Royal Palace, albeit stripped of all political power and authority.[8]
Gyanendra vacated the palace in Kathmandu which later became a museum. Until they could find permanent accommodation, the royal couple were offered residence as commoners at the Nagarjuna Palace, a former royal summer residence. The Nagarjuna palace lies in forested hills about eight kilometres (five miles) northwest of Kathmandu.[citation needed]
^On the historicity and publication history of the "Wright Chronicle," see pp. 86–92 of Manik Bajracharya and Axel Michaels, "On the Historiography of Nepal: The ‘Wright’ Chronicle Reconsidered," European Bulletin of Himalayan Research 40: 83–98 (2012). [1]
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