| Consort: | yes | ||||
| Aishwarya | |||||
| Coronation: | 24 February 1975 | ||||
| Full Name: | Aishwarya Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah | ||||
| Succession: | Queen consort of Nepal | ||||
| Reign: | 31 January 1972 – 1 June 2001 | ||||
| House: | Rana
| ||||
| Birth Date: | 7 November 1949 | ||||
| Birth Place: | Lazimpat Durbar, Kathmandu, Kingdom of Nepal | ||||
| Death Place: | Narayanhiti Royal Palace, Kathmandu, Kingdom of Nepal
| ||||
| Father: | General Kendra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana | ||||
| Mother: | Shree Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah | ||||
| Issue: | Dipendra of Nepal Princess Shruti of Nepal Prince Nirajan of Nepal | ||||
| Religion: | Hinduism | ||||
Aishwarya Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah (Nepali: ऐश्वर्य राज्य लक्ष्मी देवी शाह) (7 November 1949 – 1 June 2001) was the Queen of Nepal from 1972 to 2001, also referred to as Bada Maharani (बडामहारानी). She was the wife of King Birendra and the mother of King Dipendra, Prince Nirajan, and Princess Shruti. She was the eldest among the three daughters of the late General Kendra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana and Shree Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah in Lazimpat Durbar, Lazimpat, Kathmandu.
She was celebrated as a woman of classical beauty, famous for her hairstyles and dressing.
She had her school education at St. Helen's Convent of Kurseong, India, and St Mary's of Jawalakhel, Nepal. She passed S.L.C. from Kanti Ishwari Rajya Laxmi High School in 1963. She was enrolled in the Tribhuvan University-affiliated school, Padmakanya College and graduated in arts in 1967.
She was from the Rana family which had ruled Nepal for 104 years. She was the eldest daughter of General Kendra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana (1921–1982) and his wife, Shree Rajya Lakshmi Shah (1926–2005). She had two brothers (Suraj Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana; Uday Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana) and two sisters (Queen Komal Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah; Princess Prekshya Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah). After her death, her younger sister Komal became queen consort of Nepal. Her family had been the effective rulers of Nepal until the 1950s. In 1970, she married Birendra, then Crown Prince of Nepal (and her second cousin).Aishwarya's youngest sister Prekshya also married into the Shah dynasty, marrying Gyanendra and Birendra's brother Prince Dhirendra who was killed in the palace massacre. They divorced in the 1980s.[1] Princess Prekshya was killed in a helicopter crash on 12 November 2001.
After King Mahendra died in 1972, Birendra became the King and Aishwarya the Queen consort.
Aishwarya was energetic, outspoken and a woman with beauty and brains.[2] She arranged different social and cultural programmes. Queen Aishwarya supported her husband in every steps of her life though difficulties came across them. She was a far-sighted woman who could understand the needs of the country and its people.
The country people took her support for her husband as her dominant nature, but with the passage of time, Queen Aishwarya's dominance over her husband reportedly mellowed down and she was seen as a caring companion for her husband, whose popularity increased with time.[3]
She was interested in literature and, under the pen-name Chadani Shah, wrote dozens of poems which have been collected under the title Aphnai Akash Aphnai Paribesh. The anthology is prefaced with criticisms about Chadani Shah's writing by veteran critics of Nepalese literature. She was also a famous song composer and her songs were frequently aired by Radio Nepal and Nepal Television.
See main article: Nepalese royal massacre.
Queen Aishwarya was shot dead along with her husband, King Birendra; her son, Prince Nirajan; her daughter, Princess Shruti; and seven other royal family members in the June 1, 2001 palace massacre. It is widely believed that the motive for the murder was the strong opposition to the Crown Prince's proposed marriage to Devyani Rana. Queen Aishwarya's face was so badly disfigured by the gunshot wound that, for the widely attended state funeral procession, it was covered by a porcelain mask bearing her likeness.[4]
