Succession to the Nepalese throne explained

The Rolls of Succession in Rana or Rollkram Pratha was the official order of succession of the Rana Dynasty of Nepal.[1] This order was regulated not only through descent, but also by lineage.[2] It was established by Jung Bahadur Rana as a formal ranking of all of his descendants in relation to their hereditary rights to the office of prime minister, with no legal mechanism for changing the government.

Jung Bahadur Rana

King Surendra issued a royal decree (sanad) that formalized the dominance of the Kunwar family. King Surendra gave Jung Bahadur authority over internal administration, including civil, military, and judicial affairs as well as foreign relations. Jung Bahadur was declared the "great king" (maharajah) of Kaski and Lamjung districts, serving as their independent ruler, and the right to use the honorific term shri which is "three times" (Sri Teen) in his name. In his 1856 sanad, King Surendra stated that succession would pass to Jung's seven brothers and then to his sons and nephew in order of seniority.[3]

Chandra Shamshir's revision

Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher JBR revised and re-shuffled the Rolls of Succession and divided the Rana clan into 3 categories; A,B,and C according to the stature of the purity of lineage.[4]

A Class were eligible to be Prime Minister and/or the highest military and administrative officials, whereas B and C Class Rana could only reach the level of Colonel.

Juddha Shamshir's revision

In March 1934, Juddha Shumsher JBR expelled C Class from the roll of succession.[6]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Indra Adhikari. Military and Democracy in Nepal. 12 June 2015. Taylor & Francis. 978-1-317-58905-1. 116–.
  2. Book: JBR, PurushottamShamsher. 1990 . Shree Teen Haruko Tathya Britanta. ne. Bhotahity, Kathmandu. Vidarthi Pustak Bhandar. 99933-39-91-1.
  3. Book: Bhuwan Lal Joshi. Leo E. Rose. Democratic Innovations in Nepal: A Case Study of Political Acculturation. 1966. University of California Press. 34–. GGKEY:5N30S3HU9BC.
  4. Book: Ramjee P. Parajulee. The Democratic Transition in Nepal. January 2000. Rowman & Littlefield. 978-0-8476-9577-5. 35–.
  5. Book: IBP USA. Nepal Country Study Guide - Strategic Information and Developments. 3 March 2012. Lulu.com. 978-1-4387-7514-2. 57–.
  6. Book: Ishwari Prasad. The Life and Times of Maharaja Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana of Nepal. 1 January 1996. APH Publishing. 978-81-7024-756-2. 162–.