Mulkaji of Kingdom of Nepal नेपाल अधिराज्यको मूलकाजी | |
---|---|
one of the influential Mulkaji Damodar Pande | |
Style | Sri Mulkaji Mulkaji Saheb |
Residence | various |
Seat | Hanuman Dhoka Palace |
Appointer | King of Nepal |
Precursor | Bamsa Raj Pande (as Dewan Kaji of Nepal) |
Formation | circa 1785 |
First holder | Abhiman Singh Basnyat |
Final holder | Ranajit Pande |
Abolished | 1804 |
Succession | Rana Bahadur Shah (as Mukhtiyar of Nepal) |
Nepalportal |
Mulkaji (Nepali : मूलकाजी) was the position of head of executive of Kingdom of Nepal in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was equivalent to Prime Minister of Nepal. There were 5 Mulkajis appointed between 1785 and 1804.
Mulkaji is formed from two words: Mul and Kaji. Mul means Chief, Key or Fundamental [1] and Kaji is derived from Sanskrit word Karyi which meant functionary. [2] [ broken footnote ] Altogether it means Chief Functionary or Executive Head of the State.
Dewan Kaji Bamsa Raj Pande was beheaded in March 1785 on the conspiracy of Queen Rajendra Laxmi with the help of supporters including senior Kaji Swaroop Singh Karki. [3] [4] On 2 July 1785, Prince Regent Bahadur Shah of Nepal was arrested and on the eleventh day of imprisonment on 13 July, Queen Rajendra Laxmi died. [3] [4] Then onwards, Bahadur Shah of Nepal took over the regency of his nephew King Rana Bahadur Shah [5] and the position of Chautariya while Abhiman Singh Basnyat was elected Mulkaji (Chief Kaji).
In 1794, King Rana Bahadur Shah came of age and appointed Kirtiman Singh Basnyat as Chief (Mul) Kaji among the newly appointed four Kajis though Damodar Pande was the most influential Kaji. [6] Kirtiman had succeeded Abhiman Singh Basnyat as Chief Kaji. [7]
Kirtiman was secretly assassinated on 28 September 1801, by the supporters of Raj Rajeshwari Devi [8] and his brother Bakhtawar Singh Basnyat, was then given the post of Chief (Mul) Kaji. [9]
Later Damodar Pande was appointed by Queen Rajrajeshwari as Chief Kaji. [10]
After the execution of Mulkaji Damodar Pande in March 1804, Ranajit Pande was appointed as Mulkaji (Chief Kaji) along with Bhimsen Thapa as second Kaji, Sher Bahadur Shah as Mul Chautariya and Ranganath Paudel as Raj Guru (Royal Preceptor). [11] [ broken footnote ] [12] [ broken footnote ]
Later King Rana Bahadur Shah created the title of Mukhtiyar and assume full executive power of the state. [13] [ broken footnote ]
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Political party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | |||||
1 | Abhiman Singh Basnyat (1744–1800) | 1785 | 1794 | Independent | ||
2 | Kirtiman Singh Basnyat (??–1801) | 1794 | 28 September 1801 | Independent | ||
3 | Bakhtawar Singh Basnyat | 1801 | February 1803 | Independent | ||
4 | Damodar Pande (1752–1804) | February 1803 | March 1804 | Independent | ||
5 | Ranajit Pande | 1804 | 1804 | Independent |
Historian Dilli Raman Regmi asserts that Sarbajit Rana Magar was chosen as Chief Functionary. [14] [ broken footnote ] Historian Rishikesh Shah asserts that Sarbajit was appointed only a Kaji [15] [ broken footnote ] and was the head of the Nepalese government for a short period in 1778. [16]
The Kingdom of Nepal was a Hindu kingdom in South Asia, formed in 1768 by the expansion of the Gorkha Kingdom, which lasted until 2008 when the kingdom became the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. It was also known as the Gorkha Empire, or sometimes Asal Hindustan. Founded by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, a Gorkha monarch who claimed to be of Thakuri origin from chaubisi, it existed for 240 years until the abolition of the Nepalese monarchy in 2008. During this period, Nepal was formally under the rule of the Shah dynasty, which exercised varying degrees of power during the kingdom's existence.
The unification of Nepal was the process of building the modern Nepalese state, from fractured petty kingdoms including the Baise Rajya and the Chaubisi Rajya, which began in 1743 AD. The prominent figure in the unification campaign was Prithvi Narayan Shah, King of Gorkha. On 25 September 1768, he officially announced the creation of the Kingdom of Nepal and moved his capital from Gorkha to the city of Kathmandu.
The Prime Minister of Nepal is the head of government of Nepal. Together with their Council of Ministers, The Prime Minister exercises executive power in the country. The Prime Minister must enjoy the confidence in the Pratinidhi Sabha before being appointed by the President and shall resign if they are unable to retain the majority in the House.
Basnyat/Basnet family or Basnyat/Basnet dynasty was a Khas-Chhetri and a warlord clan family involved in the politics and administration of the Gorkha Kingdom and Kingdom of Nepal. This family got entry into Thar Ghar aristocracy group of Gorkha at the time of King Prithvi Narayan Shah. It was one of the four noble families to be involved in active politics of Nepal together with the Shah dynasty, Pande family and the Thapa dynasty before the rise of the Rana dynasty. This family is descended from Shivaram Singh Basnyat, the commander of Gorkhali forces and a member of Shreepali Basnyat clan of Gorkha. This family was maritally linked to Kala (Black) Pande section of the Pande dynasty through Chitravati Pande who married Kaji Kehar Singh Basnyat. This family was the last Kshatriya (Chhetri) political family to be wiped out from the central power by Jung Bahadur Rana of Kunwar family during the Bhandarkhal Massacre in 1846 for the conspiracy to take the power leading to people suffering from 104 long years of the Rana rule.
Rana Bahadur Shah, King of Nepal was the third King of Nepal, he succeeded to the throne after the death of his father, King Pratap Singh Shah. He ruled under the regencies of his mother, Queen Rajendra Rajya Lakshmi Devi, and then of his uncle, Bahadur Shah. During this time, the kingdom was expanded by conquest to include the Garhwal and Kumaon regions, now part of India. He imprisoned his uncle, Bahadur Shah, who died in jail.
The Government of Nepal is the federal executive authority of Nepal. Prior to the abolition of the Nepalese monarchy in 2006, it was officially known as His Majesty's Government.
Damodar Pande was the Mulkaji of Nepal from 1803 until March 1804 and the most influential Kaji from 1794 to his execution on March 13, 1804. He is also arguably referred to as the first Prime Minister of Nepal. He was the youngest son of famous Kaji of Prithivi Narayan Shah Kalu Pande. He was born in 1752 in Gorkha. Damodar Pande was one of the commanders during the Sino-Nepalese War and in Nepal-Tibet War. He was among the successful Gorkhali warriors sent towards the east by Prithivinarayan Shah.
Kaji was a title and position used by nobility of Gorkha Kingdom (1559–1768) and Kingdom of Nepal between 1768 and 1846. Many other contemporary kingdoms used the same title for their ministers.
Abhiman Singh Basnet/Basnyat was the first Commander-in-Chief of unified Nepal. Abhiman Singh became the first Commander in Chief after General Kalu Pande died during his second attempt to capture Kirtipur.
Vamshidhar Pande known by Alias Kalu Pande was a Nepalese politician and general who was appointed as Kaji of The Gorkha Kingdom. He was born in 1713 A.D. in a Gorkha family. He was the commander of the Gorkhali forces during the Unification Campaign of Nepal who died in the first Battle of Kirtipur in 1757 A.D. Pande's real name was Banshidhar Pande. He was a son of Kaji Bhimraj Pande who was minister during reign of King Prithivipati Shah of Gorkha. He was descendant of Minister of Gorkha and Dravya Shah's accomplice Ganesh Pande. He had three sons: Dewan Kajisaheb Vamsharaj Pande, Sardar Ranasur Pande and Mulkaji Sahib Damodar Pande.
Kehar Singh Basnyat or Kehar Singh Basnet was a Nepalese military commander and war hero who laid down his life in the Unification battles of Nepal. He was born in the illustrious clan of Shreepali Basnyats as a member of Kshettriya (warrior) class.
Kirtiman Singh Basnyat was Mul Kaji of the Royal Court of Nepal from 1794 to his death on 28 September 1801. He was a military commander of the Nepalese Army.
Ranajit Pande was a Nepalese politician, military personnel and courtier in the Kingdom of Nepal. He was a member of the Gora Pande clan of Gorkha. He became Mulkaji of Nepal for a brief period in 1804 A.D.
Bakhtawar Singh Basnyat was Mulkazi of Nepal.
The Pande family or Pande dynasty was a Chhetri political family with ancestral roots from Gorkha Kingdom that directly ruled Nepali administration affairs from the 16th century to 19th century as Mulkaji and Mukhtiyar. This dynasty/family was one of the four noble families to be involved in active politics of Nepal together with the Shah dynasty, Basnyat family and Thapa dynasty before the rise of the Rana dynasty. The Pande dynasty is the oldest noble family to hold the title of Kaji. This family was decimated from political power in 1843 CE in the political massacre by Prime Minister Mathabar Singh Thapa as a revenge for his uncle Bhimsen's death in 1839.
Dalbhanjan Pande or Dalabhanjan Pande was a Nepalese minister, politician and military officer of the aristocratic Pande family. He had held ministerial positions and military offices. He jointly headed the military administration of Nepal in 1837 along with Mukhtiyar Rana Jang Pande.
Swarup Singh Karki or Swaroop Singh Karki, was a Nepali politician, courtier, military commander and minister. He was popular for his singing prowess and court conspiracies. He was selected as Dewan in the reign of King Pratap Singh Shah and a significant politician in the regent rule of Queen Rajendra of Nepal. He was one of the most influential court politician in the rule of King Pratap Singh and Queen Rajendralaxmi, others being his rival Bahadur Shah of Nepal and Vamsharaj Pande. Vamsharaj was his perceived career rival. His life and career ended when Prince Bahadur Shah was appointed as regent in 1785.
Rajguru Gajraj Mishra also spelled Gajaraj Mishra was a Nepalese politician, ambassador, diplomat and a royal priest of Shah dynasty. He was always inclined to his disciple Prince Regent Bahadur Shah of Nepal. Gajraj Mishra was disfavoured by his disciple King Pratap Singh Shah due to his support to Prince Bahadur Shah. He was also disfavoured by Pratap Singh's son Rana Bahadur Shah.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help)