Princess Jyotshana Basnyat of Nepal

Last updated
Princess Jyotshana
Princess of Nepal
Spouse
Singha Bahadur Basnyat
(m. 1974;died 2019)
Issue Sharada Basnyat
Vivekh Basnyat
Suvash Basnyat
Names
Jyotshana Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah of Nepal
House Shah dynasty (by birth)
Father Prince Basundhara of Nepal
Mother Princess Helen Shah of Nepal
Religion Hinduism

Princess Jyotshana Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah of Nepal is a member of the former Nepalese royal family. Jyotshana and her husband, diplomat Singha Bahadur Basnyat, have worked to internationally promote Nepalese culture.

Contents

Background

Princess Jyotshana's father, Prince Basundhara of Nepal, was a son of King Tribhuvan. Jyotshana's mother, Princess Helen Shah, was from the aristocratic Rana dynasty. Her mother's sister Princep married Prince Himalaya, another son of King Tribhuvan.

Princess Jyotshana has two sisters: Princess Jayanti, who was killed in the Nepalese royal massacre, and Ketaki Chester, who renounced her title.

Marriage and children

In 1974, Princess Jyotshana married Dr. Singha Bahadur Basnyat (died on 5 February 2019), [1] [2] a diplomat of Basnyat family of Dilli Bazar, in Kathmandu. [3]

They have three children:

Life

Princess Jyotshana's husband is a diplomat, and from 1980 to 1984, he was the ambassador to Egypt, and from 1997 to 2003, he was the ambassador to the United Kingdom. Also he is the chairman of Jayanti Memorial Trust. [4]

Princess Jyotshana is the patron of Britain Nepal Society, whose president is Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester. [5]

Princess Jyotshana her husband have worked to promote Nepalese culture internationally. Singha Basnyat has promoted the performance of Nepalese artists, for example at Millennium Dome in London in May 2000.

In 2001, ten members of the Nepalese royal family died in the Nepalese royal massacre. Among the people who died was Princess Jayanti, Jyotshana's elder sister. After the tragedy, Princess Jyotshana and her husband turned to music for solace. They released a CD, In Memoriam. Samjhanama Shrutika Lahar. They compiled the classics of Madhav Prasad Ghimire, Chandani Shah and Laxmi Prasad Devkota with British pianist Alisdair Campbell and arrangements by guitarist Anil Shai. Princess Jyotshana lent her voice, and her children- Sharada, Vivek and Suvash, also collaborated in this tribute. The proceeds of the CD went to Jayanti Memorial Trust, a trust established for cardiac patients in memory of Princess Jyotshana's deceased sister.

Princess Jyotshana and her husband are also well known for their skills in tennis. They have participated in many tournaments held for diplomats in London. [6]

Jyotshana Basnyat is the patron of Jayanti Memorial Trust, [7] which was established by her mother, Princess Helen Shah, in memory of the deceased Princess Jayanti.

In 2008, monarchy in Nepal was abolished. All the members of the royal family lost their titles and privileges.

Patronages

Ancestry

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Nepal</span> 1768–2008 sovereign kingdom in South Asia

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 Khas Thakuri origin, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tribhuvan of Nepal</span> King of Nepal

Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah, was the eighth King of Nepal. Born in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, he ascended to the throne at the age of five, upon the death of his father, Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah, and was crowned on 20 February 1913 at the Nasal Chowk, Hanuman Dhoka Palace in Kathmandu, with his mother acting as regent. At the time of his crowning, the position of monarch was largely ceremonial, with the real governing power residing with the Rana family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Aishwarya of Nepal</span> Queen consort of Nepal

Aishwarya Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jung Bahadur Rana</span> Founder of the Rana dynasty in Nepal

Jung Bahadur Kunwar Ranaji, Born to the Kunwar family, Jung Bahadur was a Khas Chhetri ruler of Nepal and founder of the Rana Regime in Nepal. Jung Bahadur took control of the government after killing an alleged usurper Gagan Singh, who was accused of plotting with the junior queen in 1846 to become prime minister by putting the queen's son on the throne. His original name was Bir Narsingh Kunwar but he was commonly known as Jang Bahadur, a name given to him by his maternal uncle Mathabar Singh Thapa. Mathabar Singh Thapa used to call Jang Bahadur Jangay for his boldness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prime Minister of Nepal</span> Executive head of Government of Nepal

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rana dynasty</span> Nepali Kshetri dynasty (1846–1951)

The Rana dynasty were a Chhetri dynasty that imposed authoritarianism in the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1951, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making the Prime Minister and other government positions held by the Ranas hereditary. They are Kshatriya, whose ancestors were descended from the Ranas of Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. The Rana dynasty is historically known for their iron-fisted rule. This changed after the Revolution of 1951 with the promulgation of a new constitution, when power shifted back to the monarchy of King Tribhuvan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basnyat family</span>

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 Shah dynasty, Pande family and Thapa dynasty before the rise of 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 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 the Rana rule for 104 long years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nepalese royal massacre</span> 2001 mass shooting in Kathmandu

The Nepali royal massacre occurred on 1 June 2001 at the Narayanhiti Palace, the then-residence of the Nepali monarchy. Nine members of the royal family, including King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, were killed in a mass shooting during a gathering of the royal family at the palace. A government-appointed inquiry team named Crown Prince Dipendra as perpetrator of the massacre. Dipendra slipped into a coma after shooting himself in the head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of Nepal</span> Legislative, executive and judiciary powers of Nepal

The Government of Nepal is the federal executive authority of Nepal. Prior to the abolition of the Nepali monarchy in 2006, it was officially known as His Majesty's Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1951 Nepalese revolution</span> Revolution against autocracy of Rana Regime and to establish democracy in Nepal

The revolution of 1951 in Nepal, also referred to as Sat Salko Kranti, was a political movement against the direct rule by the Rana dynasty of Nepal which had lasted for 104 years. It marks the beginning of the political awakening and democratic movements in Nepal, and resulted in immediate abolition of the institutionalized hereditary Prime Minister system in Nepal.

Princess Sharada Shah of Nepal or Sharada Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah was the middle daughter of King Mahendra of Nepal. Princess Sharada and her husband, Kumar Khadga, were two of the ten members of the Nepalese royal family killed in the Nepalese royal massacre.

Princess Princep Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah of Nepal was, by marriage, a princess of Nepal. She was the wife of Prince Himalaya of Nepal, the second son of King Tribhuvan of Nepal. She was a sister-in-law of King Mahendra and Prince Basundhara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Basundhara of Nepal</span> Prince of Nepal

Prince Basundhara Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal, GCMG was a son of King Tribhuvan of Nepal.

Princess Helen Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah of Nepal was a member of the former Nepalese royal family. She was the wife of Prince Basundhara of Nepal, a son of King Tribhuvan of Nepal and his second wife, Queen Ishwari.

Princess Jayanti Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah of Nepal was a member of the Nepalese royal family. She was a granddaughter of King Tribhuvan of Nepal. An active social worker, she is known for her contributions to cancer relief programs in Nepal. She was one of the members of the Nepalese royal family who were killed in the Nepalese royal massacre.

Singha Bahadur Basnyat is a Nepalese soldier and former Commander-in-Chief of the Nepal Army. He was third son of Colonel Bhakta Bahadur Basnet. He attended a meeting at China alongside PM Nagendra Prasad Rijal and other high-ranking officials. He belonged to Khaptari Basnyat clan.

Ishwari Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah was the queen consort and the second wife of Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah, King of the Kingdom of Nepal. She was the mother of Prince Basundhara Bir Bikram Shah and Princess Nalini Rajya Lakshmi Devi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pande family</span> Political family of Nepal

The Pande family or Pande dynasty was a Rajput-Chhetri political family 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 Shah dynasty, Basnyat family and Thapa dynasty before rise of Rana dynasty. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhir Shumsher Rana</span> Nepalese politician, army general, and minister of state

Dhir Shumsher Kunwar after 1848 known as Dhir Shumsher Kunwar Ranaji or Dhir Shumsher Jang Kunwar Ranaji or shortly Dhir Shumsher Rana posthumously known as Dhir Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana was a Nepalese politician, army general, and minister of state. He served as the Commander-In-Chief of the Nepalese Army from 1879 to 1884.

References