Rana Bahadur Shah

Who was Rana Bahadur Shah?

Rana Bahadur Shah, King of Nepal was the King of Nepal from 1777 to 1806. In 1777, he succeeded to the throne after the death of his father, Pratap Singh Shah. He ruled under the regencies of his mother, Queen Rajendra Rajya Laxmi Devi, and then of his uncle, Bahadur Shah. During this time, the kingdom expanded by conquest to include the Garhwal and Kumaon regions, now part of India. He sent his uncle Bahadur Shah to jail, who later died in jail.

In 1799, he abdicated in favor of his infant son, Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah Deva, in order to become an ascetic. However, he returned to Nepal, along with Bhimsen Thapa, Bal Narsingh Kunwar, and other supporters, and started taking an active part in the role of governance. On April 25, 1806, he was stabbed to death by his stepbrother, Sher Bahadur Shah.