Shah dynasty

Origins

The origin of the Shah dynasty is deeply rooted in the historical landscape of Magarat and Tamuwan, an ancient confederation in western Nepal inhabited primarily by the Gurungs in (Lamjung, Gorkha, Kaski, Tanahu) and Magar people in (palpa, Tanahu, Gulmi, kushma, Musikot, Ghiring, Liglig and Gorkhakot (Gorkha) which were historically part of the Magarat region as it was Known as Magar homleand before the unification of Nepal). Before the Shah came to power 12 magrat was ruled by various Magars Kings and 18 magrat located west of the kali Gandaki (River), primarily inhabited by the Kham Magar was Ruled by Magar Kings, which included various rulers like Malla-Khas in some areas and Tamuwan was ruled by Native Gurung tribal chief. After the decline of Magarat’s unity, the region fragmented into two groups of small kingdoms: the Baise Rajya (22 principalities) in the far west and the Chaubisi Rajya (24 principalities) in central Nepal. These kingdoms were mostly ruled by local Thakuri and Magar chieftains. Among the Chaubisi Rajya states was Gorkha, where the Shah dynasty rose to power by replacing local chief. In 1559 CE, Dravya Shah, the son of a Lamjung ruler, seized control of Gorkha by defeating the Magar king Mansingh Khadka Magar with the support of local elites. The Shah dynasty combined their Khas-Thakuri heritage with the martial traditions of Magarat, gradually expanding their influence by conquering neighboring principalities. This process of unification culminated in 1768 CE under Prithvi Narayan Shah, who established the modern Kingdom of Nepal, marking the Shah dynasty as both inheritors and transformants of Magarat’s legacy.

Coronation of Dravya Shah

Dravya Shah was the youngest son of Yasho Brahma Shah, Raja (king) of Lamjung and grandson of Kulamandan Shah Khad, Raja of Kaski. He became the king of Gorkha with the help of his accomplices: Gangaram Rana Magar, Narayan Das Arjyal, Kaji Ganesh Pandey. He ascended the throne of Gorkha in 1559 A.D. The loose translation of the Nepali work known as the "Wright Chronicle" describes the coronation of Dravya Shah thus:

Absolute monarchy (1768–1846)

In 1743, Prithvi Narayan Shah became the ruler of Gorkha. He declared war on other principalities, defeating them one by one. In September 1768, he established the unified kingdom of Gorkha. He became the first king of the unified kingdom named as Asal Hindustan. He, his sons and their successors continued fighting and defeating other kingdoms and enlarging the kingdom of Gorkha. In 1814, the Anglo–Nepalese War between Gorkha and the East India Company began. By 1815, the Shah king had been thoroughly defeated. By 1816, Gorkha had lost one-third of its territory. The Shah kings continued to rule as absolute monarchs until 1846, when the political order changed from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy.

Hereditary prime ministers (1846–1951)

In 1846, the Rana dynasty gained power in Nepal. The Ranas became prime ministers and reduced the King's status to a figurehead position. The Ranas ruled Nepal as hereditary prime ministers though in the name of the figurehead king. In 1950, the Shah king King Tribhuvan went into exile in India. He and his family, including the crown prince Mahendra, later returned. After India became a secular state in 1950, and the remaining rajas retired, Nepal was the only remaining Hindu kingdom. In 1951, with the help of India, a popular politician common man Matrika Prasad Koirala became the prime minister of Nepal. Tribhuvan returned to Kathmandu. The Shah dynasty regained control and the prime minister, Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, resigned. King Tribhuvan ruled until 1955 and King Mahendra ruled until 1972. Mahendra's son, Birendra, became king.

Constitutional monarchy (1990–2008)

In 1990, under King Birendra, Nepal became a constitutional monarchy after a mass movement from people forced Birendra Shah to restore democracy.

Massacre of the royal family

On 1 June 2001, some members of the Shah dynasty were murdered in the royal palace. A High Commission report concluded that the royal family was slaughtered by Crown Prince Dipendra. This remains controversial. Among the dead were the Crown Prince's father, King Birendra and his brother, Prince Nirajan. After the attack, Dipendra was in a coma and was declared king for a short time. He died a few days later. Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, Dipendra's uncle, took the throne. In February 2005, he dismissed the parliament in order to govern in his own right.

Abolition of the Shah monarchy

On 24 December 2007, Nepal's Provisional Parliament met. It was decided that the monarchy would be abolished in 2008 after the Constituent Assembly elections. The motion enjoyed overwhelming support in the chamber, passing by a 270-vote majority. Of the 329 sitting members of parliament, only three voted against abolishing the monarchy. It was decided that for the time being, Gyanendra would retain his title and continue residing in the Royal Palace, albeit stripped of all political power and authority.

On 28 May 2008, following scheduled elections, the 1st Nepalese Constituent Assembly declared Nepal a Federal Democratic Republic and the monarchy was abolished, removing the Shah dynasty from power. Kul Bahadur Gurung said of the 601 member assembly, 560 voted in favour, 4 were against and 37 were absent or abstained. Following an Assembly agreement involving the Nepali Congress and both Nepalese Communist parties, (the Leninists and the much larger Maoist faction), Gyanendra stepped down.

Gyanendra vacated the palace in Kathmandu which later became a museum. Until they could find permanent accommodation, the royal couple were offered residence as commoners at the Nagarjuna Palace, a former royal summer residence. The Nagarjuna palace lies in forested hills about eight kilometres (five miles) northwest of Kathmandu.

Post-Abolition Loyalism

The dynasty was conclusively deposed in 2008 due to the Nepalese royal massacre and the subsequent Nepalese Civil War. However, there are still loyalists to the dynasty, as evidenced by the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, the 2023 Nepalese pro-monarchy protests and 2025 Nepalese pro-monarchy protests. During the 2025 Nepalese Gen Z protests, a group of protesters also expressed loyalty to the abolished monarchy and rallied in support of its restoration, despite the fact that the majority of protesters do not want a monarchy.

Monarchs of Shah dynasty (1559–2008)

Monarchs of Shah dynasty of Gorkha (1559–1768)

The following is list of all ten kings of Gorkha hill principality. adopted title of Svasti Sri Giriraj

Monarchs of Shah dynasty of Patan (1761–1765)

Monarchs of Shah dynasty of Nepal (1768–2008)

(abdicated) (abdicated) (1st reign) (went into exile) (1st reign) (stepped down) (2nd reign) (assassinated) (declared braindead) (2nd reign) (Monarchy abolished)

Paternal roots of Shah dynasty

Family tree of the all Shah kings of Nepal (not of previous Gorkha Kingdom) except Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah, brother of King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah:

References

Footnotes

Notes

Books

References

1. Karl J. Schmidt. (20 May 2015). "An Atlas and Survey of South Asian History". Routledge.
2. "King Dalsur Ghale Magar of LigligKot - The Tradition of selecting the Magar King". Thehimalayantimes.com.
3. On the historicity and publication history of the "Wright Chronicle," see pp. 86–92 of Manik Bajracharya and Axel Michaels, "On the Historiography of Nepal: The ‘Wright’ Chronicle Reconsidered," ''European Bulletin of Himalayan Research'' 40: 83–98 (2012). [http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/ebhr/pdf/EBHR_40_04.pdf]
4. (9 April 2015). "Nepal king bows to protests: From the archive: April 9, 1990".
5. "Nepal royal massacre: 'Eyewitness' claims Dipendra innocent".
6. [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7158670.stm "Nepalese monarchy to be abolished."] BBC 24 December 2007 Accessed 25 December 2007.
7. Sharma, Gopal, “Nepal parliament votes to end monarchy”, ''Reuters'', (December 28, 2007). https://www.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSSP27532120071228/. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
8. "Who’s leading Nepal after Oli resignation, what’s next for Gen Z protests?".
9. "Will Nepal's anarchy lead to the return of monarchy?".
10. Acharya, Baburam. "Shree Panch BadaMaharajdhiraj Prithivi Narayan Shah ko Sanxipta Jiwani, Part I".
11. Chaudhari, K.C. (1960). "Anglo-Nepalese Relation". Modern Book Agency Private Ltd..
12. राणा, प्रमोदशमशेर. (2009). "राणाशासनको वृत्तान्त". Pairavi Book House.