Assassination In Hanuman Dhoka

The sound of gunfire cracked the silence of the Hanuman Dhoka Palace. As Prime Minister Mathabar Singh Thapa crossed the threshold of the door, the two bullets fired from a curtained enclosure inside the royal bedchamber hit him on the chest and head. With two outstretched hands, the prime minister crawled in front of King Rajendra Bir Bikram, asking for pardon and safety for his family. Sitting on the bed, the King responded by slashing his two hands with a khukuri.

The Gurkha Kingdom was already in a dire mess after the suicide of Bhim Sen Thapa. Rana Jung Pande, the prime minister, was too busy taking revenge on the Thapa clan. King Rajendra Bir Bikram Shah was torn between his duty towards the country and the demands of his two queens. 

The junior Queen Rajyalaxmi wanted her son Ranendra Bikram instead of the heir apparent, Crown Prince Surendra Bikram. In those days, the soldiers were paid in land grants. The crop that the land yielded were sold and consumed by the Army men and their families. It so happened that the soldiers were not paid for two subsequent years, and a rumour was afloat that they would now be paid in cash instead of land grants. The army rebelled for the first time in Nepal's history. They set fire to the houses of prominent people like Pushkar Shah, Prasad Singh Basnet, Ranganath Pandit, Kulraj Pande, and Karbir Pande. 

Ranganath Pandit's library was burnt down during this time. The best book collection of those days was lost forever. The next morning, King Rajendra Bikram Shah, with his elder Queen Samrajya Laxmi, assured the rebel soldiers from the Tundikhel parade ground that the earlier system of land grants would be followed, and the rebellion ended then and there.

Continuous change of prime ministers from Pushkar Shah to Fateh Jung did not bring stability to the country, and finally, the king was stuck with one name. Mathbar Singh Thapa. The Junior Queen also supported her, thinking he would help her son become the king.

Mathbar Singh Thapa

Mathbar Singh Thapa was the nephew of Bhimsen Thapa, and since Bhim Sen Thapa had only daughters, he loved Mathbar Singh Thapa as his son. After the allegation of a poisoning case against Bhimsen Thapa, Mathbar fled to India and took shelter in Simla, which was then a part of Punjab ruled by Ranjit Singh.

A tall and hugely built figure, his strength was legendary. A lot of stories about his strength circulated in Nepal. It is said that he could crush walnuts by crushing them in his bare palm. Now this was the man who was chosen to run the country. 

A man was sent to Simla with an invitation containing the palm print of King Rajendra and Crown Prince Surendra, requesting that he come to Nepal.

A careful man who had witnessed the court of Nepal from very close quarters, Mathbar Singh Thapa, despite the letter containing the palm print of both the king and the crown prince, still did not trust the royalty. As a result, he camped in Gorakhpur to study the situation. Younger queen Rajyalaxmi then sent Jung Bahadur Kunwar, a captain in the army, for a short time ADC of Surendra Bir Bikram and Mathbar's nephew, to call his uncle.

After the briefing by Jung Bahadur and the reassurance of Queen Rajyalaxmi that he would be offered the post of Mukhtiar, Mathbar Singh Thapa felt safe coming to Nepal. As such, he arrived in Kathmandu in April 1843.

The welcoming team of Mathbar Singh Thapa included ex-prime minister Pushkar Shah, whom the Queen ordered to receive Mathbar en route to Kathmandu, and the team arrived the next day.

Kathmandu 1843

After arriving in Kathmandu, Mathbar Singh Thapa had another card in his sleeve. He refused to go any further until the poisoning case against the Thapa clan was cleared. The royalty had no other option than to bow to this pressure and called a meeting of courtiers in which the case of poisoning the infant crown prince, in which Bhimsen Thapa and the entire Thapa clan were found guilty 20 years back, was cleared, and their property returned.

In revenge, Mathbar Singh Thapa accused the entire Pande clan and was given a death sentence. There were three groups then. The King, queens, and crown prince, Pushkar Shah and Fateh Jung Chautaria, formed the second group, and Gagan Singh Bhandari and Jung Bahadur Kunwar made the third group.

The Prime Minister wanted to control these groups and be the sole power to rule Nepal. As planned, he urged Crown Prince Surendra to talk directly to the King, requesting him to resign and appoint him to the status of King. When this was refused, he left in a huff for Hetauda, followed by the King and Prime Minister.

In Hetauda, the Prime Minister forced King Rajendra to give an official palm print authorising the Crown Prince to rule Nepal, threatening King Rajendra with imprisonment. With Nani Maharaj on the throne, Mathbar Singh Thapa could do whatever he wished. Mathbar Singh Thapa did not realise that his actions created more enemies than friends. King Rajendra and Queen Rajyalaxmi planned to eliminate the Prime Minister, and Jung Bahadur Kunwar was chosen as the hit man.

Assassination, 17th May 1845

Around 09.00 pm, a bearer from the Hanuman Dhoka palace arrived at Bag Durbar, the residence of Mathbar Singh Thapa, with the message that Queen Rajyalaxmi is suffering severe abdominal pain and he should report to the palace immediately.

As the prime minister deliberated, Kulman Singh Basnet arrived at 10.00 pm requesting immediate reporting. The prime minister's mother asked him not to go, but he replied that he was equal to 10 men; hence, who would dare attack him?

The bodyguard also advised him against going to the palace at night, but Mathbar replied that if he was scared, he could stay back. His horse was brought out of the stable but refused to move with Mathbar Singh Thapa on its back. 

The Bag Durbar was about half a kilometre from the palace, to which the Prime Minister arrived on foot, towing the horse, followed by his bodyguard and Kulman Singh Basnet at 11 pm.

After arrival, the bodyguard was kept outside. Kulman Singh Basnet walked behind, closing the doors and windows to prevent the prime minister from escaping in case the assassination attempt failed. 

Unaware of the plan, Mathbar Singh met the King, sitting on a bed in the palace corridor, while his Queen pretended to be sick inside the royal bedchamber. Behind a curtained enclosure stood Jung Bahadur with a gun and Gagan Singh Bhandari with extra guns to assist Jung Bahadur if needed.

As the prime minister entered, two bullets fired simultaneously by Jung Bahadur hit Mathbar on the head and chest, and he fell in the corridor. The King gave him a copper plaque and a sword, stating he would not be assassinated. Profusely bleeding, he crawled toward the King and asked for pardon for his family, displaying the two items with his arms stretched. The King, in reply, slashed his arms with a khukuri.

Aftermath

The body of Mathbar Singh Thapa was lowered to Basantpur from the palace window, tied in an elephant rope. He was unceremoniously cremated in Aryaghat.

The new cabinet included Jung Bahadur, Gagan Singh, and Fateh Jung Chautaria. Jung Bahadur would stage another coup and become the most powerful man in history. Rajyalaxmi's wish for her son Ranendra to become the king was never fulfilled. Jung Bahadur exiled her to Varanasi.

(The author is a history buff and freelance writer.)