The Unknown Faces Of Chandra Shumsher

During his lifetime, Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher received prestigious British and scholarly distinctions, including GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCVO, and FRGS. He was born in 1863 and died in 1929 and was the seventh prime minister of the Rana hierarchy of Nepal. He ruled from 1901 to 1929 AD and was the first matriculate among the Ranas. He studied in Calcutta, and his long tenure in office gave Nepal many firsts.

End of Sati, liberation of enslaved people, establishment of the Raxaul–Amlekhgunj railway, Nepal's participation in the First World War, electrification of Kathmandu, and his most significant foreign policy victory was the British acceptance of Nepal as a sovereign and independent nation. From then on, the King of Nepal was addressed as His Majesty and not as His Exalted Highness, which was the form of address before. This article focuses on some of the lesser-known sides of Chandra Shumsher.

English language 

 During his stay in Calcutta, Chandra Shumsher managed to learn English, and his speaking and writing of the language were passably good. He could talk to the British resident directly without any interpreter.

He always wrote his speech in English first and then translated it into Nepali. A speech that was to be given to the army in Singha Durbar contained the following:

English version: Soldiers, you have eaten my salt.

Nepali version: Sipahi Haru. Timi harule mero noon khaeko chau.

All his sons and grandsons were given English lessons plus other subjects inside the Singha Durbar, and while they had no degrees, they all spoke and wrote excellent English.

At one time, one of the world's most significant buildings, the palace was designed by Kumar and Kishore Narsingh Rana. Both were engineering graduates from Roorkee, British India. Chandra spent about 25 lakhs  rupees on its construction, and after its completion, he sold it to the government for 11 crores and used the money to build durbars for his sons. Singha Durbar was used as the residence for future Rana prime ministers.

Health condition

The Prime Minister suffered from tuberculosis and was rake-thin. His nickname was Phiste, and he did not drink or smoke. His frugal diet helped him to keep the disease in check. Due to his skinny stature, no clothes fit him properly. To have a proper fit, he was wrapped first in layers of cloth all over his body like a bandage, which helped the clothes to be an appropriate fit. He was then carried on a human back called Chates. His willpower was tremendous. He would conduct his public duties with much dignity, but on return to Singha Durbar, it was a different story. He would double up in pain while the nanis changed his clothes.

Chandra Shumsher was paranoid about his safety and security. Having played a central role in the assassination of Ranoddip Singh Kunwar, his uncle, he knew how easy it was to bypass the prevalent guards. He would change his bedroom in the middle of the night or fire a blank shot from his room to test the guards' reaction speed. 

Swami Satchidanand of India came to Kathmandu, and a religious debate was held in Singha Durbar on whether animal sacrifices were sanctioned by religion. Guru Jyu Hem Raj Pande and other Nepali pandits quoted the Vedas. Still, they were at a loss for words since the Swami proved that the sacrifice of animals meant offering one's animal tendencies like anger, greed, etc., and not killing animals on the pretext of worship. The Nepali Pandits tried to shout the Swami down, and finally Chandra Shumshere intervened.

He was furious. He told the Nepali team, "You cannot win any debates by shouting. You need logic and to look at him. He has not raised his voice because his arguments are stronger." 

Then, turning to the Swami, he apologised on behalf of the Nepali pandits and said, "Swami Ji. I can't ban animal sacrifice all over the country, but I am impressed at your religious knowledge, and as of today, I will no longer offer animal sacrifice.

Restricted education

Chandra Shumsher believed that the more educated the ordinary people are, the quicker the Ranas will be out of power. He was hesitant to allow the opening of Tri Chandra College, but he had to give in to the changing times. He thought it would be more prudent to supervise education if the people were studying in Nepal rather than going to India, where there would be no control.

If there was anyone that Chandra Shumsher admired, it was Jung Bahadur. When Chandra Shumsher ascended to the seat of prime minister, he delegated Mir Subba Ram Mani Dixit and Kashinath Acharya Dixit to collect information on Jung Bahadur.

It had been just 23 years since Jung Bahadur had passed away, and there were still people alive who knew him from close quarters. This research resulted in various interviews, notes, letters, and documents. This information was kept locked up in the prime minister's study room in Singha Durbar till he died.

Dark side

Chandra Shumsher never trusted anyone during his tenure and had a spy in almost every Rana household who reported every minute detail directly to him.

While Chandra played a secondary role in the assassination of Ranauddip Singh, he was instrumental in the coup when Dev Shumsher was forcibly removed from the post of prime minister. Dev Shumsher, Chandra's predecessor, was known for his liberal views. He had started a weekly newspaper, Gorkhapatra, and planned to liberalise politics further. However, his clan did not accept his views, and they decided to remove him by force. The central planner of the coup was Chandra Shumsher, assisted by his brothers and nephews.

On 27th June 1901 AD, Prime Minister Dev Shumsher was invited to the Durbar school to distribute prizes to students who had done exceptionally well in their studies. After the Durbar School programme, he was to go to Seto Durbar to settle a domestic rift between the sons of Bir Shumsher regarding splitting the property. Dev Shumsher was too naïve to think that his brothers would be against him.

After reaching the Seto Durbar compound, Fatya Shumsher, his Hajuria General and commander of the Royal Bodyguards, Bijuli Garath, ordered the guards to stay outside, on the pretext that this was a family matter, hence confidential. Only his bodyguard was allowed to come in. Chandra Shumsher and Gehendra Shumsher led the way as Prime Minister Dev Shumsher was drawn deeper inside the palace until they reached the disputed room. 

As soon as they entered the room, the scene changed dramatically. Dambar Shumsher snatched away the rifle from the bodyguard, while Durga Shumsher and Gehendra Shumsher, both bodybuilders, wrestled Dev Shumsher on the floor and tied his hands with his cummerbund. A stunned Dev was ordered to write his resignation at gunpoint. With the resignation in hand, Fatya Shumsher commanded the Bijuli Garath to give the guard of honour to Chandra Shumsher, which they did. Dev Shumsher was put in a palanquin and transferred to Dhankuta the same night.

Chandra then wore the Teen Chand for 29 years, one of the longest reigns of any Rana prime minister, and died a natural death on 26th November 1929. He was the third Rana prime minister, after Jung Bahadur and Bir Shumsher, to die a natural death in office.

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