Rolls of Succession in Rana (Nepal)

The Rolls of Succession in Rana or Rollkram Pratha was the official order of succession of the Rana Dynasty of Nepal.[1] This order was regulated not only through descent, but also by lineage.[2] It was established by Jung Bahadur Rana as a formal ranking of all of his descendants in relation to their hereditary rights to the office of prime minister, with no legal mechanism for changing the government.

Dhir Shamshers Rana and all of his 17 sons. The Rolls of Succession were agnatic.

Jung Bahadur Rana

King Surendra issued a royal decree (sanad) that formalized the dominance of the Kunwar family. King Surendra gave Jung Bahadur authority over internal administration, including civil, military, and judicial affairs as well as foreign relations. Jung Bahadur was declared the "great king" (maharajah) of Kaski and Lamjung districts, serving as their independent ruler, and the right to use the honorific term shri which is "three times" (Sri Teen) in his name. In his 1856 sanad, King Surendra stated that succession would pass to Jung's seven brothers and then to his sons and nephew in order of seniority.[3]

Chandra Shamshir's revision

Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher JBR revised and re-shuffled the Rolls of Succession and divided the Rana clan into 3 categories; A,B,and C according to the stature of the purity of lineage.[4]

  • A Class: those born of legitimate high caste wives.[5]
  • B Class: those born of legitimate married wives from a secondary high caste or those born from marriage with a royal household member.
  • C Class: those born of illegitimate wives from a lower caste.

A Class were eligible to be Prime Minister and/or the highest military and administrative officials, whereas B and C Class Rana could only reach the level of Colonel.

Juddha Shamshir's revision

In March 1934, Juddha Shumsher JBR expelled C Class from the roll of succession.[6]

See also

References
  1. Indra Adhikari (12 June 2015). Military and Democracy in Nepal. Taylor & Francis. pp. 116–. ISBN 978-1-317-58905-1.
  2. JBR, PurushottamShamsher (1990). Shree Teen Haruko Tathya Britanta (in Nepali). Bhotahity, Kathmandu: Vidarthi Pustak Bhandar. ISBN 99933-39-91-1.
  3. Bhuwan Lal Joshi; Leo E. Rose (1966). Democratic Innovations in Nepal: A Case Study of Political Acculturation. University of California Press. pp. 34–. GGKEY:5N30S3HU9BC.
  4. Ramjee P. Parajulee (January 2000). The Democratic Transition in Nepal. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 35–. ISBN 978-0-8476-9577-5.
  5. IBP USA (3 March 2012). Nepal Country Study Guide - Strategic Information and Developments. Lulu.com. pp. 57–. ISBN 978-1-4387-7514-2.
  6. Ishwari Prasad (1 January 1996). The Life and Times of Maharaja Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana of Nepal. APH Publishing. pp. 162–. ISBN 978-81-7024-756-2.
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