Hiranya Garbha Kumari Devi (Nepali: हिरण्यगर्भ कुमारी देवी, born as Hiranya Garbha Chautari Bikram Shah,[1] also known as Maiya Maharani (Nepali: मैया महारानी);[2] 16 April 1826 – 25 February 1877) was a Nepalese maharani and principal wife of Jung Bahadur Rana.

Hiranya Garbha Devi
Sri Sri Sri Bada Maharani
Hiranya Garbha Devi in c. 1860–75
BornHiranya Garbha Chautari Bikram Shah
(1826-04-16)16 April 1826
Nepal
Died25 February 1877(1877-02-25) (aged 50)
Kingdom of Nepal
SpouseJung Bahadur Rana (m. 1854)
IssueLalit Rajeshwori Rajya Lakshmi Devi
DynastyRana dynasty
FatherPrana Shah
MotherMoha Kumari Devi
ReligionHinduism

According to her Janam kundali, Hiranya Garbha Devi was born on 16 April 1826.[3] Her father Prana Shah was a Chautariya (equivalent to prime minister) and she was the only one daughter of Shah.[4] Her brother Fateh Jung Shah was also a prime minister of Nepal and he was killed in 1846 by Jung Bahadur Rana during the Kot massacre.[5][6]

Devi married Jung Bahadur Rana, the first Prime Minister of Nepal from the Rana dynasty, on 8 May 1854.[7][8] Upon her marriage, she was made Bada Maharani (lit. Senior Maharani).[9] Her daughter Lalit Rajeshwori Rajya Lakshmi Devi was married to Trailokya, Crown Prince of Nepal who gave birth to King Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah.[5] On 25 February 1877, Devi committed sati.[10]

Devi was described to be a "strong willed girl" as she married Rana who had killed her brother.[11] She played an important role in Jung Bahadur's life.[12]

References

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  1. ^ Śreshṭha, Vishṇuprasāda (2006). Nepālako Śāha tathā Rāṇā vaṃśāvalī (in Nepali). Deba Badana Śreshṭha. p. 33.
  2. ^ Kumar Bhattarai, Madan (12 December 2020). "Unravelling the life of a forgotten Rana General". The Kathmandu Post. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  3. ^ "कुण्डलीसङग्रह" (PDF). Poornima. p. 14. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  4. ^ Duḥkhī, Sundaraprasāda Śāha (1983). Prativāda: itihāsa sambaddha upanyāsa (in Nepali). Sukasaṅka Prakāśana. p. 9.
  5. ^ a b Raj, Prakash A. (1994). Portraits and Photographs from Nepal. Nabeen Publications. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-7855-2760-2.
  6. ^ Whelpton, John (1991). Kings, Soldiers, and Priests: Nepalese Politics and the Rise of Jang Bahadur Rana, 1830-1857. Manohar Publications. p. 190. ISBN 978-81-85425-64-1.
  7. ^ Regmi, Mahesh Chandra (1963). Land Tenure and Taxation in Nepal: Religious and charitable land endowments: Guthi tenure. Institute of International Studies, University of California. p. 192.
  8. ^ Shaha, Rishikesh (2001). An Introduction to Nepal. Ratna Pustak Bhandar. p. 87.
  9. ^ Shaha, Rishikesh (1990). Modern Nepal: 1769–1885. Riverdale Company. p. 283. ISBN 978-0-913215-64-7.
  10. ^ Raj, Prakash A. (1997). Queens of the Shah Dynasty in Nepal. Ratna Pustak Bhandar. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-7855-7483-5.
  11. ^ Rana, Pramode Shamshere J. B. (1999). A Chronicle of Rana Rule. R. Rana. p. 32.
  12. ^ Rana, Sagar S. J. B. (2017). Singha Durbar: Rise and Fall of the Rana Regime of Nepal. Rupa Publications India. ISBN 978-81-291-4561-1.

Further reading

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