Queen Tripurasundari of Nepal

Queen Tripurasundari (1794 - April 6, 1832) (also known as Lalit Tripura Sundari Devi, or Lalit Tripura Sundari Thapa) (Nepali: रानी ललित त्रिपुरासुन्दरी) was the acting regent of Nepal after the assassination of Rana Bahadur Shah in 1806. She was the acting regent of Nepal from 1806 to 1832. She was daughter of Kaaji Nain Singh Thapa, brother of Bhimsen Thapa. She was also sister to PM Mathabarsingh Thapa and Jung Bahadur Rana's Mother Ganesh Kumari.

Life

She was married to Rana Bahadur Shah in 1805.^[1] After Rana Bahadur Shah was assassinated, Queen Rajeshwari- who acted as the regent for her stepson Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah- was forced to commit sati. As such, Queen Tripurasundari, who had not even reached her teenage, became the regent for her stepson. She continued to be the regent until Girvan Yuddha came of age.

However, Girvan Yuddha died young in 1819. His infant son, Rajendra then became the king. Tripurasundari, now the Queen Grandmother, became the regent for her step-grandson.

She was a staunch supporter of Bhimsen Thapa and was the prime reason for him being the Prime Minister of Nepal for over 31 years.

Queen Tripurasundari was also an author of historical significance. In 1824, she wrote Raj Dharma, a treatise on the duties and responsibilities of a king. The treatise is a Nepali translation of a segment of the Mahabharata.

The Dharahara Tower was built by Bhimsen Thapa for Queen Tripurasundari. The tower collapsed in the 2015 Nepal earthquake but the base remains.

She died of cholera in 1832 April 6, during a widespread cholera epidemic in Kathmandu.^[2]

References

• Yadav, Pitambar Lal (2053 B.S.). Nepal ko rajnaitik itihas. Benaras: Modern Deepak Press. p. 142.  Check date values in: |date= (help)