Rana Jang Pande

He was a grandson of Kaji Kalu Pandey who was the commander of King Prithvi Narayan Shah and the Mulkaji of Gorkha and a notable figure during the unification campaign of Nepal.

This news was spread all over the country by the Pandes, and the resulting public disgrace forced Mathabar to leave Kathmandu and reside in his ancestral home in Pipal Thok, Borlang, Gorkha.

[3] Taking advantage of Mathabar's absence in Kathmandu, the military battalions under his command were distributed to other courtiers during the annual muster at the beginning of 1837.

His wish was granted; and Bhimsen, pleased to see his brother after many years, made Ranbir Singh the acting Mukhtiyar and decided to go to his ancestral home in Borlang Gorkha for the sake of pilgrimage.

[11] One source however states that the Chinese Amban had also suggested King Rajendra not to send wicked Rana Jang Pande, but to nominate another good, virtuous person to lead the quinquennial mission to the Ching Emperor's Court.

[13] After Chautariya Pushkar Shah left for Peking there was a big political upheaval in Nepal with the dismissal and imprisonment of the Prime Minister Bhimsen Thapa.

The Nepalese court informed the Chautariya about the political developments in Nepal and dispatched him a letter to hand over to the Ching Emperor.

[15] This appointment established the Pandes as the dominant faction in the court, and they started to make preparations for war with the British in order to win back the lost territories of Kumaon and Garhwal.

[16] While such war posturing was nothing new, the din the Pandes created alarmed not just the Resident Hodgson[16] but the opposing court factions as well, who saw their aggressive policy as detrimental to the survival of the country.

[18][19][20][17] Fearful that the Pandes would re-establish their power, Fateh Jung Shah, Ranga Nath Poudyal, and the Junior Queen Rajya Laxmi Devi obtained from the King the liberation of Bhimsen, Mathabar, and the rest of the party, about eight months after they were incarcerated for the poisoning case.

[citation needed] Rana Jang Pandey was forced to see the murdered dead bodies of his brothers and nephews on April 18, 1843.

Portrait of Rangnath Paudel
Portrait of Mathabar Singh Thapa in National Museum of Nepal, Chhauni