The Royal House of Nepal

The Royal Arms

The Royal Seals

The Royal Achievement

The Rànà Dynasty

ARMED FORCES

The Royal House of Nepal

The Royal House of Nepal claims descent from the Chitor dynasty ruling at Udaipur. Ajaya Simha (alias Mincha Khan), younger son of Bhupal Ranaji Rao, established himself as Prince of Nayakot, Lambjang, Kaski, and Tanhun ca. 1495. His successor, Jagdeva Khan, conquered the principality of Kaski and secured the title of Shah from the Emperor of India during the sixteenth century.

Drabya Shah, great-grandson of Jagdeva, conquered Gorkha, establishing himself as the founder of the fortunes of the dynasty. His descendant, Prithvi Narayan, entered the Katmandu valley and ejected the Malla dynasty, becoming King in 1768. His successors conquered or subdued all the remaining petty principalities and unified the kingdom. They twice invaded Tibet but were severaly beaten and forced to become tributaries of the Emperor of China.

From the ascendance of the Rana prime ministers in 1857, the status of the King during the Rana period closely resembled that of the Emperors of Japan. He became a semi-divine figure, greatly venerated but kept away from political matters, his movements watched and actions closely controlled. The Prime Minister's position was not unlike that of the Shogun, his office was hereditary and he controlled all political and military affairs.

In 1951 the rule of the Rana dynasty was ended and the royal authority restored. This lasted until 2008 when a republic was proclaimed and king Gyanandra was deposed. [1]

The Royal Arms

Tibetan Khadga, 1400 AD ca.

44 cm. Decorated with a kirtimuka and a vajra, its point with flames

(Coll. A.-M & F. Rossi, London)

The Royal arms was an ancient sword.

Probably a ritual sword, khadga or raltri is meant, which is the weapon of many hindu and buddhist deities. In these religions it is also the sword of wisdom, cutting ignorance.

A sword usually is the emblem of a supreme commander, particularly in the Christian and Muslim world. In the example given above the kirtimuka is the head of the army, the vajra (thunderbolt) are the arms of heaven.

A version of it was depicted on coins, the royal seal and in the head of the royal letters. Pictures of these arms are known from the predecessors of the nepalese kings and have been used until present.

Mohar from the nepalese Patan ruler

Jaya Vishnu Malla, (1722-’29)

Showing a sword per pale,

50 paisa coin, 1939

The same design used until present

The Royal Seals

Of the Royal Seals and the Royal Achievement the seals are preceding the royal achievement and royal cypher.

The Royal seals are of two types. The first, known from the reign of king Girvan Yudha Bikram Shah (1799–1816) shows a sword, most literally the royal arms, between two crescent-and-balls and an inscription in sanskrit:

Seal of Girbanyudha Bir Bikram Shah, 1816

A second type was introduced by King Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah. Its shows the sword, between the two crescents-and-balls and the inscriptions in sanskrit.

Seal of King Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah, 1909

It is called a “Zodiac Seal” because the twelve signs of the Zodiac are depicted on it:

Beginning at twelve-o’clock: Aries, Pisces, Aquarius, Capircorn, Scorpio, Libra, Virgo, Leo, Cancer, Gemini and Taurus.

This seal seems to have been used at least until 1948 (1951)

* Both seals are from the very extensive site of Johannes Bornmann (also: www.bilder-aus-nepal.de).

The Royal Achievement

The Royal achievement was on the back of the throne. It consisted of a 16-petalled lotusflower charged with a hexagram, crested with a crescent and a round star and supported by two hindu-deities.

An ancient throne from the Malla rulers of Lalitpur (1580-1768) presented to king Srinivasa Malla  (1661-’85) in 1666. is preserved in the Patan Museum. Like all the kings of Nepal he was considered to be an incarnation of Vishnu. To convey this association the royal throne creates the illusion of the enthroned king as Vishnu-Seated-on-Garuda, the god's mount, and accompanied by the multi-headed serpent Ananta/Shesha. Garuda, spreading his wings beneath the royal seat, clutches in his talons a pair of serpents whose bodies surround him and end in a heart-shaped knot below. Such a Garuda usually represents the state or the head of state. Above Garuda there is an additional pair of large serpents with mythical sea monster (makara) heads, dragon-like claws, and tails joined in a figure eight.

The throne is ‘supported’ by two lions each riding a pair of elephants, probably representing the commander of the elephant phalanx.

A throne from the Shah-dynasty is known from a picture of king Surendra (said to be of Prithvi Narayan Shah (1743-’75 the founder of the Shah dynasty of Nepal). This throne was a low seat with a high back decorated with a naga kanya (nine-headed snake). The Garuda from the Malla-throne is omitted.

Al later version also shows the naga kanya but the back is more lavishly decorated but still bears no royal emblem.

King Surendra on his throne

It is not known when the last throne with the royal emblem was made, but the reign of King Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah Dev (1881-1911) seems likely. Much later a sun radiant was added behind.

Emblem on the back of the throne on a (posthumous) portrait of King Surendra.

Hindu gods on the back of the throne

on (posthumous) portraits of King Rana Bahadur and King Rajendra.

Reconstruction of the central emblem

The Royal emblem is composed of:

1. A lotus, which is the hindu-buddhist emblem of administrative authority

2. A hexagram, which, usually is the emblem of armed authority

3. A crescent which is the emblem of the state

4. A star which is the emblem of a ruler. In the west a star has the form of a five or more pointed figure but in ancient Mesopotamian and Chinese iconography it is depicted as a ball or disc.

The first two emblems leave religious authority aside. The crescent-and-ball together symbolize  the head of state. The use of this emblem for the King is the more peculiar as the functions of the head of state were in fact exercised, not by the king, but by his prime minister from the Rana Dynasty.

Resulting from this reversal of the meaning of emblems, the emblem of the Prime Minister is a sun radiant (which is the emblem of the (Moghul-) Empire)

The hindu-deities, not determined in this case, are the supporters of the authorities exercised by the ruler as symbolized by the central emblem. This means that the king of Nepal ruled by the grace of the[se] (hindu) gods.

The Royal Throne of Nepal in theNarayanhit Palace Museum in Katmandu.

Present state, the hindu gods replaced by other statuettes

(No higher resoltion available)

Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev

1955-1972

After the restoration of the royal authority in Nepal in 1951, the ancient royal achievement seems to have been abandoned. Instead a new royal achievement was adopted inspired by the former Rana-presidential achievements. The central motive of these achievements was the personal cypher of the Rana. The first new style royal achievement known is of King Mahendra (1955-’72). It is:

Emblem: The royal cypher MBBSD of king Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev:, Or, Vert, Azure, Gules and Argent, pierced by a sword per pale Argent, in chief two kukri in saltire between a çakra, a conch, a lotus and a club, and in base a crescent inscribed qIp( mharajai/raj, , issuant from lotus-leaves Gules.

Crown: The Nepalese Royal Crown.

Supporters: Two tridents ensigned with the royal standard.

Compartment: The Nepalese plain and the Himalaya mountain range inscribed n epa l (Nepal)

Motto: 

• The çakra is the hindu symbol of law
• The conch is the hindu symbol of religious authority
• The lotus is the hindu symbol of administrative authority
• The club is the hindu symbol of armed authority

1928-1981

Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev

†1.VI.2001

31.01.1972-2001

Crowned 24.02.1975

Emblem: A hexagram  pierced by a sword per pale Sable, in chief two kukri in saltire  between a çakra, a conch, a lotus and a club, and in base a crescent inscribed qIp( mharajai/raj, , issuant from lotus-leaves Gules.

Crown:  The Royal Crown of Nepal

Suppporters: Two tridents ensigned with royal standards being Gules a lion rampant, in his forepaws a banner, between a sun and a cresent all Or.

Compartment: A plain Vert and the Himalaya  mountain ridge Argent inscribed n epa l (Nepal)

Motto: iv/amR / mha xil kmR mR / lp(jn on a ribbon  Gules [2]

Æ see illustration in the head of this essay

Photo H.d.V.

Shield with the achievement of Birendra Bir Bikram Sha Dev

Frederiksborg Castle Danmark

Painted at the occasion of his admission to the Danish Order of the Elephant, on17 October 1989. L.: birendra bir bikram shah dev • rex de nepal • die xvii octobris an : mcmlxxxix.

In 1981 the faces on the sun and the moon disappeared on the royal standard and on the banneret a cross saltire charged with another saltire on a disc appeared.

In 1992 the charge of the banneret became a cross saltire charged with a sword per pale supported by a hexagram, being the royal emblem. (Æ Roberto Breschi)

The Rànà Dynasty

Emblem of the Rànà Dynasty Prime Ministers

The umbrella a badge of administrative rank

The fortunes of the family were established by Jang Bahadur Kunwar Rana and his brothers. They secured the Prime Ministership for Jang Bahadur in 1846, following yet another one of Nepal's bloody coups. After a ten year period in office, he retired in 1856, receiving the hereditary title of Maharaja of Lambjang and Kaski for his services. However, his retirement did not last long and he returned to power in 1857. Thereafter, he was able to consolidate his position, laying the foundations of a military oligarchy, which lasted for a century. The offices of Prime Minister, Supreme Commander-in-Chief, and all the senior military appointments made hereditary within his family. These offices, as well as the title of Maharaja of Lambjang and Kaski, ceased to be hereditary within the Rana family after the 1951.

The Ráná Prime Ministers wore elaborate uniforms of which the crown of the Supreme Commander was a part. For the legalization of documents a seal was used and for personal use an achievement was adopted.

The Prime Minister’s Seal

The seals of the Ránás were oval in shape and were unique for every Prime Minister. On it his name and titles were written in sanskrit, english and urdu. Above these formula there was a picture consisting of

a. the footprints of  Sri 108 Gorakhnat

b. a crescent sometimes with a ball between its horns and by way of exception with a face.

c. a sun, usually radiant and by way of exception with a face.

d. a picture of the Himalaya mountain ridge

These are the emblems of

the patron deity of Gorkha ‘from whence the Rànàs came’;

the emblem of the state;

the emblem of the ruler;

the emblem of the empire; and

the emblem of the territory.

The combination crescent-and-ball means: Head of State.

The combination crescent-and-face means: This particular head of state, symbolized by his portrait

The sun with a face means: This particular ruler of the empire, symbolized by his portrait.

In Nepal the crescent is thought to be the emblem of the king, and the sun the emblem of the prime minister.

The seals, as collected and published by Johannes Bornmann, are:

Jung Bahadur Rana

1846-1877

Footprints, crescent and ball, sun radiant, 1859.

Rana Udip Singh

1877-1885, murdered

Footprints, crescent and ball, sun radiant.

Bir Shumsher Jung Rana

1885-1901

Footprints, crescent, sun radiant

Deva Shumsher Rana

1901, 114 days, deposed

There is no picture of the seal of Deva Shumser Rana available

Chandra Shumsher Rana

1901-1929

Footprints, faced moon,  faced sun radiant,

Bhim Shumsher Rana

1929-1931

Footprints, crescent and ball, sun radiant.

Names and titles in sanskrit and urdu only

Juddha Shumsher Rana

1931-1945, abdicated

Footprints, faced moon,  faced sun radiant, introduction of the Himalayas, 1932

Padma Shumsher Rana

1945-1948

Footprints, faced moon,  faced sun radiant, Himalayas, 1932

Mohan Shumsher Rana

1948-1951

Footprints, faced moon,  faced sun radiant, Himalayas.

The Prime Minister’s Achievement

The only known Prime Minister’s achievement is the achievement of Chandra Shumsher Rànà. It is:

Emblem: The cypher CSIB, surrounded by a strap with the motto DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI

Crest: Two kukris in saltire between a crescent and a sun radiant and the footprints of Sri 108 Gorakhnat in chief

Crown: The Prime Minister’s crown

Supporters: Two red banners on their staffs in saltire and two lions guardant proper

Motto: Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur in devanangiri script.

Armed Forces

Army

The symbol of the Nepalese Army is a trident, the favourite weapon of Shiva. It is a symbol of very ancient origin and was already used by the predecessors of the Nepalese commanders as a symbol of their armies.

As a symbol of an armed force it is used also in some other hindu-buddhist countries, for example Bhutan and Thailand.

Mohar from the nepalese Patan ruler

Jaya Vishnu Malla, (1722-’29)

Showing a trident per pale

50 paisa coin, 1939

The same design used until present

Nepalese Army Emblem

The emblem of the present Nepalese army is a six-pointed star, charged with a trisula (trident). The six-pointed star is derived from the hexagram which is the symbol of armed authority in Western cultures. The hexagram was introduced in Nepal at the end of the 19th century as a symbol of the armed authority of the king.

Chief of Army Staff emblem

Showing current CC of the Army  flag

In base NEPAL and the national motto in devanagiri script

Flag of the CC of the Army (ancient)

The emblem of the CC initially consisted of two swords in saltire charged with a kukri per fess. It was crested with a crescent and a sun radiant and surrounded by a garland.

The present version of the emblem shows two kukri in saltire charged with a khadga. It is crested with a crescent and ball and surrounded by a garland.

Pre-WWII Royal Crest, also used as a cap badge.

(On a book-cover, 1928)

Ancient (post WWII) Nepalese Army General’s Badge

Present Sleeve Patch

Æ  For the flags of ancient Nepalese army divisions: http://www.nepalarmy.mil.np/caf/index.php

Air Force

Royal Nepalese Air Force Roundel (1979)

Showing a trident without staff, resembling a vajra

Police