Alau Parva

Introduction to Alau Parva

Alau Parva was the last of the Three Great Parvas that established Jung Bahadur as the Prime Minister of Nepal. In the Alau Parva, King Rajendra raised an army and traveled to Alau, Birjung to defeat Jung Bahadur.

As the Consequence, the Army of King Rajendra was easily defeated and he was arrested and imprisoned by Jung Bahadur.

Background of Alau Parva

By the end of 1903 B.S., the reign of King Rajendra Bikram Shah had ended. Surendra became the new king of Nepal and was guided by Jung Bahadur. The prominent members of the Pande and Basnet families were either dead or silent.

Jung Bahadur was the Prime Minister, Commander-in-Chief, and de facto ruler of Nepal. Then-Queen Rajyalaxmi had indirectly contributed to all this. She and her sons were exiled.

She appointed Jung Bahadur as commander-in-chief and Mukhtiyar as prime minister solely to fulfill her desire to make Ranendra king. The King, on the other hand, was robbed of his respect, his crown, and most importantly, of his dignity.

Events of Alau Parva

Jung Bahadur Rana gave Rajendra Bikram Shah a seven-day ultimatum to return to Nepal. Jung Bahadur also listed the names of crimes and acts of treason that Rajendra had committed, including the murder of Bhimsen Thapa and Mathwar Singh Thapa and several assassination attempts upon Jung Bahadur Rana.

But Rajendra Bikram Shah wasn’t at all satisfied by such consequences. The supporters of Rajendra Bikram Shah encouraged him to win the favor of the army and attack Nepal. Rajendra Bikram Shah established a camp with 4000 men in B.S. Shrawan in 1904.

Among the 4000 men, only 1600 were armed soldiers. The camp was set in present-day Parsa, in a place called Alau. When Jung Bahadur was informed of the army that had arrived in Alau, he ordered the killing of everyone except for Rajendra Bikram Shah. Jung Bahadur sent more soldiers to reinforce the defense.

The army of Rajendra Bikram Shah was attacked at the night. They couldn’t fight back. 200 out of 4000 were killed in the ambush.

Luckily, the army sent by Jung Bahadur was able to imprison Rajendra Bikram Shah. Rajendra Bikram Shah was brought to Nepal in 1904, Shrawan 14. Alau Parva refers to the incident in which Rajendra Bikram Shah attempted to reclaim Nepal with the help of 4000 men but failed.

Alau Parva forever established J.B.R. as the Prime Minister of Nepal. Sadly, Rajendra Bikram Shah was imprisoned by Jung Bahadur Kunwar after coming back to Nepal. After 34 years in prison, he died in 1938 B.S. Ashar 30 or 1881 C.E. on July 14.

Consequences of Alau Parva

After the Alau Parva, Jung Bahadur Kunwar was honored with the title of “Rana” through the Lalmohar of King Surendra. Jung Bahadur Kunwar officially became Jung Bahadur Rana.

Also, the societal status of Jung Bahadur increased drastically, and his powers also increased. The Alau Parva made him the most powerful man in Nepal. He was the first man to travel through Europe.

However, when he returned in 1907 B.S., there was a conspiracy to kill him. Badri Nara Singh, the brother of J.B.R., believed that Jung Bahadur lost his dignity by going to Great Britain. Upendra, Badrinara Singh, etc. were involved in this plot.

They planned on killing Jung Bahadur and Surendra to make Upendra the King of Nepal. After Jung Bahadur arrived in 1907, B.S. Bambahadur informed J.B.R. of the plot. Within two hours, the conspirators were called into the Kot Palace.

After 10 days, the conspirators accepted their crime. Jung Bahadur Rana, instead of giving them the death penalty or other punishments, sent them to Allahabad Prison in India.

Also, some men accused Jung Bahadur of drinking wine. Jung Bahadur Rana lowered the caste of that person and forced him to drink urine. Through these treatments, Jung Bahadur solidified his position as Prime Minister of Nepal for nearly 25 years.

Jung Bahadur Rana also formulated the Muluki Code in 1910 B.S. He formulated a hierarchy for the prime ministership.

Conclusion

The Alau Parva, which was done as an act of desperation by Rajendra Bikram Shah, bit him in the back. He lost his liberty and freedom after the incident but was treated respectfully.

Jung Bahadur also established himself as an able administrator through the promulgation of the Muluki Code. He married his children to the Royal Family and secured their reign as well. He was diplomatic by nature and kept a strong connection with the British.

He didn’t entertain opposition and was skilled at silencing it. In conclusion, the Rana Regime was established in Nepal after 1913 B.S., but it wasn’t the Jung Family that would rule Nepal but the Shumsher Family.

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