Bhandarkhal Parva

Introduction to Bhandarkhal Parva

Bhandarkhal Parva is the second of the Three Great Parvas that established the Rana Regime in Nepal. Bhandarkhal Parva happened due to the Defensive Instance of Jung Bahadur who was planned to be assassinated by Queen Rajya Laxmi Shah.

However, Jung Bahadur was informed of the plan and he killed all the perpetrators of Bhandarkhal Parva among which most of them were Basnets and is also known as Basnet Parva.

Conflict Between Rajyalaxmi and Jung Bahadur

Jung Bahadur Kunwar, who was born in 1874 B.S., rose suddenly to the top of Nepal’s power hierarchy because of the Kot Parva. Jung Bahadur killed the Pande family and Prime Minister Phatte Jung Shah in the Kot Palace.

Jung Bahadur also became the Commander-in-Chief, Mukhtiyar, and Budha General of Nepal.

Although King Rajendra despised Jung Bahadur, Queen Rajyalaxmi was looking to gain some help from him. The Queen proposed to Jung Bahadur that Surendra should be replaced and Ranendra, her son, should be made king of Nepal. Jung Bahadur denied Queen Rajya Laxmi to help her and it caused Bhandarkhal Parva.

Although Jung Bahadur was thankful to the Queen for her assistance, Jung Bahadur couldn’t help her with such a big and rather controversial decision.

Jung Bahadur Kunwar solemnly refused to take part in her plan, not only because it was against common sense but also because he was close with Surendra and could easily manipulate him.

The Queen was enraged on the inside after Jung Bahadur’s decision. She had made Jung Bahadur the Mukhtiyar of Nepal, and Jung Bahadur “stabbed her in the back” for her reinforcement. So, Queen Rajyalaxmi decided to kill him.

Plot of Bhandarkhal Parva

Queen Rajyalaxmi, with confidentiality, plotted the assassination of Jung Bahadur Kunwar with the Basnet Family. She promised Birdhwaj Basnet the position of prime minister if he killed Surendra, Upendra, and Jung Bahadur.

Even more, if Birdhwaj was successful, his family would have the privilege of hereditary prime ministership. To carry out the plan, they decided to celebrate in Bhandarkhal Garden.

Every prominent courtier who survived Kot Parva was invited to the celebration. The celebration in Bhandarkhal Garden was a plot to assassinate someone. Jung Bahadur Kunwar would be served poison in food or drink.

If Jung Bahadur was able to escape The Poison Plan, then gunmen were hidden throughout the garden. Nearly 40–50 weapon-carrying assassins were kept in the garden. The date of the celebration was October 31, 1846, C.E., or 1903 B.S. Karthik 13.

Jung Bahadur was getting ready for the celebration when a man came to meet him. The name of the man was Bijayraja Pande. He knew about the massacre that would take place in Bhandarkhal and decided to warn Jung Bahadur about it.

Jung Bahadur was surprised and decided to wait. Meanwhile, the Queen got impatient for the arrival of Jung Bahadur. She questioned why Jung Bahadur hadn’t arrived and sent Birdhwaj Basnet to fetch him.

Birdhwaj Basnet went off to fetch Jung Bahadur Kunwar. Jung Bahadur was always coming. Hence, they met at a crossroads.

Basnet Parva

The two men looked at each other. Jung Bahadur ordered his men to kill Birdhwaj Basnet. Birdhwaj Basnet died there, but the son of Gagan Singh Khawas escaped.

Then, Jung Bahadur Kunwar reached Bhandarkhal and started killing the major conspirators. In total, 23 men were killed, of whom 15 were Basnets.

Hence, Bhandarkhal Parva is also known as Basnet Parva. Despite killing 23 men, 17 still escaped. The scene in the garden looked dreadful, but the situation for Jung Bahadur strengthened after the incident.

The opposition led against Jung Bahadur also perished.

Exile of King and Queen

Jung Bahadur Kunwar immediately informed the King about the conspiracies of the Queen, including several attempts to kill Surendra, attempts to put Ranendra on the throne, and the recent attempt to kill Jung Bahadur in Bhandarkhal Parva.

The Queen, Rajyalaxmi, along with her two sons, was exiled by King Rajendra Bikram Shah.

The King also couldn’t separate himself and decided to go to Kashi for a temporary period. Rajyalaxmi took a total of 46 lakhs’ worth of valuables and left for Kashi with King Rajendra Bikram Shah.

Crown Prince Surendra was provided with discretionary power by the King.

After reaching Kashi, the supporters of Rajendra Bikram Shah encouraged him to assassinate Jung Bahadur Kunwar. He had sent some trustworthy men alongside Rajendra to be informed about the events in Kashi.

So, Jung Bahadur was informed of every decision and plot the king made.

Knowing about the king’s plots, Jung Bahadur invited Rajendra Bikram Shah back into the palace in Kathmandu. Rajendra Bikram Shah replied that he would only return with the Queen, which Jung Bahadur denied.

So, Jung Bahadur Kunwar sent 5–6 letters to King Rajendra, threatening to make Surendra the King of Nepal if he didn’t return.

King Surendra as the King of Nepal

One of the biggest consequences of the Bhandarkhal Parva was the enthroning of King Surendra.

King Rajendra, instead of agreeing to Jung Bahadur’s demands, decided to send two assassins to kill him. The two assassins were caught in Thankot. A Lalmohar from the King was discovered that had the written consent of the King to kill Jung Bahadur Kunwar.

The assassins were caught, and Jung Bahadur Kunwar organized a public assembly.

He declared among the people that he was willing to die if anyone was courageous enough to kill him. The people and courtiers were impressed by his bravery.

He also declared that King Rajendra Bikram Shah would be dethroned and Crown Prince Surendra would be made king.

With Top Salami, Surendra was crowned King of Nepal. A Sindur Jatra was also organized, and government offices were given public holidays for 15 days following the crowning ceremony.

After the crowning, a letter was sent to Rajendra Bikram Shah that was signed by 370 Bhardars, or members of the court. Rajendra Bikram Shah was accused of the following:

1. The Death of Bhimsen Thapa

2. The Death of Pande’s

3. The Assassination of Mathwar Singh Thapa

4. For giving absolute power to the Queen

5. Attempt at Killing the Prime Minister of Nepal

With these allegations, Rajendra Bikram Shah was ordered to return to Nepal.

Conclusion

Bhandarkhal Parva wasn’t initiated by Jung Bahadur Kunwar. Both Kot and Bhandarkhal Parva were the result of the queen’s plotting and planning. Jung Bahadur just turned the situation in his favor, which any sane human would do.

The conclusion of Bhandarkhal Parva is that the Basnets were nearly finished. The major opposition to Jung Bahadur was silenced. The King and Queen were also outside Nepal. Simply put, Jung Bahadur Kunwar became unbeatable at this point.

However, one final hurdle remained. King Rajendra Bikram Shah was still plotting his revenge on Jung Bahadur. It could all come down to the Alau Parva, which determined Nepal’s fate. 

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