Baber Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana

Sir Baber Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, GCVO, GBE, KCSI, KCIE (27 January 1888 – 12 May 1960) was a member of the Rana dynasty who served as the Minister of Defence of Nepal in 1951.^[1] A prominent member of the Rana oligarchy, he fought valiantly in the First World War.^[2] He was the second son of Maharaja Sir Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana and Bada Maharani Chandra Loka Bhakta Lakshmi Devi. He was the younger brother of Maharaja Sir Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana and older brother of Field Marshal Sir Kaiser Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana.^{[citation needed]}

Commanding-General Shree Teen Maharajkumar Sir Baber Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
श्री ३ महाराजकुमार महारथी बबर शमशेर जङ्गबहादुर राणा
Baber Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana in the 1910s
Commander-In-Chief of Nepal Army
In office 30 April 1948 – 1951
Preceded by	Mohan Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
Succeeded by	Kiran Shamsher Rana
Minister of Defence of Nepal
In office 18 February 1951 – 10 June 1951
Prime Minister	Mohan Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
Personal details
Born	(1888-01-27)27 January 1888 Kathmandu, Nepal
Died	12 May 1960(1960-05-12) (aged 72) Kathmandu, Nepal
Relations	Shree Teen Maharajah Sir Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (father) Shree Teen Maharajah Sir Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (brother), Field Marshal Sir Kaiser Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (brother), General Gaurav Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (great grandson)
Awards	GCVO GBE, KCSI, KCIE Order of the Star of Nepal, Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu, Order of Tri Shakti Patta, Order of Om Ram Patta, Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit
Military service
Allegiance	Nepal
Branch/service	Nepali Army
Years of service	1901-1951
Rank	Commanding Officer
Battles/wars	World War I World War II

Family

Sir Baber Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana was born to Maharaja Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, T'ung-ling-ping-ma-Kuo-Kang-wang, Maharaja of Lamjung and Kaski, GCB and Bada Maharani Chandra Loka Bhakta Lakshmi Devi on 27 January 1888, at Kathmandu.^[3] He married twice, first in 1903, to Sri Bada Rani Deva Bakhta Rajya Lakshmi; and secondly to Sri Bada Rani Baid Bakhta Rajya Lakshmi. He had three sons and two daughters:

• Bala Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, (died in 1921).
• Lieutenant-General Prasiddha-Prabala-Gorkha-Dakshina-Bahu Mrigendra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (by Baid Bakhta Rajya Lakshmi), born in 1906.
• Major-General Subikhyat-Tri-Shakti-Patta, Prasidha-Prabala-Gorkha-Dakshina-Bahu Sir Brahma Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana KCIE, born in 1909.
• Phanindra Rajya Lakshmi, Rani of Tiloi, born in 1908.^{[citation needed]}
• Homa Rajya Lakshmi, Rani of Nayagarh, born in 1913.

General Gaurav Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, the chief of Nepal Army since 2012, is his great-grandson through his son, Mrigendra's son Adiyta Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana.^[4]

Later life

Sir Baber Shumsher was educated at the Mayo College, Ajmer in India. In 1901, he was made a Major General of the Royal Nepalese Army and was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1903. After being Aide de camp to his father in 1908, he was promoted to a General in 1914, and finally to the post of Commanding General in 1934. In 1927, he was made an Honorary Colonel in the British Army. In 1946, he led the Royal Nepalese troops at the Victory parade in London. During the premiership (1948–1951) of his older brother, Sir Mohan Shamsher, Sir Baber Shamsher was the Mukhtiyar and Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Nepalese Army.^[5] In 1951, he became the Minister for Defence in the Congress Rana Cabinet led, by his brother. However he was a bete noire in the eyes of the Nepali Congress, and was replaced by his younger brother, Singha Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana on 10 June 1951.^[6]

Death

He died at his residence at Baber Mahal, Kathmandu on 12 May 1960 (which was built for him by his father).^[7] His brother Kaiser Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana, died four years later at the same age.^{[citation needed]}

Honours

• Delhi Durbar silver medal, 1903
• Delhi Durbar silver medal, 1911
• Mentioned in Despatches, 1915
• Sword of Honour, 1916
• Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE), 1916
• Order of the Star of Nepal, 1st Class, 1918
• British War Medal, 1918
• Commonwealth Victory Medal, 1918
• Mentioned in Despatches, 1919
• Waziristan Field Medal, 1919
• Indian General Service Medal w/ Afghanistan Clasp-1919
• Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI), 1919
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE), 1919
• Honorary Colonel, British Army, 1927
• Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu (Gurkha Right Hand), Member 1st Class, 1935
• Order of Tri Shakti Patta (Three Divine Powers), Member 1st Class, 1939
• Order of Om Rama Patta, Member, 1946
• Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO), 1946
• Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit of the US, 1946

Ancestors

Ancestors of Baber Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
16. Ranajit Kunwar 8. Bal Narsingh Kunwar 4. Dhir Shamsher Rana 18. Nain Singh Thapa 9. Ganesh Kumari Thapa 19. Rana Kumari Pande 2. Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana 20. Amar Singh Thapa (sanukaji) 10. Bakhtawar Singh Thapa 21. Satyarupa Maya 5. Nanda Kumari Thapa 1. Baber Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana 3. Chandra Loka Bhakta Lakshmi Devi

References

1. "Google Groups". google.com.
2. "Nepalese Army - नेपाली सेना". nepalarmy.mil.np. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
3. Cowan, Sam (2 July 2020). "Baber Shumshere's relentless quest". The Record. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
4. "Lt Gen Gaurav Shumsher Rana sworn-in as Nepal Army Chief". Zee News. 9 September 2012.
5. "23 Nov 1950 - 30,000 Gurkhas solve a problem". nla.gov.au. 23 November 1950.
6. Joshi, Bhuwan Lal; Rose, Leo E. (1966). "Democratic Innovations in Nepal". google.com.
7. "vivacitymagazines.com". Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2015.