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Rana dynasty

Nepalese Dynasty

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The Rana dynasty were descended from the Kunwar family, a nobility of the Gorkha Kingdom. Due to their marital lineages with the politically reigning Thapa dynasty (of Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa) from the early 19th century, the Ranas gained entry to central Darbar politics. The Ranas were also linked to a minor faction of the Pande dynasty of Gorkha through the Thapa dynasty.

Genealogy

The genealogy of Jang Bahadur Rana, a prominent figure of the Rana dynasty, was documented by 19th-century chronicler Daniel Wright. According to his account, the lineage begins with Tattā Rāṇā, described as a king of Chittaurgarh. This account has been regarded by historians such as John Whelpton as likely fabricated, lacking corroborative historical evidence prior to the nineteenth century.

Wright claims that Fakht Siṃha Rāṇā, the nephew of Tattā Rāṇā, had a son named Rāma Siṃha Rāṇā who migrated to the Himalayan foothills after the siege of Chittaur. Rāma Siṃha was employed by a local hill raja and later married the daughter of the Raja of Bīnātī, a Bagāle Kṣetrī. They had six sons over a span of 10–12 years, one of whom earned the title Kum̐vara Khaḍkā for his role in a battle against the Raja of Satān Koṭ. This title was inherited by his descendants.

Rāma Siṃha reportedly returned to Chittaur at his brother's request and died shortly thereafter. His son, Rāut Kunwar, became a nobleman (Sardār) and military commander under the local ruler. Rāut Kunwar's son, Ahirāma Kunwar, was later invited by the King of Kaski, who granted him land at Dhuage Saghu as birta (tax-free grant). When the King of Kaski attempted to seize Ahirāma's daughter by force after he refused to marry her off through informal rites, a conflict ensued. With the help of villagers from the Parājulī Thāpā caste, Ahirāma resisted the King's forces.

Following this, Ahirāma migrated with his sons, including Ram Krishna Kunwar and Jaya Krishna Kunwar, to Gorkha, where Prithvi Narayan Shah granted them lands known as Kunwar-Khola as birta.

Historian John Whelpton suggests that the Kunwar origin story, involving a marriage into the Bagāle Kshetri lineage, may have been constructed to imply connections with the influential Bagale Thapa clan of Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa.

According to The Ranas of Nepal, the dynasty traced its descent from Kumbhakaran Singh, younger brother of Guhila king Rawal Ratnasimha of Mewar. During the siege of Chittorgarh in 1303 CE, his descendants are said to have migrated north toward the Himalayas.

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