| Pande Dynasty पाँडे वंश/पाँडे काजी खलक Panday/Pandey | |
|---|---|
| Noble house | |
| Country | |
| Etymology | The name is derived from the Sanskrit paṇḍ (पण्ड्) which means "to collect, heap, pile up", and this root is used in the sense of knowledge. Same root asPandit |
| Place of origin | Gorkha Kingdom |
| Founder | Ganesh Pandey (1529 A.D. – 1606 A.D.) |
| Current head | Sardar Bhim Bahadur Pande currently as apretender |
| Final head | Rana Jang Pande |
| Titles | |
| Style(s) | |
| Connected members | |
| Connected families | |
| Traditions | |
| Estate | |
| Deposition | 1843–1846 (by death penalty toRana Jang Pande andKot Massacre) |
| Cadet branches | Kala Pandes andGora Pandes |
| Pande | |
|---|---|
| पाँडे | |
| Jāti | Chhetri |
| Languages | Nepali |
| Original state | Khas Kingdom,Gorkha Kingdom,Gorkha Empire,Nepal |
| Family names | Pande, Gora Pande, Kala Pande |
| Heraldic title | Pande Kaji |
| Throne | Lazimpat |
| Victory weapon | Khukuri |
| Related groups | Marriage relations withKunwars,Thapas,Basnyats |
| Status | Chhetri |
ThePande family orPande dynasty (also spelled as Pandey or Panday) (Nepali:पाँडे वंश/पाँडे काजी खलक;pronounced[paɳɖe] or[pãɽẽ]) was aChhetri[1] political family with ancestral roots fromGorkha Kingdom that directly ruled Nepali administration affairs from the 16th century to 19th century asMulkaji andMukhtiyar (Prime Minister). This dynasty/family was one of the four noble families to be involved in active politics of Nepal together with theShah dynasty,Basnyat family andThapa dynasty before the rise of theRana dynasty. The Pande dynasty is the oldest noble family to hold the title ofKaji.[2] This family was decimated from political power in 1843 CE[3] in the political massacre by Prime MinisterMathabar Singh Thapa as a revenge for his uncleBhimsen's death in 1839.[4]
The family is descended from noblemanGanesh Pande of theGorkha Kingdom.Kalu Pande andTularam Pande were descendants of Ganesh Pande.[5] Pande dynasty and Thapa dynasty were the two chief political families who alternatively contested for central power in the Nepalese court politics.[6][7] The Pande family was divided into two sections,Kala Pandes andGora Pandes, who were always aligned to opposite political factions.[8] The Pande aristocratic family ofGora (White) Pande section was connected to Thapa dynasty through daughter of ChiefKaziRanajit Pande, Rana Kumari who was married toKaji GeneralNain Singh Thapa and to Rana dynasty through Nain Singh's son-in-lawBal Narsingh Kunwar.[9] The Pande family ofKala (Black) Pande section was maritally linked toBasnyat Family through Chitravati Pande who marriedKajiKehar Singh Basnyat.[10]
Ganesh Pande was the firstKaji (Prime Minister) of KingDravya Shah ofGorkha Kingdom established in 1559 A.D.[11][12] The Pandes were considered asThar Ghar aristrocratic group who assisted in the administration ofGorkha Kingdom.[13]KajiKalu Pande (1714–1757) who belonged to this family[14] became a war hero after he died at theBattle of Kirtipur.[15] These Pandes were categorized with fellowChhetriBharadars such asThapas,Basnyats andKunwars.[1]
The inscription installed by son ofTularam Pande,Kapardar Bhotu Pande, on the Bishnumati bridge explains their patrilineal relationship toGanesh Pande, Minister ofDrabya Shah, the first King ofGorkha Kingdom.[5] The lineage mentions Ganesh Pande's son as Vishwadatta and Vishwadatta's son as Birudatta. Birudatta had two sons Baliram and Jagatloka. Tularam and Bhimraj were sons of Baliram and Jagatloka respectively.KajiKalu Pande was the son of Bhimraj. Bhotu Pande mentions Tularam, Baliram, and Birudatta respectively as his ancestors of three generations.[5] However, HistorianBaburam Acharya contends a major flaw in the inscription.Ranajit Pande, the second son of Tularam was born in 1809Vikram Samvat. Baburam Acharya assumed 25 years for each generation where he found Vishwadatta to have been born in 1707Vikram Samvat. Thus, on this basis, he strongly concluded that Vishwadatta could not have been the son ofGanesh Pande, who was living in 1616Vikram Samvat, when Drabya Shah was crowned King of Gorkha. He points that the names of two more generations seem to be missing.[5]
Historian Baburam Acharya speculates that Ganesh Pande was aBrahmin, however, there was no conclusive evidence to the claim. He makes the assumption based on the claim of ancestry from Ganesh Pande by Pande Brahmins ofUpamanyu gotra.[5] He further assumes that Baliram and Jagatloka were Brahmins due to their Brahmin-looking name and assumes Tularam and Bhimaraj as Chhetri.[5] Pandes of theGorkha Kingdom were categorized with fellowChhetriBharadars such asThapas,Basnyats andKunwars.[1]
As per HistorianBaburam Acharya, Tularam was a brother (first cousin) of Bhimraj, the father ofKalu Pande.[5] However, HistorianRishikesh Shah contends that Tularam was a brother of Kalu Pande.[16]
Damodar Pande was appointed as one of the fourKajis by KingRana Bahadur Shah after removal of ChautariyaBahadur Shah of Nepal on 1794.[17] Damodar was most influential and dominant in the court faction irrespective of post of Chief Kazi (Mulkazi) being held byKirtiman Singh Basnyat.[17] Pandes were the most dominant noble family. Later due to continuous irrational behaviour of KingRana Bahadur Shah, situation of civil war arose where Damodar was the main opposition to the King.[18] He was forced to flee to the British-controlled city ofVaranasi in May, 1800 after military men parted with influentialKaji Damodar.[19][18]
After Queen Rajrajeshwari finally managed to assume the regency on 17 December 1802,[20][21] later in February she electedDamodar Pande as theMul Kaji (Chief Kaji).[22]Damodar Pande, Pande family and faction, were responsible for treaty with British which incensed exiled King Rana Bahadur.[23] The Treaty of 1801 was also unilaterally annulled by the British on 24 January 1804.[24][25][26][27] The suspension of diplomatic ties also gave the Governor General a pretext to allow the ex-King Rana Bahadur to return to Nepal unconditionally.[25][27]
Troops sent by Kathmandu Durbar changed their allegiance when they came face to face with the incoming ex-King Rana Bahadur.[28] Damodar Pande and members of Pande factions were arrested at Thankot where they were waiting to greet the ex-King with state honors and take him into isolation.[28][26] After Rana Bahadur's reinstatement to power, he ordered Damodar Pande, along with his two eldest sons, who were completely innocent, to be executed on 13 March 1804; similarly some members of his faction were tortured and executed without any due trial, while many others managed to escape to India. Among those who managed to escape to India were Damodar Pande's sonsKarbir Pande andRana Jang Pande.[29][29][30]
During theAnglo-Nepalese War,Rana Jang Pande had informedRanabir Singh Thapa that the British would be off guard during Christmas. Following this advice,Ranabir Singh was able to obtain a major victory during a battle inParsa. This won the Pandes the trust of Ranabir Singh, which eventually led to their pardon byKing Girvan and subsequent return to Nepal.[31] In November 1834,Ranjung Pande, the youngest son ofDamodar Pande, petitioned the king to restore the lands and properties of the Pande family. To the surprise of the court, the king accepted the petition. The king, however, had not taken immediate action on this request. With royal support, Ranjung immediately sent a request to the ChineseAmban inLhasa requesting they restore the families historical relation in Tibet. He had also accusedBhimsen Thapa of supporting the British which at the time were one of China's main enemies. After this, the Amban had then requested to the king that Ranjung be sent as a diplomat toPeking in the next diplomatic quinquennial year.[32] By 1836,Rana Jang Pande was stationed as a captain in the army in Kathmandu. He was aware of the disunity between Samrajya Laxmi andBhimsen Thapa; and thus he had secretly expressed his loyalty toSamrajya Laxmi and had vowed to help her in bringing Bhimsen down for all the wrongs he had committed against his family.[33] Factions in the Nepalese court had also started to develop around the rivalry between the two queens, with the Senior Queen supporting the Pandes, while the Junior Queen supporting theThapas.[34] Pandes spread news of child born out of an adulterous relationship betweenMathabar Singh Thapa and his widowed sister-in-law and the resulting public disgrace forced Mathabar to leave Kathmandu and reside in his ancestral home in Pipal Thok,Borlang, Gorkha.[33] The weakening of power of Thapas in absence of Mathabar and Bhimsen in Kathmandu[35][36] helped KingRajendra Bikram Shah to establish a new personal battalion, Hanuman Dal, and by February 1837, bothRana Jang Pande and his brother, Ranadal Pande, had been promoted to the position of aKaji; and Ranajang was made a personal secretary to the King, while Ranadal Pande was made the governor ofPalpa.[37] Ranajang, the leader of Pandes, was also made the chief palace guard, the position formerly occupied by Ranabir Singh and then Bhimsen which curtailed Bhimsen's access to the royal family and reducedThapas from the power.[37] After the incarceration of the Thapas in the poisoning case in 1837, a new government with jointMukhtiyars was formed withRanga Nath Poudyal as the head of civil administration, and Dalbhanjan Pande and Ranajang Pande as joint heads of military administration.[38] This appointment established the Pandes as the dominant faction in the court, and they started to make preparations for war with the British in order to win back the lost territories ofKumaon andGarhwal.[39] While such war posturing was nothing new, the din the Pandes created alarmed not just the Resident Hodgson[39] but the opposing court factions as well, who saw their aggressive policy as detrimental to the survival of the country.[40] After about three months in power, under pressure from the opposing factions, the King removed Ranajang asMukhtiyar and Ranganath Paudel, who was favorably inclined towards the Thapas, was chosen as the soleMukhtiyar.[41][42][43][40]
Fearful that the Pandes would re-establish their power,Fatte Jang Shah, Rangnath Poudel, and the Junior Queen Rajya Laxmi Devi obtained from the King the liberation of Bhimsen, Mathabar, and the rest of the party, about eight months after they were incarcerated for the poisoning case.[42][43][44] However, Ranganath Poudel, finding himself unsupported by the King, resigned from theMukhtiyari, which was then conferred onPushkar Shah; but Puskhar Shah was only a nominal head, and the actual authority was bestowed on Ranajang Pande.[45] Sensing that a catastrophe was going to befall the Thapas, Mathabar Singh fled to India while pretending to go on a hunting trip; Ranbir Singh gave up all his property and became asanyasi, titling himself Abhayanand Puri; but Bhimsen Thapa preferred to remain in his old home in Gorkha.[44][46] The Pandes were now in full possession of power; they had gained over the King to their side by flattery. The Senior Queen had been a firm supporter of their party; and they endeavored to secure popularity in the army by promises of war and plunder.[45]
At the beginning of 1839, Ranajang Pande was made the soleMukhtiyar. However, knowledge about Ranajang's war preparations and his communication with other princely states of India, fomenting anti-British sentiments, alarmed the Governor-General of the time,Lord Auckland, who mobilized some British troops near the border of Nepal.[46][47] In order to resolve this diplomatic fiasco, Bhimsen was recalled from Gorkha releasing consfication[48][49] after which he suggested some of the battalions under Ranajang's command to be given to other courtiers, thus severely weakening Ranajang's military power.[50] After the ostracization of Thapas on fabricated cases with forged papers,[51][52] Bhimsen,the leader of Thapas, attempted suicide due to indignity[53] after hearing rumors of his wife to be publicly disgraced on 28 July 1839.[54][53] Five months after Bhimsen's death, Ranajang Pande was again made Mukhtiyar (prime minister); but Ranajang's inability to control the general lawlessness in the country forced him to resign from prime minister's office, which was then conferred onPushkar Shah, based on Samrajya Laxmi's recommendation.[55] Pushkar Shah and his Pande associates were dismissed, andFatte Jang Shah was appointed Mukhtiyar (prime minister) in November 1840 due to British intervention.[56] After the death of Senior Queen Samrajya Laxmi, the Nepalese court was split into three factions centered around the King, the Junior Queen, and the Crown Prince. Fateh Jang and his administration supported the King, theThapas supported the Junior Queen, while the Pandes supported the Crown Prince. The resurgent Thapa coalition succeeded in sowing animosity between Fateh Jang's ministry and the Pande coalition, who were swiftly imprisoned.[57]
Under immense pressure from the Queen and the nobility, along with the backing from army and the general populace, the King in January 1843 handed the highest authority of the state to his Junior Queen, Rajya Laxmi, curtailing both his own and his son's power.[58][59] The Queen, seeking support of her own son's claims to the throne over those of Surendra, invited eldest Thapa dynastMathabar Singh Thapa back after almost six years in exile.[60] Upon his arrival in Kathmandu in April 1843, an investigation of his uncle Bhimsen's death took place, and a number of his Pande enemies were massacred.[4] As for Ranajang Pande, he had by that time contracted mental illness and would not have posed any threat to Mathabar. Nevertheless, Ranajang was paraded through the streets and made to witness the execution of his family members, after which he was forced to commit suicide by poison.[4]
As Thapathali was abode of the Thapas,Lazimpat was abode of Pandes.Lazimpat Durbar was property ofKajiBir Keshar Pande. At the time of theKot massacre on 14 September 1846,KajiBir Keshar Pande was massacred there and lazimpat Durbar was occupied byKaji Col.Tribikram Singh Thapa, maternal uncle ofRana rulers.[61]
| No. | Members | Image | Position | Years in the position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kalu Pande |  | Kaji ofGorkha Kingdom | 1744–1747 to 1757 A.D. | Father of all Kala Pandes |
| 2 | Vamsharaj Pande |  | Dewan-Kaji (Chief Minister) andPradhan-senapati | 1777–1785 A.D. | eldest son of Kalu and head of Pandes before 1785 |
| 3 | Damodar Pande | | Mulkaji (Prime Minister) andCommander-in-Chief | 1803–1804 A.D. (though most influentialKaji between 1794 and 1804) | youngest son of Kalu and head of Pandes between 1785 and 1804 |
| 4 | Rana Jang Pande |  | Mukhtiyar (Prime Minister) andCommander-in-Chief | 1837–1837 A.D. and 1839–1840 A.D. | the last Kala Pande leader before deposition of Pandes in 1843 |
| 5 | Karbir Pande | Kaji | the significant Kala Pande courtier in 1837–1843 | grandson ofKalu Pande[62] and killed in 1843. |
| No. | Members | Image | Position | Years in the position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tularam Pande | Sardar | died 1768 | Father of allGora Pandes, a military commander of KingPrithvi Narayan Shah | |
| 2 | Ranajit Pande | Mulkaji (Chief Kaji) | briefly in 1804 A.D.[17] | son of Tularam Pande;[62] the only Gora Pande to become highest rankedMulkaji | |
| 3 | Dalbhanjan Pande | Kaji and later General | briefly headed military administration in 1837 A.D. | grandson of Tularam Pande[62] and the significant Gora Pande courtier between 1810s to 1846 | |
| 4 | Bir Keshar Pande | Kaji and Kapardar[10] | grandson of Tularam Pande[62] and owner ofLazimpat Durbar | ||
| 5 | Bhotu Pande | Kapardar | son of Tularam Pande[62] a military officer in theSino-Nepalese War | ||
| 6 | Ranagambhir Pande | Kaji[10] | the significant Gora Pande courtier in 1846 | grandson of Tularam Pande[62] and died in theKot massacre of 1846 |
The burial ground on hill top ofKaji Kalu Pande is a popular hiking spot. It lies inChandragiri, western outskirts of Kathmandu from where Gorkha can be seen.[63]Rastra Bhaktiko Jhalak: Panday Bamsa ko Bhumika (Transl. Glimpse of Patriotism: Role of Pande dynasty) is a book written on Pande dynasty by SardarBhim Bahadur Pande.[64]
First Mandarin and Historian-diplomat SardarBhim Bahadur Pande is the seventh lineal descendant ofKajiKalu Pande.[65] Late Maj.Gen Sagar Bahadur Pande, Businessman Himalaya Bahadur Pande, BankerPrithvi Bahadur Pande, General Pawan Bahadur Pande, who retired as Number 2 of the Nepal Army, Dr.Shanta Bahadur Pande are the sons of First Mandarin, diplomat-historian SardarBhim Bahadur Pande[66] and eighth descendant ofKajiKalu Pande.[65]
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