Ram Krishna Kunwar | |
|---|---|
| सरदार रामकृष्ण कुँवर | |
 Portrait of Sardar Ram Krishna Kunwar | |
| Sardar ofGorkha | |
| In office TBD–TBD | |
| Preceded by | TBD |
| Succeeded by | TBD |
| Personal details | |
| Born | circa 1728 A.D. |
| Children | Ranajit Kunwar (only son) |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Bal Narsingh Kunwar (grandson) Balbhadra Kunwar (grand-nephew) Jang Bahadur Rana (great-grandson) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Nepal |
| Rank | Sardar |
| Battles/wars | Battles of Unification of Nepal |
Ram Krishna Kunwar orRamakrishna Kunwar (Nepali:रामकृष्ण कुँवर;IAST:Rāmakr̥ṣṇa kum̐vara) was a military commander (Sardar) ofGorkha Kingdom during theUnification of Nepal at the reign of KingPrithvi Narayan Shah. He was born circa 1728 AD to Ashiram Kunwar in theKunwar family. His descendants went on to found theRana dynasty of Nepal. He was a successful general in King Prithvi Narayan Shah's unification campaign of Nepal. He defeated British forces at Hariharpur Gadhi on 25 August 1767. He died in the Mechi Campaign in 1771 A.D.
He was born to Ahiram Kunwar.[1][2] He had only a son namedRanajit Kunwar and three grandsons;Bal Narsingh Kunwar, Balram Kunwar and Rewant Kunwar.[1]
King Prithvi Narayan sent KajiVamsharaj Pande,Naahar Singh Basnyat, Jeeva Shah, Ram Krishna Kunwar and others to defeat the forces ofGurgin Khan at Makwanpur.[3][4] Ram Krishna was ordered by the King to organize the army at Makwanpur under his control.[3] In a letter to Ramkrishna, King Prithvi Narayan Shah was unhappy at the death of KajiKalu Pande and thought it was impossible to conquerKathmandu valley after the death of Kalu Pande.[5] After the annexation of Kathmandu valley, KingPrithvi Narayan Shah praised in his letter about valour and wisdom shown by Ramkrishna in annexation of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur (i.e. Nepal valley at the time) on 1768-69 A.D.[6] The letter sent by KingPrithvi Narayan Shah to Ramkrishna Kunwar on Ashwin Badi 5 of unknownVikram Year[note 1] has been mentioned by historianBaburam Acharya
WhenKalu Pande was killed inKirtipur, I had felt disheartened, thinking that I had not been able to conquer thethree towns of Nepal. This has now been accomplished through the force of your wisdom and your sword. Were I to give you anything for this achievement, not even half of this Kingdom would be sufficient. I hereby grant you Simbhu and the adjoining areas, as well asDhulikhel to be enjoyed from generation to generation. I felt very grieved when your younger brother was killed in Timal. I now depend upon you to invade the Kirat region.
— King Prithvi Narayan Shah's Letters to Ramakrishna Kunwar byBaburam Acharya[7]
The Gorkhali monarch also expresses condolence in that letter over the death of one of the brothers of Ram Krishna in the battle of Timal.[6] Another index letter sent by KingRana Bahadur Shah to Jaya Krishna Kunwar in 1843 Vikram Samvat (i.e. 1786 A.D.) confirms that Jaya Krishna did not die in the battle of Timal[6] which could point to the death of his youngest brother Amar Singh Kunwar in the battle of Timal. When Ram Krishna was conferred the confiscated properties (including residence) of former Kathmandu KingJaya Prakash Malla, he donated the properties to "Guthi" for supplying foods to pilgrims inShivaratri festival.[8] KingPrithvi Narayan Shah had deployedSardar Ram Krishna to the invasion ofKirant regional areas comprising; Pallo Kirant (Limbuwan), Wallo Kirant and Majh Kirant (Khambuwan).[9] In 13th of Bhadra 1829Vikram Samvat (i.e. 29 August 1772), Ram Krishna crossedDudhkoshi river to invade King Karna Sen of. Majh Kirant (Khambuwan) and Saptari region[6] with fellow commanderAbhiman Singh Basnyat.[10] He crossedArun River to reachChainpur(Limbuwan).[11] Later, he achieved victory over Kirant region.[12] King Prithvi Narayan Shah bestowed 22 pairs of Shirpau (special headgear) in appreciation to Ram Krishna Kunwar after his victory over the Kirant region.[12] Genealogist Daniel Wright contends that Ram Krishna died at Pyuthan at the age of 59.[13]
His descendants later went on to becomeRana dynasty of Nepal.[13]