Queen Indra of Nepal
| Indra Kumari Devi इन्द्रा कुमारी देवी | |
|---|---|
| Queen consort of Nepal | |
| Queen consort of Nepal | |
| Tenure | 25 September 1768 – 11 January 1775 |
| Coronation | 25 September 1768 |
| Queen consort of Gorkha | |
| Tenure | 3 April 1743 – 25 September 1768 |
| Coronation | 3 April 1743 |
| Born | 1724 Kingdom of Makwanpur |
| Died | 11 January 1775 (aged 50–51) Devighat, Nuwakot, Nepal |
| Spouse | Prithvi Narayan Shah (m. 1738) |
| Issue | Bilas Kumari |
| Nepali | इन्द्रकुमारी देवी |
| House | Shah dynasty (by marriage) |
| Father | Hem Karna Sen |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Indra Kumari Devi (Nepali: इन्द्रकुमारी देवी; 1724 – 11 January 1775) was the senior queen consort of Prithvi Narayan Shah, the founding monarch of the unified Kingdom of Nepal.[1] As the daughter of the King of Makwanpur, her marriage was a pivotal event that shaped the early military and diplomatic strategies of the Gorkhali expansion.[2]
Biography
[edit]Early life and marriage dispute
[edit]Indra Kumari was born in 1724 in the Kingdom of Makwanpur to King Hem Karna Sen. In February 1738, at the age of 14, she was married to Crown Prince Prithvi Narayan Shah of Gorkha.[3]
The marriage is famous for the "Dant-palki" incident. During the nuptials, Shah requested a specific ornate palanquin and a prized elephant as part of the dowry to signal Gorkha's rising status. When Hem Karna Sen refused, citing that these were ancestral treasures of the Sen dynasty, the young prince took it as a personal and national insult.[2] He famously left the palace without his bride, an event that fueled his later determination to conquer Makwanpur.[1]
Role as Queen
[edit]After the initial dispute, Indra Kumari eventually joined the Gorkhali court and was established as the senior queen (Jetha Maharani). She bore one daughter, Bilas Kumari, who would later play her own role in the unification as the Queen of Salyan.[4] During Shah's 1762 campaign against Makwanpur, her brother Digbandhan Sen was defeated, and the kingdom was annexed into the growing Gorkhali empire.[5]
Death
[edit]On 11 January 1775, King Prithvi Narayan Shah died at the age of 52 at Devighat. Following the customs of the era, Indra Kumari Devi, along with the King's other wives, performed sati by jumping into the funeral pyre at the confluence of the Trishuli and Tadi River.[5]
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ a b Hamal 1995, p. 110.
- ^ a b Raj 1997, p. 13.
- ^ Shrestha, Singh & Singh 1972, p. 89.
- ^ Rahul 1996, p. 8.
- ^ a b Vaidya, Mānandhara & Joshi 1993, p. 97.
Bibliography
[edit]- Hamal, Lakshman B. (1995). Military History of Nepal. Sharda Pustak Mandir.
- Rahul, Ram (1996). Royal Nepal: A Political History. Vikas Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-259-0070-2.
- Vaidya, Tulasī Rāma; Mānandhara, Triratna; Joshi, Shankar Lal (1993). Social History of Nepal. Anmol Publications. ISBN 978-81-7041-799-6.
- Shrestha, D. B.; Singh, C. E.; Singh, C. B. (1972). The History of Ancient and Medieval Nepal in a Nutshell. HMG Press.
- Raj, Prakash A. (1997). Queens of the Shah Dynasty in Nepal. Ratna Pustak Bhandar. ISBN 978-0-7855-7483-5.
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