19th century[edit]

Dominance of Damodar Pande[edit]

Main article: Pande dynasty

Damodar Pande, Mulkazi of Nepal from the Pande aristocratic

family

Mulkaji Damodar Pande was appointed as one of the four Kajis by

King Rana Bahadur Shah after removal of Chautariya Bahadur
Shah of Nepal on 1794.[7] Damodar was most influential and
dominant in the court faction irrespective of post of Chief Kazi
(Mulkazi) being held by Kirtiman Singh Basnyat.[7] Pandes were the
most dominant noble family. Later due to continuous irrational
behaviour of King Rana Bahadur Shah, situation of civil war arose
where Damodar was the main opposition to the King.[67] He was
forced to flee to the British-controlled city of Varanasi in May, 1800
after military men parted with influential Kaji Damodar.[68][69] After
Queen Rajrajeshwari finally managed to assume the regency on 17
December 1802,[70][71] later in February she elected Damodar
Pande as the Mul Kaji (Chief Kaji).[72]

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 sons Karbir
Pande and Rana Jang Pande.[73][73][74] After Damodar Pande's
execution, Ranajit Pande who was his paternal cousin, was
established as Mulkazi (Chief Kazi) along with Bhimsen Thapa as
second Kazi, Sher Bahadur Shah as Mul Chautariya and Ranganath
Paudel as Raj Guru (Royal Preceptor).[75][76]

Thapa Regime[edit]
Main article: Thapa dynasty

Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa, founder of Khas Thapa dynasty

Thapa courtiers, who were Khas Kshatriya, rose to power when
the King of Nepal Rana Bahadur Shah was murdered by his half
brother Sher Bahadur Shah on the year 1806.[77] Bhimsen
Thapa (1775-1839), the leading Thapa Kaji, taking opportunity of
the occasion massacred nearly 55 military and civil officers and
catapulting Thapas into the power.[77] He took the title
of Mukhtiyar succeeding King Rana Bahadur as Chief Authority
and his niece Queen Tripurasundari of Nepal as Queen Regent of
junior King Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah.[78]

Anglo-Gurkha War[edit]
Main article: Anglo-Nepalese War

Nepal with lost territories

Rivalry between Nepal and the East India Company—over the

princely states bordering Nepal and India—eventually led to
the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–16), in which Nepal was defeated.
The Treaty of Sugauli was signed in 1816, ceding large parts of the
Nepali territories of Terrai and Sikkim, (nearly one third of the
country), to the British, in exchange for Nepalese autonomy. As the
territories were not restored to Nepal by the British when freedom
was granted to the people of British India, most of these lands later
became a part of the Republic of India. Sikkim became independent,
until political turmoil led to its merger with India, become a state of
the Republic of India. However, the British restored some of Nepal's
land in the Terai back to Nepal as thanks for supporting Britain
during various Indian uprisings, such as the Sepoy mutiny.