Tribhuvan of Nepal

Infobox Monarch
name =Tribhuhvan Bir Bikram Shah
title =King of Nepal


caption =King Tribhuvan of Nepal
reign =11 December, 1911 – 13 March, 1955
coronation =20 February, 1913
othertitles =
full name =Tribhuvan
predecessor =Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah
successor =Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah
suc-type =
heir =
queen =
consort =
spouse 1 =
spouse 2 =
spouse 3 =
spouse 4 =
spouse 5 =
spouse 6 =
issue =
royal house =The Royal House of Shah
dynasty =
royal anthem =May Glory Crown Our Illustrious Sovereign
father =Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah
mother =
date of birth =birth date|1906|6|30|df=y
place of birth =Kathmandu
date of death =death date and age|1955|3|13|1906|6|30|df=y
place of death =Zürich, Switzerland
date of burial =
place of burial =|

King Tribhuhvan Bir Bikram Shah (त्रिभुवन वीर विक्रम शाह), King of Nepal (June 30, 1906 – March 13, 1955) was King of Nepal from 11 december, 1911 until his death, excepting a period in 1950-51. Born in Kathmandu (Nepal's capital city), he ascended to the throne at the age of five, upon the death of his father, King Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah, and crowned on 20 February 1913 at the Nasal Chowk, Hanuman Dhoka Palace in Kathmandu, with his mother acting as regent. At the time, however, the position of monarch was mainly titular, with real power in the country residing in the powerful, conservative Rana family, which supplied the country with its hereditary prime minister.

Tensions between the royal family and the Ranas came to a head during World War I. The Ranas wanted to join the war in support of Britain, which controlled India to the south. The prime minister, Chandra Shumshere Rana always had his way with the young king who was interested only in worldly pleasure and copulating activities. Tribhuvan eventually ordered the troops to go to war.

By the mid-1930s, popular discontent with the Ranas led to the establishment of several movements, notably the Praja Parishad, which Tribhuvan himself gave explicit support, to overthrow the Ranas. Tribhuvan was an opportunist as he saw that the overthrow of the Ranas means that he will be the center of all power over the uneducated peasants of Nepal. In each instance, however, the Ranas responded harshly, banning the liberal movements and executing their leadership.

As in World War I, during World War II, Tribhuvan authorized the deployment of troops to aid British Imperial Forces.

After the war, the liberal democratic movement reorganized in Nepal.

Tribhuvan was too weak and feeble to lead any revolt against Ranas. An opportune he was, he saw another opportunity in making to the history books. In November 1950, Tribhuvan flees Nepal and makes his way to India. The Ranas responded by attempting to replace him with his grandson, Gyanendra. He deeply resented this grandson and wondered if he will ever return back to Nepal at all. He was a king without a kingdom and someone who is totally dependent on the goodwill of India. This realization drove him to depression.

The Gurkha came to be his savior and fought against the Ranas and their army. With this war against the Rana, they could sense that their authority was being threatened. The last Rana prime minister Mohan Shamshere Jung Bahadur Rana eventually conceded to democratic reforms, but only after heavy defeat of his troops (the troops that later became Nepal Army) at the hand of Gurkhas.

On February 18, 1951, King Tribhuvan returned from India as monarch. By November of that year, the prime minister resigned, ending Rana rule in the country.

Tribhuvan harbored high ambitions and wised to become an all powerful king. He deeply disliked the democratic movements and its leaders. Tribhuvan saw himself as someone born to rule. He was not going to share the ruling pie with some sons of the poor peasants even though those were the very people that gave him a kingdom, so to speak.

Tribhuvan had no contribution at all to the democratic processes. It was the Gurkhas who fought against the Rana and their army. These freedom fighting Gurkhas managed to capture large parts of Nepal from the Rana and their army. Tribhuvan, however, showed up at the victory parade and claimed himself to be the leader and inspiration to the whole anti Rana movement, clearly a callous and selfish move.

He was a weak ruler, a trait among all the kings of Nepal. He was paranoid, virtual slave of Rana rulers and their accomplice in signing the death sentence of democratic minded people. Irony is, Tribhuvan himself fueled the fire of democratic fervor among youths of Kathmandu. But when the Rana rulers nabbed these brave young men, Tribhuvan did everything he could to distance himself from these men. He even signed the death sentence of 4 individuals whose goal was to give all the power to Tribhuvan by way of overthrowing Rana regime.

Over the next few years, Tribhuvan became even more paranoid and sought to consolidate his power.

He had promised the people of Nepal a Nepalese Constituent Assembly elections, the promise he did not keep. He died in 1955 in Zürich, Switzerland under mysterious circumstances. He was succeeded by his eldest legitimate son Mahendra.

The international airport in Kathmandu, Tribhuvan International Airport, and a city, Tribhuvannagar in Dang valley, are named after him.

External links

* [http://www.4dw.net/royalark/Nepal/nepal10.htm Tribubhan at the Royal Ark]