Name Queen Tripurasundari | ||
Queen Tripurasundari (1794 - April 6, 1832) (also known as Lalit Tripura Sundari Devi, or Lalit Tripura Sundari Thapa) (Nepali: रानी ललित त्रिपुरासुन्दरी) was the acting regent of Nepal after the assassination of Rana Bahadur Shah, from 1806 to 1832. She was also the first woman to have published literature in Nepal. She had translated some parts of Shantiparva from the Mahabharata in Sanskrit, and published it as 'Rajdharma'.
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Early life
She was daughter of Kaaji Nain Singh Thapa, brother of Bhimsen Thapa. She was also sister to PM Mathabarsingh Thapa and Jung Bahadur Rana's Mother Ganesh Kumari.
Life
She was married to Rana Bahadur Shah in 1805. After Rana Bahadur Shah was assassinated, Queen Rajeshwari- who acted as the regent for her stepson Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah- was forced to commit sati. As such, Queen Tripurasundari, who had not even reached her teenage, became the regent for her stepson. She continued to be the regent until Girvan Yuddha came of age.
However, Girvan Yuddha died young in 1819. His infant son, Rajendra then became the king. Tripurasundari, now the Queen Grandmother, became the regent for her step-grandson.
She was a staunch supporter of Bhimsen Thapa and was the prime reason for him being the Prime Minister of Nepal for over 31 years.
Literary work
Queen Tripurasundari was also an author of historical significance. In 1824, she wrote Raj Dharma, a treatise on the duties and responsibilities of a king. The treatise is a Nepali translation of a segment of the Mahabharata. 'Rajdharma' by Lalita Tripura Sundari has been praised by historians as 'a credit to Nepal's language and literature.' She had also written many other poems in Nepali. She also encouraged writers and poets in her court, and with her encouragement, her step Girvan Yuddha Vikram and step grandson Rajendra Vikram had also written three books each.
Besides, she had also had different monuments constructed, including the Dharahara usually attributed to Bhimsen Thapa, the Tripureshwor Mahadev temple at Tripureshwor, and the bridge between Kathmandu and Lalitpur at Thapathali. Dharahara tower collapsed in the 2015 Nepal earthquake but the base remains.
Death
She died of cholera in 1832 April 6, during a widespread cholera epidemic in Kathmandu.