Jang Bahadur massacres the Nepalese palace court at the Kot
- When
- 1846
- Where
- Palace armory (Kot) of Hanuman Dhoka; Palace court
- Episodes
- 2
On 14 September 1846, Jung Bahadur Kunwar and his brothers killed approximately 30 to 40 civil officials, military officers, and palace guards at the Kot armory in Kathmandu. The violence eliminated rival political clans and the Prime Minister, leading to Jung Bahadur's immediate appointment as Prime Minister and the eventual establishment of Rana autocracy.
Episodes
- Immediate Political Consequence
Queen Rajya Laxmi Devi appointed Jung Bahadur as Prime Minister immediately following the massacre.
- The Kot Massacre
Jung Bahadur and his brothers killed 30-40 officials at the Kot armory in Kathmandu on 14 September 1846.
Background and detail
The Massacre. The Kot meeting turned violent when the Jung brothers and their supporters launched a full-fledged assault on all rival participants in the open court. The attack resulted in the deaths of about 30 to 40 civil officials, military officers, and palace guards, including Prime Minister Chautariya Fateh Jung Shah and senior ministers. The violence occurred at the palace armory, known as the Kot, in Kathmandu.
Political Consequences. The massacre caused the loss of power for political clans such as the Chautariyas, Pandes, Thapas, and Basnyats, and ultimately also that of King Rajendra Bikram Shah and Queen Rajya Laxmi Devi, though the loss of royal power was an eventual outcome rather than an immediate effect of the killings. Immediately after the massacre, the queen made Jung Bahadur Rana Prime Minister. This event ultimately led to the establishment of the Rana autocracy in Nepal.
People involved
- Jung Bahadur Kunwar · Perpetrator and subsequent Prime Minister
- Chautariya Fateh Jung Shah · Prime Minister and victim
- Queen Rajya Laxmi Devi · Commanded the assembly at the palace armoury and appointed Jung Bahadur Prime Minister after the massacre; had plotted to overthrow him
- Gagan Singh Bhandari · Held real power behind the throne, controlling seven army regiments
Sources
- Kot massacre Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-27
- Jung Bahadur Rana Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-01
- Kingdom of Nepal Wikipedia
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.