Aishwarya of Nepal

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Aishwarya of Nepal bigraphy, stories - Queen of Nepal

Aishwarya of Nepal : biography

7 November 1949 – 1 June 2001

Aishwarya Rajyalaxmi Devi Shah (7 November 1949 – 1 June 2001) was the Queen of Nepal from 1972 to 2001. She was the wife of King Birendra and the mother of Crown Prince Dipendra, Prince Nirajan, and Princess Shruti. She was the eldest among the three daughters of late General Kendra Shumsher Rana and Shree Rajya Laxmi Rana in Lazimpat, Kathmandu.

Titles and Honours

Titles
  • Lady Aishwarya Rajya Laxmi Kumari Rana (1949-1970)
  • Her Royal Highness Crown Princess (Shree Panch Yuwaragi) Aishwarya Rajya Laxmi Kumari Devi Shah (1970-1972)
  • Her Majesty Queen of Nepal (Shree Panch Badamaharani) Aihswarya Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah (1972-2001)
National Hounours
  • Grand Master of the Nepal Pratap Bhaskara
  • Grand Master of the Order of Ojaswi Rajanya
Foreign Honours
  • : Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol (1970)
  • : Order of the Chrysanthemum (1975)
  • : Knight Grand Cordon Order of Chula Chom Klao (1979)
  • : Order of Charles III (1987)
  • : Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1986)
  • : Order of the White Rose of Finland (1989)
  • : Order of the Dannebrog (1989)
  • : National Order of Merit (France) (1983)
  • : Nishan-e-Imtiaz (1983)
  • : Order of Isabella the Catholic (1983)

Sources

Category:1949 births Category:2001 deaths Category:Nepalese queens consort Category:Murder in 2001 Category:Deaths by firearm in Nepal Category:Nepalese murder victims Category:Queens consort Category:Hindu monarchs Category:People murdered in Nepal Category:Nepalese women in politics

Biography

She hailed from the aristrocratic Rana family which had ruled Nepal for 104 years, being the oldest daughter of General Kendra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana (1927–1982) and his wife Shree Rajya Laxmi Rana (1928–2005). Her family had been the effective rulers of Nepal until the 1950s and she was ever conscious of this fact. In 1970, she married Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, then Crown Prince of Nepal. She was considered to be staunchly royalist, believing in the absolute power of the monarchy, while her husband was more open to democratic governance.

Literary works

She was intersted in literary activities with the pen-name "Chadani Shah". She wrote about dozens of poems which has been collected in the title Chadani Shah, Aphnai Akash Aphnai Paribesh. The Anthology is prefaced by critisms about Chadai Shah’s litreature by veteran ctitics of Nepalese Litreature. She was a famous song composer and her songs were frequently aired by Radio Nepal an Nepal Television.

Education

She had her school education in St.Helen’s Convent of Kurseong, India and St. Mary’s of Kathmandu. She passed S.L.C from Kanti Iswari Rajya Laxmi High School in 1963. She was enrolled in Tribhuwan University affiliated Padmakanya College and graduated in Arts in 1967.

Demise

Queen Aishwarya was shot dead along with her husband, King Birendra; her son, Prince Nirajan; her daughter, Princess Shruti; and seven other royal family members. It is widely believed that the motive for the Queen’s murder was her strong opposition to the Crown Prince’s proposed marriage to Devyani Rana. Her face was so badly disfigured by the gunshot wound that, for the widely attended state funeral procession, it was covered by a china doll bearing her likeness.Amy Willesee & Mark Whittaker (2004). Love & Death in Kathmandu A Strange Tale of Royal Murder, 1st U.S. ed. New York : St. Martin’s Press, 2004. ISBN 1-84413-558-6 / 1-84413-558-6