THE CROWNING GLORY

Sindoor Jatra of Maharajah Dev Shumsher in 1901 A.D.

Queen Elizabeth I is credited with the lines,"to be a king and wear a crown is a thing more glorious to them that see it than it is pleasant to them that bear it." Indeed power and pelf as symbolized by a crown have taken a terrible toll on those who were seemingly blessed with these attributes. The crowning glory is of course the coronation, the state's official celebration of enthronement by means of both secular and religious rites. The last spectacular world event was the Coronation of Shah Reza Pavlavi of Iran who officially celebrated the event in 1967 after 26 years of taking the throne as he had vowed not to have a coronation until Iran was lifted out of poverty and modernized. Sixty royal and non-royal heads of state congregated in the specially created tent city at the ancient capital of Persepolis of Cyrus the Great near modern day Shiraz. The pomp and splendour of the event while breathtaking to behold was also heavily criticized as wasteful aggrandizement by the Shah's regime that perhaps sowed the first seeds of the revolution that was not long in coming.

In Nepal too we had Coronation celebrations of King Mahendra in 1956 A.D. and of King Birendra in 1975 A.D. Representatives of 15 nations Nepal had established diplomatic relations with attended the coronation ceremony of King Mahendra. The international media came to Shangri-La in a frenzy to cover the virtually unknown country. By the time of King Birendra's Coronation Nepal was a truly established nation introduced to the world as a haven for the Hippy culture and backpackers exploring the high Himalaya. Nepal had established diplomatic relations with 60 nations and many of their representatives came to attend the ceremony including Britain's Prince Charles and Earl Mountbatten and the notorious First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos.

What is less known today is the Coronation ceremonies for the Rana prime ministers of Nepal who inherited together with the high post the title of Maharajah of Kaski and Lamjung. Thus, they orchestrated grand "Sindoor Jatra" or Vermilion Festival and went around Kathmandu city in triumphal procession on elaborately caparisoned tusker elephants and accepted tribute from the cheering crowds. Denizens of Kathmandu like a "ramita" or a show and irrespective of political leanings everybody has fun whether cheering a Shah king or a Rana maharajah, an elected politician or a recalcitrant Maoist. Why not indeed as a Jatra is a Jatra and merrymaking is in our genes!

First Rana prime minister Maharajah Jung Bahadur Rana and his 6 brothers

The following collection of photographs show the Rana Maharajahs participating in elaborate coronation ceremonies. I wanted to collect these old photographs and save it in one place for the history buffs. As Shakespeare wrote in King Henry IV, "uneasy lies the head that wears the crown". The Rana regime is history.     

Procession taken out by Maharajah Ranauddip Singh on the occasion of Chinese Emperor
decorating him with medal of valour T’ung-ling-ping-ma-Kuo-Kang-wang, 1882 AD

Coronation of Maharajah Dev Shumsher J. B. Rana

Coronation of Maharajah Chandra Shumsher with King Prithivi Bir Bikram Shah

The first Maharajah of the Shumsher clan Bir Shumsher during investiture ceremony

Maharajah Juddha in Coronation robe

Maharajah Juddha Shumsher sitting on his coronation throne

Maharajah Padma Shumsher with King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah and his sons

Maharajah Mohan's Sindoor Jatra 

Last Rana prime minister Maharajah Mohan Shumsher