Background and career
Jung Bahadur Rana, , was the Prime Minister of Nepal and the 1st Maharaja of Lamjung and Kaski. He was born Bir Narsingh Kunwar (1817–1877). His mother, Ganesh Kumari, was the daughter of Kaji Nain Singh Thapa, the brother of Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa from the prominent Thapa dynasty of Chhetri clan. During his lifetime, Jung Bahadur eliminated factional fighting at court, removed his family's rivals such as the Pandes and Basnyats, introduced innovations in the bureaucracy and judiciary, and made efforts to modernize Nepal.
He is considered a significant figure in Nepalese history. Some modern historians blame Jung Bahadur for initiating a dark period in Nepalese history marked by an oppressive dictatorship that lasted 104 years, while others attribute this period to his nephews, the Shumsher Ranas. Rana's rule is often associated with tyranny, debauchery, economic exploitation, and religious persecution.
His original name was Bir Narsingh Kunwar, but he was commonly known as Jung Bahadur, a name given to him by his maternal uncle, Mathabar Singh Thapa.

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