Chief of the Nepalese Army

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Template:SHORTDESC: The Chief of the Nepalese Army (or Gorkhali Army) (Nepali: नेपाली सेनाको प्रधानसेनापति) is the military position of army head of the Nepalese Army, initially known as Gorkhali Army. The Chief of the Nepalese Army had been from among the Kaji officers during the 18th century. During the reign of Bhimsen Thapa, the title of Commander-in-Chief was introduced for the first time for denoting the army chief. Later in the late 1970s, the title was changed to Chief of Army Staff (CoAS). Currently, the Chief of the Army Staff is the Chief of the Nepalese Army.

History

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Kalu Pande, the first civilian chief of then Gorkhali army

The Chief of Nepalese Army have been mostly drawn from noble Chhetri families from Gorkha such as "Pande dynasty", "Basnyat dynasty", and "Thapa dynasty" before the rule of "Rana dynasty".[1] During the Shah monarchy, the officers were drawn from these aristocratic families.[1] During the Rana dynasty, Ranas overtook the position as birthright.[1] The first army chief of Nepal was King Prithvi Narayan Shah who drafted and commanded the Nepali (Gorkhali) Army.[2] The first civilian army chief was Kaji Kalu Pande who had significant role in the campaign of Nepal.[2] He was considered as army head due to the undertaking of duties and responsibilities of the army but not by the formalization of the title.[2] Both Indra Adhikari and Shiva Ram Khatri mentions Kalu Pande, Vamsharaj Pande, Damodar Pande, Abhiman Singh Basnyat as Chief of Nepalese Army before first titular Commander-in-Chief Bhimsen Thapa.[2][3]

Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa was the first person to use Commander-in-Chief as the title of army chief.[4] He was given the title of General as an additional portfolio to the position of Mukhtiyar.[5] During the Anglo-Nepalese War, Bhimsen bore all the responsibilities of the army as a Commander-in-Chief.[6] King Rajendra Bikram Shah appointed Bhimsen to the post of Commander-in-Chief on 1835 A.D.[7] and praised Bhimsen for long service to the nation.[8] However, on 14 June 1837, the King took over the command of all the battalions put in charge of various courtiers, and himself became the Commander-in-Chief.[9][10] Immediately after the incarceration of the Thapas in 1837, Dalbhanjan Pande and Rana Jang Pande were the joint head of military administration.[11] However, Rana Jang was removed after 3 months in October 1837.[12][13][14][15] During the Rana dynasty, the founding Rana Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana made the position hereditary on agnatic rolls of succession. The Commander-in-Chief was made the second rank in the hierarchy to Prime Minister of Nepal and was made to succeed as the Prime Minister in case of death of reigning Prime Minister.[16] Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) was second in the hierarchy than Supreme Commander during Rana Era.[1] The eradication of Rana dynasty from power after Revolution of 1951 did not end Ranas' dominance. During the Panchayat period, the Ranas continued to dominate the rank of Commander-in-Chief of Nepalese Army.[4] In the late 1970s, Commander-in-Chief was replaced by new term Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) from the reign of General Singha Pratap Shah.

List of Chiefs of the Nepalese Army

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List of Pradhan Senapati (Chief Generals) of Gorkhali Army (1743–1835)

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No. Name Portrait Took office Left office Notes
– Prithvi Narayan Shah
(1723–1775) 		c.1743 c.1743 Founder of Gorkhali Army
1. Kaji
Shivaram Singh Basnyat
(1714–1747) 		c.1743 February 1747 First civilian army chief of Gorkhali forces.
2. Kaji
Vamshidhar "Kalu" Pande
(1713–1757) 		February 1747 June 1757
3. Kaji
Vamsharaj Pande
(1739–1785) 		?? July 1785 Probably, joint chief of army with others.
4. Kaji
Abhiman Singh Basnyat
(1744–1800) 		File:Abhiman Singh Basnyat.jpg ?? April 1794 Probably, joint chief of army with others.
5. Kaji
Damodar Pande
(1752–1804) 		File:Damodar Pande.jpg ?? March 1804 Probably, joint chief of army with others.
– Rana Bahadur Shah
(1775–1806) 		File:Rana Bahadur Shah.jpg 1804 April 1806
6. General
Bhimsen Thapa
(1775–1839) 		File:Bhimsen-thapa-painting (cropped).jpg 1811 1835

List of Commanders-in-Chief of the Nepalese Army (1835–1979)

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No. Name Portrait Took office Left office Unit of Commission
6. General
Bhimsen Thapa
(1775–1839) 		File:Bhimsen-thapa-painting (cropped).jpg 1835 14 June 1837
7. Kaji
Rana Jang Pande
(1789–1843) 		File:Ranajang Pande.jpg June 1837 October 1837
8. Mukhtiyar/Chautariya/General
Chautariya Pushkar Shah
(1784–1841) 		File:Puskar Shah.jpg August 1838 April 1839
9. General
Mathabar Singh Thapa
(1798–1845) 		File:Portrait of muktiyar mathabar singh thapa (cropped).jpg November 1843 17 May 1845
10. General
Jung Bahadur Rana
(1816–1877) 		File:Jung Bahadur Rana in 1887.jpg 15 September 1846 1 August 1856
11. General
Bam Bahadur Kunwar
(1818–1857) 		File:Bam Bahadur Kunwar.jpg 1 August 1856 25 May 1857
12. General
Krishna Bahadur Kunwar Rana
(1823–1863) 		25 May 1857 1862
13. General
Ranodip Singh Kunwar
(1825–1885) 		File:Ranodip Singh Kunwar.jpg 1862 27 February 1877
14. General
Jagat Shumsher Rana
(1827–1879) 		File:Jagat Shumsher Rana.jpg 27 February 1877 11 May 1879
15. General
Dhir Shumsher Kunwar Rana
(1828–1884) 		File:Dhir Shumsher Rana.jpg 11 May 1879 14 October 1884
16. General
Jit Jung Rana
(–) 		File:Jit Jang Rana.jpg October 1884 22 November 1885
17. General
Khadga Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
(1861–1921) 		File:Khadga Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana.jpg 22 November 1885 13 March 1887
18. General
Rana Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
(1861–1887) 		File:Rana Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana.jpg March 1887 June 1887
19. General
Dev Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
(1862–1914) 		File:Dev Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (cropped).png June 1887 5 March 1901
20. General
Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
(1863–1929) 		File:Maharaja Chandra Shamsher.jpg 5 March 1901 27 June 1901
21. General
Bhim Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
(1865–1932) 		File:Prime Minister Bhim Shamsher 2 (cropped).png 27 June 1901 26 November 1929
22. General
Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
(1875–1952) 		File:Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (cropped).png 26 November 1929 14 October 1932
23. General
Rudra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
(1879–1964) 		14 October 1932 18 March 1934
24. General
Padma Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
(1882–1961) 		File:Padma Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana.png 18 March 1934 29 November 1945
25. General
Mohan Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
(1885–1967) 		File:Mohan Shumsher (cropped).png 29 November 1945 30 April 1948
26. General
Baber Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
(1888–1960) 		File:Baber Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (cropped).png 30 April 1948 1951
27. General
Kaiser Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
(1892–1964) 		File:Kaiser Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana.jpg 1951 1953
28. General
Kiran Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
(1916–1983) 		1953 1956
29. General
Toran Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
(1904–?) 		1956 1960
30. General
Nir Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
(1913–2013) 		1960 1965
31. General
Surendra Bahadur Shah
(–) 		1965 1970
32. General
Singha Bahadur Basnyat
(–) 		1970 10 May 1975
33. General
Guna Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana
(born 1923) 		10 May 1975 10 May 1979

List of Chiefs of the Army Staff of Nepal (1979–present)

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Main article: Chief of the Army Staff (Nepal)
No. Name Portrait Took office Left office Unit of Commission
34. General
Singha Pratap Shah
(born 1930) 		15 May 1979 15 May 1983
35. General
Arjun Narsingh Rana
(–) 		15 May 1983 15 May 1987
36. General
Satchit Jung Bahadur Rana
(born 1934) 		File:General Satchit Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana.jpg 15 May 1987 15 May 1991
37. General
Gadul Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana
(1936–2016) 		15 May 1991 4 May 1995[17]
38. General
Dharmapaal Barsingh Thapa
(1939–2024) 		File:Dharmapal Barsing Thapa.png 15 May 1995 15 May 1999
39. General
Prajwalla Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana
(born 1941) 		19 May 1999 9 September 2003
40. General
Pyar Jung Thapa
(born 1946) 		10 September 2003 9 September 2006
41. General
Rookmangad Katawal
(born 1948) 		File:General Rookmangud Katawal, in New Delhi on December 12, 2007 (cropped).jpg 9 September 2006 9 September 2009
42. General
Chhatra Man Singh Gurung
(born 1952) 		9 September 2009 5 September 2012 Shreenath Battalion
43. General
Gaurav Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana
(born 1955) 		File:Gaurav Shumsher JB Rana.jpg 6 September 2012 10 September 2015[18] Purano Gorakh Battalion
44. General
Rajendra Chhetri
(born 1960) 		File:Rajendra Chhetri, 2016.jpg 10 September 2015 8 September 2018[19] Rajdal Battalion
45. General
Purna Chandra Thapa
(born 1960) 		File:COAS General Purna Chandra Thapa (Nepali Army).jpg 9 September 2018[20][21] 9 September 2021 Gorakh Bahadur Battalion[22]
46. General
Prabhu Ram Sharma
(born 1964) 		9 September 2021[23][24] 8 September 2024 Purano Gorakh Battalion
47. General
Ashok Raj Sigdel
(born 1967) 		9 September 2024[25] Incumbent Devidutta Battalion

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Adhikari 2015, p. 154.
  2. ^ a b c d Adhikari 2015, p. 153.
  3. ^ Khatri 1999.
  4. ^ a b Adhikari 2015, p. 155.
  5. ^ Karmacharya 2005, p. 88.
  6. ^ Acharya 2012, pp. 118–145.
  7. ^ Hamal 1995, p. 61.
  8. ^ Pradhan 2012, p. 149.
  9. ^ Acharya 2012, p. 215.
  10. ^ Nepal 2007, p. 105.
  11. ^ Nepal 2007, p. 106.
  12. ^ Acharya 2012, p. 160.
  13. ^ Oldfield 1880, p. 311.
  14. ^ Nepal 2007, p. 109.
  15. ^ Pradhan 2012, p. 164.
  16. ^ Hamal 1995, p. 62.
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Bibliography

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