Editing Politics of Nepal (section)

===Family politics===
{{multiple image
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 | header = 
 | image1 = Damodar Pande.jpg
 | width1 = 150
 | alt1 = Damodar Pande
 | link1 = Damodar Pande
 | caption1 = [[Damodar Pande]], Mulkaji of Nepal from aristocratic [[Pande family]] (1799–1804)<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/nepal/10.htm Nepal:The Struggle for Power] (Sourced to [[U.S. Library of Congress]])</ref><ref>{{cite book| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UWQtAAAAQBAJ&dq=Damodar+Pande+kill&pg=PT216| title = The Bloodstained Throne Struggles for Power in Nepal (1775-1914) - Baburam Acharya| isbn = 9789351182047| last1 = Acharya| first1 = Baburam| date = 15 August 2013| publisher = Penguin UK}}</ref>
 | image2 = Bhimsen Thapa from Art et Civilisation.jpg
 | width2 = 185
 | alt2 = Bhimsen Thapa
 | link2 = Bhimsen Thapa
 | caption2 = [[Bhimsen Thapa]], Mukhtiyar of Nepal from aristocratic [[Thapa family]] (1806–1837){{sfn|Karmacharya|2005|p=88}}

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The four noble families to be involved in the active politics of the Kingdom of Nepal before the rise of the [[Rana dynasty]] were the [[Shah dynasty]], the [[Basnyat family]], the [[Pande dynasty]] and the [[Thapa dynasty]].{{sfn|Joshi|Rose|1966|p=23}} At the end of 18th century, the Thapas and the Pandes had extreme dominance over Nepalese Darbar politics, alternatively contesting for central power with one another.{{sfn|Pradhan|2012|p=9}} Early politics in the [[Kingdom of Nepal]] was characterised by factionalism, conspiracies and murders, including two major massacres.{{efn|See [[Kot massacre]] and [[1806 Bhandarkhal massacre|Bhandarkhal massacre]]}} After almost a century of power-wrangling among the Basnyat, Pande and Thapa families, the military leader [[Jung Bahadur Rana|Bir Narsingh Kunwar]]{{Efn|later known as Janga Bahadur Rana|name=|group=}} emerged on top in the aftermath of the [[Kot massacre]], and established the [[Rana dynasty]] in 1846, which consolidated powers of [[King of Nepal|the king]] and prime minister and would reign for another century with a policy of oppression and isolationism.<ref>{{Citation|url=http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com.np/news/2018-09-15/the-misunderstood-queen.html|title=The misunderstood queen|newspaper=[[The Kathmandu Post]]|language=en|access-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821072837/http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com.np/news/2018-09-15/the-misunderstood-queen.html|archive-date=21 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|url=https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/70006/|title=War changed everything|last=Basnyat|first=Prem Singh|newspaper=[[Republica (newspaper)|Republica]]|language=en|access-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821072835/https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/70006/|archive-date=21 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>