Lakhan Thapa Magar (1835–1877) was a Nepali revolutionary who was professed the "First Martyr of Nepal" by the Nepalese government. He was the first recorded Nepali political dissident and resisted the rule of the Rana dynasty. As a king of Bungkot, he rebelled against the rule of Jang Bahadur Rana and propagandized his political ideology to destroy the Jung Bahadur Rana regime to form a free state and army. He was supported by his close friend Jay Singh Chumi Magar and his minister Jaya Singh Chumi.

Kot Massacre of 1846

The murder of General Gagan Singh Bhandari followed the Kot Massacre of 14 September 1846 that catapulted the Ranas into power for 104 years. The reigning queen wanted to realize the murderer of General Gagan Singh Bhandari. General Abhiman Singh Rana Magar, who was the first General or Commander-in-Chief of Nepal Army, had known who the killer was. Upon learning of the general's knowledge, Jung Bahadur Rana subsequently fatally shot the general. However, the dying general shouted about the killer's identity, and afterward, Junga Bahadur Rana was motivated to eliminate all nobles in and out of the royal house. This included ethnic leaders like Lakhan Thapa Magar to secure his position.

Resistance

After the Rana takeover, Lakhan Thapa Magar could not allow the iron-fisted rule of the dynasty. He organized some youths (some ex-military) to protest against the government. Along with men he brought weapons and supplies to rebel against the government. The Rana government responded by deploying troops to Gorkha. Jung Bahadur thought to eliminate Thapa Magar and other rebels and ordered to hang them. After sometime, Thapa Magar was hanged in front of his residence in Bungkot on 14 February 1877 and seven others were hanged near Manakamana Temple. Some historians have written that the government had captured and hanged 50 other participants. Notably, one of the descendants of Jung Bahadur Rana has disputed Magar's claim to martyrdom. But all renowned historians of Nepal have attested that Lakhan Thapa Magar was hanged to death.

Legacy

While historically Lakhan Thapa has been seen as a silly figure, in the 1990s his image was rehabilitated in the eyes of the public. Historian and then Director General of Nepal Government's Department of Archaeology, Janak Lal Sharma, has written that Jung Bahadur Rana's harsh rule prompted an inevitable revolution. Some historians have drawn a parallel between Lakhan Thapa and Bhagat Singh of India, saying that, like Singh, Thapa was a prominent political martyr in his country.

Family tree

Lakhan Thapa Magar's Siblings: