Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
opponents and emerged victorious. Eventually, he rose to the
position of supreme army leader in the royal court. In this role,
he immediately took control of the government and exiled
more than 6,000 of his perceived enemies to India.
By the midﾭnineteenth century, Jung Bahadur had estabﾭ
lished a hereditary regime that would place Nepal in the grips
of a family dictatorship for more than 100 years. As a result of
his dictatorial leadership, writers of Nepalese history have not
treated him kindly. He remains, however, a wellﾭknown figure
in his country's past. Jung Bahadur is famous for his bravery,
intelligence, command, and many of his deeds, and he took
a number of positive and innovative steps toward improvﾭ
ing Nepal. For example, he attempted to make government
less bureaucratic and the courts more accountable. He also
attempted to modernize the country.
Jung Bahadur is also recognized for another important
deedﾭhis historic trip to Great Britain from April 1850 to Febﾭ
ruary 1851. This event marked the first time in history that a
powerful Nepalese leader had ventured far from his homeland.
The tour helped to solidify relations between Nepal and British
India and further secured Nepal's sovereignty. He realized that
good relations with the British East India Company could help
to maintain Nepal's independence. The trip also afforded him
a broad view of the outer world, modern developments, indusﾭ
trialization, and the European lifestyle.
In 1854, Jung Bahadur drafted and launched the
Muluki
Ain,
a series of administrative procedures and legal frameworks
that addressed a variety of issues. With the help of the Muluki
Ain, Jung Bahadur took control of all state power.
Jung Bahadur also tried to repair the broken relations with
Tibet. In 1856, a treaty was signed that gave Nepal dutyﾭfree
privileges on trade and permitted a resident (business office)
in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa. In 1857, Jung Bahadur personﾭ
ally headed a military campaign that crushed the Sepoy Revolt
