Queen Tripurasundari

Queen Tripurasundari
Queen consort of Nepal Queen regent of Nepal
Statue of Queen Tripurasundari
Born	1794
Died	6 April 1832 Hanuman Dhoka Palace, Basantapur, Kathmandu
Spouse	Rana Bahadur Shah
Full name Lalit Tripura Sundari Devi
Dynasty	Shah dynasty (by marriage), Thapa dynasty (by birth)
Father	Nayan Singh Thapa
Religion	Hinduism

Queen Tripurasundari (1794 - April 6, 1832) (also known as Lalit Tripura Sundari Devi, or Lalit Tripura Sundari Thapa) (Nepali: रानी ललित त्रिपुरासुन्दरी) was the acting regent of Nepal after the assassination of Rana Bahadur Shah, from 1806 to 1832. She was also the first woman to have published literature in Nepal. She had translated some parts of Shantiparva from the Mahabharata in Sanskrit, and published it as 'Rajdharma'.

She was daughter of Kaaji Nain Singh Thapa, brother of Bhimsen Thapa. She was also sister to PM Mathabarsingh Thapa and Jung Bahadur Rana's Mother Ganesh Kumari.

She was married to Rana Bahadur Shah in 1805. After Rana Bahadur Shah was assassinated, Queen Rajeshwari- who acted as the regent for her stepson Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah- was forced to commit sati. As such, Queen Tripurasundari, who had not even reached her teenage, became the regent for her stepson. She continued to be the regent until Girvan Yuddha came of age.

However, Girvan Yuddha died young in 1819. His infant son, Rajendra then became the king. Tripurasundari, now the Queen Grandmother, became the regent for her step-grandson.

She was a staunch supporter of Bhimsen Thapa and was the prime reason for him being the Prime Minister of Nepal for over 31 years.

Queen Tripurasundari was also an author of historical significance. In 1824, she wrote Raj Dharma, a treatise on the duties and responsibilities of a king. The treatise is a Nepali translation of a segment of the Mahabharata. 'Rajdharma' by Lalita Tripura Sundari has been praised by historians as 'a credit to Nepal's language and literature.' She had also written many other poems in Nepali. She also encouraged writers and poets in her court, and with her encouragement, her step Girvan Yuddha Vikram and step grandson Rajendra Vikram had also written three books each.