imported>K1ngstowngalway1 at 03:24, 29 July 2021

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{{short description|Nepalese princess}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image= Devyani Rana.JPG
| title=
| caption=Devyani Rana during election campaign (2013) of her father
| name = Devyani Rana
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1973}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~royalty/files/pix_nepal3.html|title=RootsWeb.com Home Page|website=freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com|accessdate=21 April 2018}}</ref>
| spouse = ''Kunwar'' Aishwarya Singh of Singrauli
| issue =
| father = [[Pashupati Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana|Pashupati Shamsher JB Rana]]
| mother = ''Rani'' Usha Raje Scindia
| house = [[Rana dynasty]]
| full name = ''Kunwarani'' Devyani Rajya Lakshmi
| religion = [[Hinduism]]
}}

'''Devyani Rana''' ({{lang-ne|देवयानी राणा}}) is the second daughter of [[Pashupati Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana]] and ''Rani'' Usha Raje Scindia, daughter of [[Jivajirao Scindia]], the last maharaja of [[Gwalior]], and the wife of ''Kunwar'' Aishwarya Singh of Singrauli. News reports in 2001 had suggested that the [[Crown Prince]] [[Dipendra of Nepal]] wanted to marry her, but his parents, as well as Devyani's mother, did not agree.

==Early life==
By her father, Devyani was born as a member of the [[Rana dynasty]].{{cn|date=June 2020}} Her mother, Usha Raje Scindia, is a daughter of [[Jivajirao Scindia]], [[Maharaja]] of [[Gwalior State|Gwalior]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/c/churhat.html|title=CHURHAT|first=Henry|last=Soszynski|website=members.iinet.net.au|accessdate=21 April 2018}}</ref> She has one sibling, her older sister, Urvashi Rajya Lakshmi.

Her paternal great-grandfather was [[Mohan Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana|Mohan Shamsher JB Rana]].

She attended Rishi Valley School in AP, Welham Girl's High School, [[Dehradun]], [[Mayo College Girls School]], [[Ajmer]]; [[Lady Shri Ram College|Lady Shriram College]], [[Delhi]] and [[Kathmandu University]] (MA).

==Reports of Crown Prince Dipendra wanting to marry her==
Dipendra was in England between 1987 and 1990, and his local guardian was Baronet, Sir Jeremy Bagge,<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1366105.stm Eton's royal connection] BBC News, 2 June 2001</ref> whose son was also at Eton. Bagge's daughter was a friend of Devyani who was also studying in England.<ref name=nepali/> Dipendra and Devyani met at the Bagges' Norfolk home, and Dipendra quickly fell in love with her and asked her to marry him. However, Dipendra's parents, and especially his mother [[Queen Aishwarya of Nepal|Aishwarya Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah]] (born Rana), opposed the marriage. Devyani's friends also began to suspect Dipendra was sexually assaulting her, although she denied it.<ref name=nepali>[http://www.nepalitimes.com/issue/2001/06/29/FromtheNepaliPress/8217 Dipendra and Devyani] Nepali Times, 20 June 2001</ref><ref>Amy Willesee & Mark Whittaker (2004). ''Love & Death in Kathmandu A Strange Tale of Royal Murder'', 1st U.S. ed. New York : St. Martin's Press, 2004. {{ISBN|1-84413-558-6}} / 1-84413-558-6</ref>

According to an article in the 30 July 2001 New Yorker and other published reports, the refusal of Dipendra's parents to consent to this marriage was the cause of [[Nepalese royal massacre|the massacre of the royal family]] in [[Kingdom of Nepal|Nepal]].{{citation needed|date=September 2011}} However a 2009 report based on an interview with his cousin Paras Shah suggested that there may have been other reasons as well.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/nepal/5078735/Failed-arms-deal-sparked-Nepal-royal-massacre.html Failed arms deal 'sparked' Nepal royal massacre, Thomas Bell, The Telegraph, 30 Mar 2009]</ref> A book "Maile Dekheko Darbar" by former Secretary to the King Birendra suggests that Dipendra may have had significant personality problems.<ref>[http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=18247#.XFeYDSBKi70 Dipendra's troubled childhood Translated excerpt from book, Maile Dekheko Darbar by former Military Secretary to King Birendra Vivek Kumar Shah, Nepali Times, 27 MAY 2011]</ref>

==Post massacre==
Devyani Rana fled to [[India]] immediately after the royal massacre to escape media attention. In 2004, Rana obtained a second master's degree from the [[London School of Economics]]. She was reported to have been working for the United Nations Development Programme in India in 2012.<ref>[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-10/an-life-changes-for-indian-royalty/4305026 Indian royals occupy new place in society, Murali Krishnan, ABC< 9 Oct 2012]</ref>

==Personal life==
On 23 February 2007, Rana married ''Kunwar'' Aishwarya Singh of [[Singrauli]], the son of ''Raja'' [[Bhuvneshwar Prasad Singh]] and ''Rani'' [[Veena Singh]], a royal from the erstwhile state of Singrauli and the grandson of former Indian Human Resources Minister [[Arjun Singh (politician, born 1930)|Arjun Singh]], a royal from the erstwhile state of [[Churhat]].<ref name="website">[http://uqconnect.net/~zzhsoszy/ips/c/churhat.html CHURHAT (Thikana)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522161447/http://uqconnect.net/~zzhsoszy/ips/c/churhat.html |date=2009-05-22 }}</ref> The wedding took place at the Scindia Villa, [[New Delhi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.com.np/2007/02/23/happy-marriage-devyani/|title=Happy Marriage Devyani!|date=23 February 2007|publisher=|accessdate=21 April 2018}}</ref>

In 2017, it was reported that Devyani Rana had become an active member of the [[Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal]] (RPP-N).<ref>[https://indianexpress.com/article/world/nepal-15-years-after-royal-palace-massacre-late-princes-fiancee-eyes-political-role-4519911/ Nepal: 15 years after royal palace massacre, late prince’s fiancee eyes political role, Yubaraj Ghimire, February 12, 2017]</ref>

==Portrayals==
*[[Keerthi Reddy]] portrayed Devyani in the 2002 Indian film [[Super Star (2002 film)|''Super Star'']], which was loosely based on the massacre.<ref>{{cite web |title=Super Star - is it really superstar v/s real star? People say 'No'... |url=http://www.viggy.com/news/volume2/review_super.asp |website=viggy.com}}</ref>
*Indian actress [[Prachi Shah]] portrayed the role of Devyani Rana in the third season of the documentary series ''[[Zero Hour (2004 TV series)|Zero Hour]]'', it showed a reconstruction of the massacre taken from surviving eyewitnesses.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Padukone |first1=Chaitanya |title=Pracchi's tragic take |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-pracchi-s-tragic-take-1073557 |website=[[DNA India]] |language=en |date=9 January 2007}}</ref>

== Ancestry ==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Devyani Rana<ref>[http://www.indianrajputs.com/view/suket Indian Rajputs]</ref><ref>[http://www.indianrajputs.com/view/mangal Indian Rajputs]</ref>'''
|2= 2. [[Pashupati Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana]]
|3= 3. ''[[Raja|Rani]]'' Usha Raje Scindia
|4= 4. Bijaya Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana
|5= 5. ''Rani'' Sarala Kumari Rajya Lakshmi
|6= 6. [[George Jivajirao Scindia|George Jivajirao Scindia, Maharaja of Gwalior]]
|7= 7. [[Vijaya Raje Scindia|''Maharani'' Vijaya Raje Scindia]]
|8= 8. [[Mohan Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana|''Maharaja'' Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana]]
|9= 9. ''Maharani'' Dikshya Kumari
|10= 10. ''[[Mian (title)|Mian]]'' Mahendra Singh, of [[Suket State|Suket]]
|11= 11. a daughter of Rana Trilok Singh of [[Mangal State|Mangal]]
|12= 12. [[Madho Rao Scindia|Madho Rao Scindia, Maharaja of Gwalior]]
|13= 13. ''Maharani'' Gajrabai Raje Sahib Scindia
|14= 14. ''[[Thakur (title)|Thakur]]'' Mahendra Singh, of Kotla
|15= 15. Chuda Devashwari Devi
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rana, Devyani}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:University of Delhi alumni]]
[[Category:Nepalese royalty]]
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:People from Singrauli district]]
[[Category:Mayo College Girls School alumni]]
[[Category:Rana dynasty]]
[[Category:Alumni of Kathmandu University]]
[[Category:20th-century Nepalese nobility]]
[[Category:21st-century Nepalese nobility]]

Devyani Rana - Revision history

imported>K1ngstowngalway1 at 03:24, 29 July 2021