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{{short description|Gorkhali general}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox military person
|honorific_prefix = Kaji
|name = Jayant Rana
|native_name = जयन्त राना
|native_name_lang = ne
|birth_name = Jayant Rana Magar
|birth_place = [[Gorkha Kingdom]] (present day [[Gorkha]], [[Nepal]])
|death_date = 1744
|death_place = Belkot (present day [[Nuwakot District]])
|allegiance = [[Gorkha Kingdom]] [[Kingdom of Kantipur]]
|serviceyears = c. 1736 – 1744
|rank = [[Kaji (Nepal)|Kaji]]
|spouse = Unknown
|children = Sankhamani Rana
|battles = Battle of Nuwakot (1736) Battle of Nuwakot (1743) [[Battle of Nuwakot]] (1744) [[Battle of Belkot]] (1744){{KIA}}
|website = 
}}
[[Kaji (Nepal)|Kaji]] '''Jayant Rana Magar''' was a Gorkhali [[General officer|general]] of the [[Gorkha Kingdom]], and the [[Kingdom of Kantipur]] who commanded one battle for Gorkha, and two battles for Kantipur against the invasion of Nuwakot. He died in 1774 after ordering to be skinned alive by [[Prithvi Narayan Shah]], first [[King of Nepal]].

== Biography ==
[[File:Battle of Nuwakot.webp|thumb|Gorkhali troops storming Nuwakot Fort during the [[Battle of Nuwakot]] (1744).|left]]
King of Gorkha, [[Nara Bhupal Shah]], made Jayant Rana commander of his army with [[Maheshwar Panta]].{{Sfn|Singh|2013|p=13}} In 1736, the king sent both commanders to attack Nuwakot, territory controlled by the [[Kingdom of Kantipur]] but the attack was unsuccessful.{{Sfn|Singh|2013|p=13}} They made a retreat back to Gorkha, however, both commanders blamed each other for the defeat.{{Sfn|Singh|2013|p=13}} Fearing for his life, Rana quitted the army of Gorkha, subsequently joined the Kantipur army.{{Sfn|Singh|2013|p=13}} King of Kantipur, [[Jaya Prakash Malla]], appointed Rana to defend attacks from Gorkha as he had inside information on their strengths and weaknesses.{{Sfn|Hamal|1995|p=89}} [[Prithvi Narayan Shah]] ascended the throne of the Gorkha Kingdom in 1743 after the death of his father Nara Bhupal Shah.{{sfn|Shrestha|2017|p=28}} Like his father, he attacked Nuwakot, but he failed to win, thus he began to improve military technology and manpower.{{Sfn|Hamal|1995|p=89}}

When preparing for a war against Nuwakot, Prithvi Narayan Shah, wrote a letter to Jayant Rana to join Gorkha, mentioning his ex-relations, however, he declined to join his side, adding "I am yours, but I have already eaten the salt of [[Jaya Prakash Malla|Jaya Prakash]]. Now I would die for him".{{Sfn|Singh|1997|p=112}} Later, Jayant Rana became aware of an oncoming attack from Gorkha and he assigned his son Sankhamani Rana to defend Nuwakot, then Jayant went to Kantipur to get more soldiers.{{Sfn|Hamal|1995|p=97}} However, Kantipur was celebrating a major festival of [[Indra Jatra]], thus he failed to get any additional soldiers to defend Nuwakot.{{Sfn|Hamal|1995|p=97}} Meanwhile, Prithvi Narayan Shah attacked Nuwakot, as soldiers were unprepared so they started to run away to Belkot.{{Sfn|Hamal|1995|p=99}} Rana's son, Sankhamani was killed in action.{{Sfn|Singh|2013|p=15}} On 1 October 1744, Gorkha Kingdom won the war, subsequently, Jayant Rana was going back to Nuwakot but decided to stay at Belkot for a counterattack, and started to prepare for another battle with Gorkha.{{Sfn|Khand|2005|p=196}}{{Sfn|Singh|1997|p=112}}{{Sfn|Douglas|2020|p=6.7}} Later Prithvi Narayan Shah [[Battle of Belkot|attacked Belkot]] and won a nearly [[Pyrrhic victory]], upon victory, Rana was captured.{{Sfn|Singh|1997|p=112}} In 1744, Shah brought Rana to Nuwakot and ordered him to be skinned alive with the presence of people from Gorkha, and Nuwakot.{{Sfn|Khand|2005|p=196}}{{Sfn|Douglas|2020|p=6.6}} Jayant Rana is remembered for being one of the "recorded act of violence" of [[Prithvi Narayan Shah]].{{Sfn|Douglas|2020|p=6.6}}
== References ==

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|20em}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Mahendra Man |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wRdBDwAAQBAJ |title=Forever Incomplete: The Story of Nepal |date=30 June 2013 |publisher=SAGE Publishing India |isbn=978-81-321-1805-3 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Shrestha |first=Nanda R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qZapDQAAQBAJ |title=Historical Dictionary of Nepal |date=8 February 2017 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-7770-0 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hamal |first=Lakshman B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O3RuAAAAMAAJ |title=Military History of Nepal |date=1995 |publisher=Sharda Pustak Mandir |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Khand |first=Jitendra Dhoj |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g-FQAQAAIAAJ |title=Strategic Thought |date=2005 |publisher=Aarati, Prapti, Ajeeta Khand |isbn=978-99946-57-64-3 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Nagendra Kr |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Aaog6bnQlNYC |title=Nepal: Refugee to Ruler : a Militant Race of Nepal |date=1997 |publisher=APH Publishing |isbn=978-81-7024-847-7 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Douglas |first=Ed |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oqnBDwAAQBAJ |title=Himalaya: A Human History |date=27 August 2020 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-1-4735-4614-1 |language=en}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rana, Jayant}}

[[Category:1744 deaths]]
[[Category:18th-century Nepalese people]]
[[Category:Gurkhas]]
[[Category:People executed by flaying]]
[[Category:People from Gorkha District]]
[[Category:Unification of Nepal]]
[[Category:People of the Nepalese unification]]
[[Category:Nepalese prisoners of war]]

Jayant Rana - Revision history

Bot at 13:56, 18 October 2022