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General Gagan Singh Khawas (sinjhapati) (Nepali: गगनसिंह) was a Nepalese General. He was the commander-in-chief of the most powerful party headed by
Queen Rajya Lakshmi Devi, the favourite wife of
King Rajendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. She was anxious to secure the crown for her own son, and meantime permanent
regency
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
for herself. At the height of his power during 1845, general Gagan Singh controlled seven
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
s in the army compared to only three by the
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
Fateh Jung Shah, making him the one holding the real power behind the throne of
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...
. Although he was highly liked and trusted by the queen, his personal demeanor was not arrogant, but because of his previous occupation he was unpopular with the other chiefs. His notorious affair with the queen also made him an object of jealousy and dislike to the king and the royal family. He always used the name and authority of the queen, whose agent he professed to be, and on whom he was constantly in advance. Little is known about his early days. He was shot to death from behind while offering evening prayers at his private temple on the night of September 14, 1846. His assassination remains mysterious, and is considered by historians as one of the untold stories which led to a turnaround of events in the
History of Nepal
The history of Nepal is intertwined with the history of the broader Indian subcontinent and the surrounding regions, comprising the areas of South Asia and East Asia.
Nepal is a multi-ethnic, multiracial, multicultural, multi-religious, and m ...
, and eventually the establishment of the