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Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

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 mai ...

, death_date = , death_place =

Rara Rara is a form of festival music that originated in Haiti that is used for street processions, typically during Easter Week. The music centers on a set of cylindrical bamboo trumpets called vaksin, but also features drums, maracas, güiras or g ...

( 2001 Fishtail Air Eurocopter AS350 crash) , spouse = , issue = Princess Puja
Princess Dilasha
Princess Sitashma , father = Kendra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana , mother = Shree Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah , house =

Rana Rana may refer to: Astronomy * Rana (crater), a crater on Mars * Delta Eridani or Rana, a star People, groups and titles * Rana (name), a given name and surname (including a list of people and characters with the name) * Rana (title), a histori ...

Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

, religion =

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

Princess Prekshya Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah of Nepal (19 January 1952 – 12 November 2001) was a princess consort of

who died in a helicopter accident in

Rara Lake Rara Lake also known as Mahendra Lake is the largest fresh water lake in the Nepalese Himalayas. It is the main feature of Rara National Park, located in Jumla District, Jumla and Mugu Districts of Karnali Province. Rara National Park stretches ov ...

along with three other passengers.

Life

Princess Prekshya was the younger sister of

Queen Aishwarya of Nepal Aishwarya Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah ( ne, ऐश्वर्य राज्य लक्ष्मी देवी शाह) (7 November 1949 – 1 June 2001) was the Queen of Nepal from 1972 to 2001, also referred as '' Bada Maharani'' (बडा ...

and

Queen Komal of Nepal Queen Komal of Nepal ( ne, कोमल राज्य लक्ष्मी देवी शाह) (born 18 February 1951) is the wife of former King Gyanendra of Nepal. She was the last Queen consort of Nepal before the monarchy was abolish ...

. She was educated at St Mary's School,

Jawalakhel Jāwalākhel ( ne, जावलाखेल) is a subdivision of Lalitpur in Nepal. It is located 2 km from the ancient city centre Pātan, one of the three great capitals of Nepal until the 18th century. It derives its name from Jaulakhel ...

; St Helen's Convent,

Kurseong Kurseong is a town and a municipality in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Kurseong subdivision. Located at an altitude of , Kurseong is from Darjeeling and has a pleasant climate throughout ...

; and

Tribhuvan University Tribhuvan University (TU; ne, त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालय) is a public university located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu. Established in 1959, TU is the oldest university in Nepal. In terms of enrollment, it is t ...

. Princess Prekshya married her second cousin Prince Dhirendra, a brother of

King Birendra Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज वीरेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव ) (28 December 1945 – 1 June 2001) was the tenth Shah Ruler and the King of N ...

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

, on 13 February 1972. Prekshya and Dhirendra had three daughters: * Princess Puja Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah of Nepal (born

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

), married Captain Dr Rajiv Raj Shahi in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

. She had children; * Princess Dilasha Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah of Nepal (born

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

), married in

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

Adarsha Bikram Rana. She had children; * Princess Sitashma Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah of Nepal (born

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

), married Abinesh Shah in

. She had children. Princess Prekshya did not get along with her husband. She and Dhirendra separated when he renounced the style of

Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it takes ...

, which Prekshya did not. They did not divorce, but Dhirendra went to live in London with an English woman who became his partner. Dhirendra was killed in the

Nepalese royal massacre The Nepalese royal massacre occurred on 1 June 2001 at the Narayanhiti Palace, the then-residence of the Nepalese monarchy. Nine members of the royal family, including King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, were killed in a mass shooting during a ga ...

on 1 June 2001; Princess Prekshya did not attend the event due to back problems. She died on 12 November 2001, in a

helicopter crash A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

: she was returning to

on the helicopter when suddenly, right under Lake Rara, the helicopter crashed; her lifeless body was found in the waters of the lake. She was only 49 years old. Her body was later transported to

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

for cremation. After the death of the Princess, the Prime Minister

Pushpa Kamal Dahal Pushpa Kamal Dahal ( ne, पुष्पकमल दाहाल; born 11 December 1954), also widely known by his nom de guerre Prachanda (, ; meaning "fierce"), is a Nepalese politician serving as the current Prime Minister of Nepal. He pre ...

declared that there was a bond between the royal massacre and the death of Prekshya.

Patronages

* Member of

Raj Sabha Raj or RAJ may refer to: History * British Raj, the 1858–1947 rule of the British Crown over India * Company Raj, the 1757–1858 rule of the East India Company in South Asia * Licence Raj, the Indian system of elaborate licences, regulation ...

(The King's Council) (1977). * Co-Chief of the

Scout Movement Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

of Nepal (1975).

Styles

* ''Lady'' Prekshya Rajya Lakshmi Devi (1952–1972). * ''HRH'' Princess Prekshya Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah of Nepal (1972–2001).

Honours

National honours

* Member of the Order of the Gurkha Right Hand, 1st class (1975). * Member of the Order of the Three Divine Powers, 1st class (23 October 2001). * King Birendra Investiture Medal (24 February 1975).

Foreign honours

* Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

(GCVO, 17 February 1986).

References

1953 births 2001 deaths Nepalese princesses Members of the Order of Tri Shakti Patta, First Class Members of the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu, First Class Honorary Dames Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Nepal 20th-century Nepalese nobility {{Nepal-bio-stub