Princess Sharada Shah of Nepal

Princess Sharada Shah of Nepal or Sharada Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah (2 February 1942 – 1 June 2001) was the middle daughter of King Mahendra of Nepal. Princess Sharada and her husband, Kumar Khadga, were two of the ten members of the Nepalese royal family killed in the June 2001 Nepalese royal massacre.

Princess Sharada Shah
Princess of Nepal
Born	(1942-02-02)2 February 1942 Narayanhity Royal Palace, Kathmandu, Nepal
Died	1 June 2001(2001-06-01) (aged 59) Narayanhity Royal Palace, Kathmandu, Nepal
Cause of death	Assassination (gunshot wounds)
Spouse	Kumar Khadga Bikram Shah ​ ​ (m. 1965)​
Issue	Bikash Bikram Shah Deebas Bikram Shah Ashish Bikram Shah
Names Sharada Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah
House	Shah dynasty (by birth)
Father	Mahendra of Nepal
Mother	Indra Rajya Lakshmi Devi
Religion	Hindu

Life

Princess Sharada was the second daughter of King Mahendra and his first wife, Crown Princess Indra.

The name Sharada means "Goddess of Art and Knowledge".^[1]

Princess Sharada was educated at Loreto Convent, Darjeeling and Tribhuvan University. She was active in social welfare and child welfare activities. Princess Sharada was affiliated with the Nepalese Red Cross Society, the Disaster Relief Subcommittee, and the Child Welfare Subcommittee, among other organizations. In 1971, she founded the SOS Village-Nepal, and was its chairperson.

Princess Sharada married Kumar Khadga Bikram Shah (1939–2001) on 29 May 1965 in Kathmandu. His ancestors were the rajas of Jumla in the far west of Nepal. He was a well-known academic and writer,^[2] and they had three sons:^[3]

1. Brigadier General Bikash Bikram Shah, Special Operations Force Commander:^[4] First married to Sheeba Shivangini Singh, a writer.^[5][6][7] Later they divorced, and he married Priyadarshini Pande, a granddaughter of Sardar Bhim Bahadur Pande, a member of the aristocratic Pande family.^[8]
2. Deebas Bikram Shah, Convener: ^[9] He married Preeti Rajya Lakshmi.^{[citation needed]}
3. Ashish Bikram Shah: He married Pramada Rajya Lakshmi, a social activist, daughter of Prabhat Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana and his wife, Neera Rajya Lakshmi, and granddaughter of Nir Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana and his second wife, Bimala Rajya Lakshmi.^{[10][11][12][13]} Later they divorced.^[13]

Both Princess Sharada and Kumar Khadga were killed in the Nepalese royal massacre on June 1, 2001.^[10]

Honours

National Honours^{[citation needed]}

• Member of the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu, 1st class (13 April 1972).
• King Mahendra Investiture Medal (2 May 1956).
• King Birendra Investiture Medal (24 February 1975).
• Commemorative Silver Jubilee Medal of King Birendra (31 January 1997).

Foreign Honours^{[citation needed]}

• Japan : Dame Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown (16 May 1978).
• Spain : Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (17 September 1983).^[14]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Princess Sharada Shah of Nepal

16. Trailokya, Crown Prince of Nepal 8. King Prithvi of Nepal 17. Lalit Rajeshwori Rajya Lakshmi Devi 4. King Tribhuvan of Nepal 9. Divyeshwari Rajya Lakshmi Devi 2. King Mahendra of Nepal 10. Arjan Singh Sahib, Raja of Chhatara, Barhgaon and Oudh 5. Kanti Rajya Lakshmi Devi 11. Krishnavati Devi Sahiba 1. Princess Sharada Shah of Nepal 24. Dhir Shamsher Rana 12. Juddha Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, Maharaja of Lambjang and Kaski 25. Juhar Kumari Devi 6. Hari Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, Maharaja of Lambjang and Kaski 26. N. Bikram Shah 13. Jetha Bada Maharani Padma Kumari 3. Indra Rajya Lakshmi Devi 14. N. Bikram Shah 7. Megha Kumari Rajya Lakshmi