The Rana dynasty is a family who usurped control of Nepal from the mid-19th century until 1951, reducing the monarch to a figurehead and ruling through hereditary government positions.

Jang Bahadur was the first ruler from this family. He was named Rana, after an old title denoting martial glory used by Rajput princes in northern India. His descendants took this name as their family name. Jang Bahadur was a ruler of Nepal and founder of the Rana dynasty. ...