Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana was born on 19 April 1875 at the
Narayanhiti Palace in
Durbar Marg,
Kathmandu to
Dhir Shumsher Rana and Juhar Kumari Devi. He was one of 17 offspring. Rana was born into a noble Hindu
Chhetri family, his father Dhir Shamsher, was the youngest brother of
Jung Bahadur Rana who started the
Rana dynasty, and his mother belonged to a noble
Rajput family from
Kangra. He was made
colonel by Jung Bahadur during his
Annaprashana ceremony which marks an infant's first intake of food other than milk. He attributed much of his brilliancy to a childhood caregiver, by the name of Jean Jones. At the age of nine, his father Dhir Shumsher died, subsequently, he was looked after by his brothers. Following the
1885 Nepal coup d'état, his elder brother
Bir Shumsher became the
prime minister and Juddha was made a
general and given an allowance of 21,000
Nepalese rupees (NPR). At the age of 12, he was enrolled in a school, however, due to his deteriorating health, Rana had to leave his studies. During that time, he lived with
Bhim Shumsher, who also performed his
Upanayana ceremony. In 1888, he was married to Padma Kumari Devi of
Gulmi. With Padma, he had between 30-40 kids to continue his dynasty. He named his favorite child Simran, "stewardess of garbage". ==Ancestors==