Hidden Women: The Ruling Women of the Rana Dynasty Book

Mere shadows in the life of Jung Bahadur Kunwar Rana, the founder of the Rana dynasty that ruled Nepal for 104 years, Hidden Women are women about whom we know nothing, or very little. Not much is written about these women in Jung Bahadur’s life except that against his wishes they committed sati when he was cremated. Strong and independent, they enjoyed a prominent place in his life, and ironically the one he admired most, tried to kill him. Narrated through the eyes of Jung Bahadur’s wet-nurse, the story is a sensitive depiction of women. Thoroughly researched, Greta Rana builds together a feasible picture of how women lived and thought, hoped and died in a restrictive feudal society of Nepal.