The Ranas of Nepal were de facto rulers of the kingdom for slightly over a century, reigning as prime ministers of the state, with the king as a figurehead. Their rule, while bringing stability to a fraught empire, has also been criticized for economic and religious excesses, and for tyranny. Now, for the first time, a descendant of the Rana clan opens up about his family, setting right certain historical misconceptions, and offering an honest critique of what was one of the most vital periods in the history of Nepal which drew to a close in 1951. The main focus of the book is concentrated in the last fifty years of the Rana regime; these are also the years when the voices, dissent and revolutionary activates against the excesses for the Rana rulers sprouted, spread and eventually uprooted. Frank, forthright and balanced, Singha Durbar is one of the most important historical accounts to have been published on the Himalayan kingdom in recent years.