Jung Bahadur, after his return from Europe,…

Jung Bahadur, after his return from Europe, takes steps to increase his hold over Nepal.

He reduces the king to a prisoner in his own palace, surrounded by agents of the prime minister and restricted and supervised at all times.

No one outside the king's immediate family can see the king without permission from the prime minister.

All communications in the name of the king are censored, and he is allowed to read only approved literature.

In 1856 the king issues a royal decree (sanad) that formalizes the dominance of the Kunwar family.

There are three main provisions in this crucial document.

First, the prime minister has complete authority over all internal administration, including civil, military, and judicial affairs, and all foreign relations, including the powers to make war and peace.

Second, Jung Bahadur is made great king (maharajah) of Kaski and Lamjung districts, in effect serving as their independent ruler.

The Shah king retains the title of maharajadhiraja (supreme king) and the right to use the honorific term shri five times with his name.

The prime minister can use shri three times with his name.

In this way, Jung Bahadur stops short of taking the throne outright but elevates his family to a level second only to the royal house, which remains as a symbol of the nation.

Finally, provisions are established for hereditary succession to the post of prime minister.

Brothers, then sons will inherit the position in order of seniority.

These provisions mean that the dictatorship of the Kunwar family, a virtual monarchy within the monarchy, will be passed down in the family for generations, with no legal mechanism for changing the government.

Later, Jung Bahadur establishes official Rolls of Succession that rank all his descendants in relation to their hereditary rights to the office of prime minister.