In 1850, Jung Bahadur Rana visited Europe with the intention of estimating the military power of European countries. He was the first high-ranking person from South Asia to pay such a visit to European countries, due to which he gained a lot of media attention in Europe. As a result of his visit, Jung Bahadur was able to gain international recognition for Nepal as a sovereign nation.
Travel from Nepal to England
The journey to Europe started on 4 Magh 1906 BS (January, 1850) from Kathmandu. They took the route of Chisapani to cross the border. On the way, Jung Bahadur captured four elephants, as well as killing four tigers and some deer. From Chisapani, they reached Kadarawana Gadhi where Jung Bahadur gave gifts to the local peasants. He crossed the border of present-day India and camped in the village of Dhaka. On the seventh day of his journey, he reached Patna.
Patna and Calcutta
Jung Bahadur received a 19-gun salute by an English senior official while staying at Mahila Sahib. They reached Calcutta via Sundarban in 11 days. On arrival at Calcutta, he was welcomed by a crowd of around 125,000 people, along with English civil officials. A band and gun salute were present at the event.
A feast was organized by the English governor general and in the following days a sight seeing tour of Calcutta was arranged to see the army camp, gardens and markets. He also visited Sri Jagannath temple where he donated NPR 1,000. After a few weeks, he took the SS Haddington steamship and set sail to Europe.
The ship was 300 ft long and 75 ft wide. It carried about 1,200 passengers. Each passenger had a bed and three meals a day. A band provided entertainment on board. There were four cannons in board to protect against pirates. Jung Bahadur listened to Englishman's conversation and watched passengers dance on the ship. For entertainment, he shot about 300 rounds from his rifle every day to hit a bottle hung from the mast, sometimes competing with Englishmen. He even milked cows by himself to prevent impure food from entering his body.
They refilled the board with supplies when they reached Chinapattan (modern Madras). He visited the local area before leaving for Ceylon (current Sri Lanka).
Stop in Ceylon
Upon reaching Ceylon, he was received by a gun salute and band. A parade was held in his honour. He visited the forests and markets of Sri Lanka. After two days in Ceylon, they sailed to the island of Aden.
Stop in Aden, Egypt, and Malta
After 8 days, they reached Aden, where he was received by an English garrison, including a general and a colonel. He noticed Aden was a rocky island without any green vegetation. From there, they travelled to Egypt, arriving in eight days. Using six-horsed carriages, they reached Cairo. They sailed along the Nile river from Faroja and reached Alexandria. He met the Wāli there. The Wāli presented a large quantity of food for Jung Bahadur's travels.
After sailing for seven days from Alexandria, they stopped briefly in Malta. They then travelled to Gibraltar in three days. The ship stopped there for about five hours before they sailed to England.
In Britain
Jung Bahadur landed in Southampton, England. There, a local customs officer asked him to open his baggage. Feeling insulted, Jung Bahadur threatened to take the next steamer back to Alexandria. However, they resolved the argument in an office house of P&O Shipping Company. This misunderstanding happened because although a message had been sent, no house had been secured for him in advance. Jung Bahadur sent Lieutenant Lal Singh Khatri and an English man he hired in Calcutta to London to check if proper arrangements had been made for the reception. The two men confirmed and telegraphed back. He then boarded a train and reached London on 26 May 1850. Lord John Russell came to welcome him whilst he was stationed at the Richmond Terrace, in the bank of the River Thames.
Jung Bahadur and his team visited all the major state functionaries and made a detailed account. They noted the duties and functions of the prime minister, the commander in chief, the parliament, and the common people.
Meeting with Queen Victoria
On 19 June, Jung Bahadur met Queen Victoria at St James's Palace. He gave her a letter from the King of Nepal.
On the following day, around 1,500 noble men gathered in the palace to welcome Jung Bahadur.
Three days later, the Queen invited him to watch the dance performance of a group of young girls at Her Majesty's Theatre. Admission was one Mohar. After seeing the dance, Jung Bahadur tipped the young girls 1,500 NPR.