# Surya Bahadur Thapa

_Prime Minister of Nepal (1928-2015)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/surya-bahadur-thapa
Last updated: 2026-10-13

> Surya Bahadur Thapa was a Nepali politician and a five-time Prime Minister of Nepal. He served under three different kings in a political career lasting more than 50 years.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 21 March 1928 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q983444#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Dhankuta ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q983444#P19))
- **Died:** 15 April 2015 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q983444#P570))
- **Place of death:** New Delhi ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q983444#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Nepal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q983444#P27))
- **Occupation:** politician; civil servant ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q983444#P106))
- **Political party:** Rastriya Prajatantra Party ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q983444#P102))
- **Education:** University of Allahabad ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q983444#P69))
- **Positions held:** Prime Minister of Nepal (5 June 2003 – 3 June 2004); Member of the Parliament of Nepal ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q983444#P39))

## Public office

- [Prime Minister](https://diginpl.com/next/explore/office/prime-minister) (5 June 2003 – 3 June 2004)
- Officeholder record: https://diginpl.com/next/explore/person/surya-bahadur-thapa

## Career

- Thapa was born on 21 March 1928, in the Dhankuta district. ([thehimalayantimes.com](http://thehimalayantimes.com/rssReference.php?headline=Five-time+PM+Surya+Bahadur+Thapa+passes+away&NewsID=451925))
- In November 1958, he was selected to the national assembly as an independent, and became Chairman of the Advisory Council. ([University of California Press](https://books.google.com/books?id=MX22o4PJ3Q0C))
- Despite not even standing for election in 1963, Thapa was nominated to the National Panchyat by King Mahendra and was appointed chair of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Finance, Law, Justice and General Administration. ([University of California Press](https://books.google.com/books?bbbid=MX22o4PJ3Q0C))
- He was responsible for expanding the coverage of the constitution of 1962, and promulgated its second amendment to make it "people oriented". ([nepalresearch.com](https://www.nepalresearch.com/history/background/govts_pancha_period.htm))
- In 1967, Thapa tendered his resignation, saying that the long tenure of one prime minister was undemocratic in the development of the country. ([Yahoo India News](https://in.news.yahoo.com/surya-bahadur-thapa-democrat-whom-even-kings-favoured-121403363.html))
- He went on a 21-day hunger strike in March 1974, demanding major political reform in the country. ([thehimalayantimes.com](http://thehimalayantimes.com/rssReference.php?headline=Five-time+PM+Surya+Bahadur+Thapa+passes+away&NewsID=451925))

_Cited sentences quoted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Surya_Bahadur_Thapa&oldid=1379975901), CC BY-SA 4.0._

## Questions

**When was Surya Bahadur Thapa born?**  
Surya Bahadur Thapa was born on 21 March 1928 in Dhankuta.

**What positions has Surya Bahadur Thapa held?**  
Positions held by Surya Bahadur Thapa include: Prime Minister of Nepal (2003–2004); Member of the Parliament of Nepal.

**Where did Surya Bahadur Thapa study?**  
Surya Bahadur Thapa was educated at University of Allahabad.

## Related

- [K. P. Sharma Oli](https://diginpl.com/people/k-p-sharma-oli)
- [Sushila Karki](https://diginpl.com/people/sushila-karki)
- [Pushpa Kamal Dahal](https://diginpl.com/people/pushpa-kamal-dahal)
- [Girija Prasad Koirala](https://diginpl.com/people/girija-prasad-koirala)
- [Sher Bahadur Deuba](https://diginpl.com/people/sher-bahadur-deuba)
- [Balen Shah](https://diginpl.com/people/balen-shah)
- [Ram Baran Yadav](https://diginpl.com/people/ram-baran-yadav)
- [Ram Chandra Paudel](https://diginpl.com/people/ram-chandra-paudel)
- [Sushil Koirala](https://diginpl.com/people/sushil-koirala)
- [Uma Devi Badi](https://diginpl.com/people/uma-devi-badi)
- [Dhankuta](https://diginpl.com/places/dhankuta)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Surya Bahadur Thapa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surya_Bahadur_Thapa) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): सूर्यबहादुर थापा](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0_%E0%A4%A5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%BE) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q983444](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q983444) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Surya bahadur thapa (cropped).png by Ganesh Paudel ( talk · contribs ) (CC BY-SA 3.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Surya_bahadur_thapa_(cropped).png)
- [Wikipedia (English), revision used for cited facts: Surya Bahadur Thapa](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Surya_Bahadur_Thapa&oldid=1379975901) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [thehimalayantimes.com: Five-time PM Surya Bahadur Thapa passes away (April 16, 2015)](http://thehimalayantimes.com/rssReference.php?headline=Five-time+PM+Surya+Bahadur+Thapa+passes+away&NewsID=451925)
- [University of California Press: Democratic Innovations in Nepal: A Case Study of Political Acculturation (1966)](https://books.google.com/books?id=MX22o4PJ3Q0C)
- [University of California Press: Democratic Innovations in Nepal: A Case Study of Political Acculturation (1966)](https://books.google.com/books?bbbid=MX22o4PJ3Q0C)
- [nepalresearch.com: Nepalresearch](https://www.nepalresearch.com/history/background/govts_pancha_period.htm)
- [Yahoo India News: Surya Bahadur Thapa - a democrat whom even kings favoured (2015-04-16)](https://in.news.yahoo.com/surya-bahadur-thapa-democrat-whom-even-kings-favoured-121403363.html)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Surya Bahadur Thapa, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Surya bahadur thapa (cropped).png — Ganesh Paudel ( talk · contribs ), CC BY-SA 3.0.

## Cite this page

"Surya Bahadur Thapa". DigiNepal. Last updated 13 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/surya-bahadur-thapa. Retrieved 21 October 2026.