Prithvi Narayan Shah

Prithvi Narayan Shah
King of Nepal
Reign	25 September 1743 – 11 January 1775
Coronation	25 September 1743[1]
Predecessor	Nara Bhupal Shah
Successor	Pratap Singh Shah
Born	11 January 1723[2] Gorkha, Nepal
Died	11 January 1775 (aged 52) Devighat, Nuwakot, Nepal
Spouse	Indra Kumari Devi Narendra Rajya Laxmi Devi Icchavati Devi Dayavati Devi
Issue	Pratap Singh Shah Vedum Shah Bahadur Shah Narayan Shah Vishnu Shah
Dynasty	Shah dynasty
Father	Nara Bhupal Shah
Mother	Kaushalyavati Devi
Religion	Hinduism

Prithvi Narayan Shah, King of Gorkha (1723^[3]–1775; Nepali: वडामहाराजधिराज पृथ्वीनारायण शाह) was the first King of unified Nepal. He is credited for starting the campaign for a unified Nepal, which had been divided and weakened under the Malla confederacy.^[4] He was the ninth generation descendant of Dravya Shah (1559–1570), the founder of the ruling house of Gorkha. Prithvi Narayan Shah succeeded his father, King Nara Bhupal Shah, to the throne of the Gorkha Kingdom in 1743, at the age of 20.

Early life

Prithvi Narayan Shah was born as a prince in Gorkha, Nepal. Chandra Pravawati (the first wife of King Nara Bhupal Shah) raised him, although his biological mother was Kaushalyavati Devi. From a young age, he took interest in the affairs of his father's state and soon began to take on these responsibilities. Prithivi Narayan Shah had an early dream of conquering Nuwakot, Nepal, partially as his father had lost it in an earlier war. After the death of his father in 1743, Prithivi Narayan Shah ascended to the throne of Gorkha at the age of 20. As king, he valued his people and enjoyed talking to his subjects about their general concerns. This practice helped him to build a rapport with his people, and helped him to understand the requirements of the citizens of Gorkha.King Shah sealed his borders and maintained a peaceful environment except for distant relations with the British, who were refusing to trade with Nepal at the time. Prithvi Narayaṇ was succeeded by his son, Pratap Singh ^[5]

King's palace on a hill in Gorkha.

Unification of Nepal

King Prithvi Narayan Shah's reign began with an immediate military defeat; his invasion of Nuwakot in 1743 CE failed. Conquering Nuwakot was essential for the unification, as it lay between Kathmandu and the Gorkha District, making it a vital trading route to Tibet. However, he successfully conquered Nuwakot in a subsequent attack in 1744 CE. After capturing Nuwakot, he took possession of the strategic locations in the hills surrounding the Kathmandu Valley. The valley was completely cut off from the outside world and was controlled solely by Shah. He also occupied the Kuti Pass in c.1756 CE, halting all trade through the pass and preventing communication with Tibet.

present day nuwakot durbar.

After two humiliating defeats in Kirtipur, King Prithvi Narayan conquered the ancient city on his third attempt. Consequently, Jaya Prakash Malla of Kathmandu fled with his wife and took asylum in Patan, Lalitpur. He eventually began to unify his conquered lands. Weeks later, when his conquest was extended to Patan, both Jaya Prakash Malla and the King of Patan, Tej Narsingh Malla, fled again, taking refuge in Bhaktapur, which itself was conquered by Prithvi Narayan later.

Death and legacy

King Prithvi Narayaṇ Shah was ultimately able to unify the previously small principalities into one nation of Nepal. This unification was crucial as the British colonial forces had already begun colonizing the small kingdoms that form present-day India. Shah was convinced that the British forces would eventually approach Nepal. He believed that 50 small principalities would easily be conquered by the British as part of their colonization strategy. Unifying Nepal made it more difficult for British forces to make their move. His unification campaign was very ambitious, especially as he was the king of a relatively small kingdom surrounded by strong and powerful neighbours.

Prithvi Narayan Shah died before he could effectively organize the administration of his new country. He died in January 1775, at the age of 52 at Devighat, Nuwakot. Upon his death his son, [Pratap Singh Shah], succeeded him and his unification campaign was continued by his younger son, Bahadur Shah. Much of Prithvi Narayan Shah's work is visible in modern-day Nepal.

Divya Upadesh

In addition to the unification of Nepal, King Prithivi Narayan laid out his ideas for the guiding principles of governance, nationalism and foreign policy in his Divya Upadesh. In the Divya Upadesh, he laid out nine principles, many of which are unknown or obscure. Five of the nine are listed here:

1. "Nepal is a small yam between two stones." This indicates Nepal's location between the large powers of China and India.

2. "Both the people, who take and who give bribe, are enemies of the nation. There will be no sin in executing them."

3. "Nepal is a garden of four castes (consisting of Kshatriya, Brahman, Vaishya and Shudras) and thirty-six sub-castes."

4. "Even if there is settlement in places with mines/quarries, relocate the settlement and operate the mine."

5. "With the Bible comes the bayonet, with the merchant comes the musket."

Gallery images

Notes and references

1. ↑ Royal Ark
2. ↑ Acharya, Baburam. Shree Panch BadaMaharajdhiraj Prithivi Narayan Shah ko Sanxipta Jiwani, Part I (in Nepali). p. 42. 
3. ↑ Accordingly Royal Ark, he was born on 25th December 1722
4. ↑ Manandhar, Triratna. Nepal ko Ekikaran (in Nepali). Kathmandu: Sajha Prakashan. p. 215. 
5. ↑ silwal, sujit. PrithiviNarayan Shah (in Nepali). kathmandu: Nepal SahiSammelan. 

External links

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• History of Nepal