Prithvi Narayan Shah

Prithvi Narayan Shah पृथ्वीनारायण शाह
King of Nepal
Predecessor	[[Nar Bhupal Shah]]
Successor	Pratap singh Shah
Father	Nar Bhupal Shah I
Mother	Kaushalyavati Devi
Born	1722
Died	1775
Religion	Hinduism

Prithvi Narayan Shah, King of Nepal (1723–1775; Nepali: पृथ्वीनारायण शाह) was the first king of the House of Shahs to rule Nepal.He is credited for starting the campaign for a unified Nepal, which had been divided and weakened under Malla confederacy. 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 Gorkha in 1743.

Early Life

His mother was Kaushalyawati Shah but he was cared for by his first mother Chandra Prabhavati. He started taking a general interest in the affairs of the state because his father spent most of his time in the prayer room. He had a great dream to win over Nuwakot. His first mother was his perfection against his loyalty towards the unification of modern Nepal. Walking around Gorkha and talking to people about the general concerns of the palace was his passion and this helped him to understand the needs of the citizens of Gorkha. He was a Sisodia Rajput from Chittor but his ancestors settled in Gorkha district which later on became the name of a warrior clan Gurkha who are of mixed Rajput-Mongol race.

king's palace on a hill in Gorkha

Unification of Nepal

King Prithvi Narayan Shah's successful entry began with the union of Nuwakot, which lies between Kathmandu and Gorkha District, in 1744. After Nuwakot, he took possession of strategic points in the hills surrounding the Kathmandu Valley. The valley's communications with the outside world were thus cut off. The occupation of the Kuti Pass in about 1756 stopped the valley's trade with Tibet. To stop the trade between the Newar people living in the Kathmandu Valley and the Muslim Mogul empire in India was a requirement King Prithvi Narayan Shah had to fulfill in order to receive advice and weapons from the British.

After two humiliating defeats, King Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered Kirtipur on his third attempt. Finally, King Prithvi Narayan Shah entered the valley, after conquering Kirtipur. Consequently Jaya Prakash Malla of Kathmandu managed to escape with his wife and took asylum in Patan, Lalitpur Patan. When the conquest was extended to Patan a few weeks later both Jaya Prakash Malla and the King of Patan, Tej Narsingh Malla, took refuge in Bhaktapur, which was also conquered after some time. Thus King Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered the Kathmandu Valley and made Kathmandu the capital of the Nepal in 1769. Once the foundation of the Kingdom of Nepal was thus laid, King Prithvi Narayan Shah turned his attention towards the east. The Sen Kingdom of Choudandi was conquered by 1773 and Vijaypur, another Sen Kingdom was annexed shortly after.

Death and Legacy

King Prithvi Nārāyaṇ Shah had kissed his border and maintained peaceful but distant relations with the British, refusing to trade with them, although he had accepted arms and advice from them during his conquering wars. He died before he could effectively organize the administration of his new country. He died in January, 1775, at the age of 52. Upon his death, Prithvi Nārāyaṇ was succeeded by his son, Pratap Singh Shah and his unification camaign continued by his younger son Bahadur Shah.

Gallery images

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  Portrait of the King

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  Mohar silver coin of Prithvi Narayan Shah, struck in Saka Era 1685 (AD 1763) when he was king of Patan. (Obverse)

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  Mohar silver coin of Prithvi Narayan Shah, struck in Saka Era 1685 (AD 1763) when he was king of Patan. (Reverse)

Notes and references

External links

• History of Nepal