Prithvi Narayan Shah

Prithvi Narayan Shah was born prematurely on 11 January 1723 as the first child of Nara Bhupal Shah and Kaushalyavati Devi in the Gorkha Palace.^[7][8] His father, Nara Bhupal Shah, was the reigning monarch of the small hill principality of Gorkha. His mother, Kaushalyavati Devi, was a queen known for her piety and influence on the young prince.^[7]

Prince Prithvi Narayan Shah's education began at the age of five through the appropriate Hindu ceremony. The responsibility to educate him was given to Mokchyeshwor Aryal and Bhanu Aryal, two Brahmin astrologers (Jyotishi or Jaisi) who served in the palace. They taught him reading, writing, and the basics of statecraft.^[9] While his formal teachers provided his primary education, the development of his character was overseen by Queen Chandra Pravawati, a senior queen in the palace. Noticing the indulgent lifestyles of the princes of neighbouring states such as Tanahun, Lamjung, and Kaski, she deliberately kept Prithvi Narayan away from pleasurable pursuits and diversions. As a result, historical records note no traces of youthful indulgence in his early life.^[9]

From a young age, Prithvi Narayan Shah took a keen interest in the affairs of his father's kingdom. He harboured an early ambition to conquer Nuwakot, a strategic location that his father had lost to the Malla kings of Kathmandu Valley.^[6] Upon the death of his father in 1743, Prithvi Narayan Shah ascended the throne of Gorkha at the age of 20. As king, he was known to value direct contact with his subjects, frequently engaging them in conversation about their concerns. This practice built a strong rapport with the people of Gorkha and gave him insight into their needs.^[10]

Prithvi Narayan Shah was married twice. His first marriage took place in 1738, when he was 14 years old, to Indra Kumari Devi, the daughter of Hemkarna Sen, the ruler of the Kingdom of Makwanpur.^[9] The union was arranged by his father, Nara Bhupal Shah, who sought to secure a political alliance with the powerful Makwanpur kingdom to the south. His second marriage, in 1740, was to Narendra Rajya Laxmi Devi, who would later become the mother of his successor, Pratap Singh Shah, and his younger son, Bahadur Shah.^[11]

Prithvi Narayan Shah had six known children: two sons who played significant roles in later Nepalese history (Pratap Singh Shah and Bahadur Shah), a third son Vedum Shah who died young, a daughter Bilas Kumari, and two other sons, Narayan Shah and Vishnu Shah.^[11] His family life was closely intertwined with his political ambitions; the marriages brought strategic alliances, and the upbringing of his sons was directed towards continuing the unification campaign.

Contemporary accounts and later chronicles describe Prithvi Narayan Shah as a man of medium height, with a fair complexion and a commanding presence. He was known for his sharp intellect, diplomatic acumen, and an unyielding determination to realise his vision of a unified Nepal. Despite his martial pursuits, he maintained a deep personal commitment to Hinduism and regularly performed religious duties.^[6][12]

Before Prithvi Narayan Shah's unification movement, there were a total of 54 states in Nepal. The 54 states were named as Baisi Rajya and Chaubise Rajya. In the South-Eastern Terai, there were three Sen states: Makawanpur, Bijayapur, and Chaudandi. In the West, from Gorkha (includes parts west of Trishuli from present day Dhading) to Gandaki Province, there were 24 states. In the province of Karnali, there were 22 states with Kalyan, Samaal, Shahi and Chand dynasties. Along with Gorkha and Mustang, Bhaktapur, Kantipur and Lalitpur made up the remaining five states.^[13]

When Prithvi Narayan Shah ascended to the throne of Gorkha on 3 April 1743 AD, it was still a small state. He then started to contemplate the methods for turning Gorkha into a huge and strong state. He went to Varanasi to gain first-hand knowledge about the neighbouring states and about India to the south. During those days, Varanasi was one of the largest trade centres in India where people from different places gathered. He met with different types of people and gained valuable understandings regarding the political and social conditions of the Indian Sub-Continent. In Varanasi, his father-in-law Abhiman Singh, a Thakuri Chief, procured for him some firearms and a quantity of ammunition.^[14][15]

Kathmandu Valley

Main articles: Battle of Kathmandu, Battle of Bhaktapur, and Battle of Lalitpur

After consolidating the surrounding regions, Prithvi Narayan Shah prepared to take possession of the Kathmandu Valley. His conquest of the whole of Nepal was rendered easier by the internal dissensions among the Nepali rulers. Ranjit Malla, the chief of Bhadgaon, invoked the assistance of the Gorkha Chief due to his feud with the chiefs of Patan and Kathmandu.^[14] Prithvi Narayan Shah had previously gained over the Satbahalyas of Ranjit Malla by promising to leave them the throne and the revenue, contenting himself with nominal sovereignty over the country.^[16]

Prithvi Narayan Shah took possession of Bhadgaon and next he invested in Patan in 1767. The rapid expansion of the Gorkha dominions and the growth of the Gorkha power round the Nepal valley placed Jaya Prakash Malla, the Chief of Kathmandu, in a state of siege. All egress and ingress having been stopped, Kathmandu faced the danger of being starved into submission. The valley was completely cut off from the outside world and was controlled solely by Shah.^[14] Having understood that the Gorkhas could not be defeated by his army alone, Jaya Prakash in this predicament sought military assistance from the Bengal Presidency by sending one of his messengers to Patna in order to ask for help from the East India Company.^[15] The officers in Patna of the East India Company sent the message to Bengal. The East India Company seized the opportunity and sent a warning to Prithvi Narayan Shah and decided to send an expedition to relieve Jaya Prakash.

According to legends, when Prithvi Narayan Shah entered the durbar of Bhadgaon, he found the kings of three towns sitting together, whereat he and his companions laughed. Jaya Prakash was offended by this, and said, "O Gorkhalis, this has come to pass through the treachery of our servants, or else you would have had no cause for mirth." Prithvi Narayan Shah having conversed with Jaya Prakash Malla for a while then paid his respects to Ranajit Malla, and respectfully asked him to continue to rule as he had hitherto done, although Prithvi Narayan Shah had conquered the country. Ranjit Malla said that Prithvi Narayan Shah had obtained the sovereignty by the favor of God and that all that he now asked for was to be sent to Benaras. Shah entreated him to remain, but the recollection of the treachery of the servants was fresh in his memory and he would not consent. Shah granted him the leave along with the expenses used for the journey. When Ranjit Malla reached the top of the Chandragiri Paa, he took a last view of Nepal, and with tears in his eyes exclaimed, " The Satbahalyas have killed my son Bir Narsinha, and have caused me this sorrow. " He then bade farewell to Taleju, Pashupatinath, and Guhyeshwari, and went to seek an asylum with Bisweswaranatha and Ganga.^[16]

He also occupied the Kuti Pass in circa 1756 CE, halting all trade through the pass and preventing communication with Tibet.

After the loss, Jaya Prakash Malla, out of sheer desperation, sent Nepali Vakeels to Mr. Golding, the Commercial Agent of the East India Company at Bettiah, to solicit their help against Prithvi Narayan Shah. The purport of the conversation between the Nepali Vakeels and Golding was communicated to Thomas Rumbold, the company's chief at Patna, on 6 April 1767. Golding had made a strong case for sending an expedition to the relief of Jaya Prakash Malla. According to him, if Malla was successfully relieved, the East India Company would earn his gratitude which would facilitate the opening of communication with Tibet through Nepal and this would be of great consequence to the company. Malla was offering to bear all costs of the expedition.^[14]

In the meantime, Prithvi Narayan Shah had already realized the danger of a military alliance between Malla and the East India Company. Shah then sent a letter to Rumbold requesting his protection for a visit to Patna. Rumbold then communicated Shah's request to the president of the Select Committee. The Select Committee under the persuasion of Golding decided to instead send military assistance to Jaya Prakash Malla.

The Select Committee directed George Kinloch, who had been earlier sending an expedition against the Raja of Tipperah, to proceed to Patna so that he might be in readiness to lead the expedition against Prithvi Narayan Shah. The considerations that weighed with the Selection Committee to decide in favour of sending military assistance to Jaya Prakash Malla can be gathered from their letters. The revival of the declining, almost dead, trade relations with Nepal and the opening up of Tibet trade through Nepali territory were two of the prime considerations. Under instructions from the Select Committee Capt. Kinloch proceeded to Patna where he was asked to await further instructions from Mr. Rumbold. Pursuant to the committee's decision to render military assistance, Mr Rumbold and Capt. Kinloch was busy gathering all relevant information that was likely to help the expedition to success. In the meantime, Prithvi Narayan Shah was peremptorily asked to accept the East India Company mediation to which he sent an evasive reply.^[18]

In June 1767, The Nepali Vakeels Muktananda and Faqir Ramdoss who came to solicit East India Company help on behalf of Jaya Prakash Malla were examined by Capt. Kinloch at Patna with a view to eliciting every information of military importance. The strength of Prithvi Narayan Shah's troops, as the Vakeels said, was near about 50,000 of which again, only 20,000 were stationed in the Nepal valley and the rest was engaged in cultivation in their native places. Their arms comprised bows and arrows, swords and matchlocks. The Vakeels also made no secret of the fact that there was no time to lose, as the break of monsoon the hilly paths would become unsafe and the hill rivers unforeseeable. They also informed Capt. Kinloch how Prithvi Narayan Shah had "taken ten principal cities and possession of all his (Jaya Prakash's) country" and had kept the towns of Kathmandu, Patan, Bhadgaun, and Zeemy closely blockaded.^[19]

The total distance to be covered by the expeditionary force was 96 coss and the journey had to be completed by eleven stages.

The expedition, however, miscarried and the high hopes of the Select Committee were dashed to the ground. The reasons for the failure were set forth in a series of letters that passed between Capt. Kinloch and Mr. Rumbold. The first reason mentioned the destruction of the major part of their provisions by a sudden torrent from the hills.^[20] The other reason was that no help in respect to provisions came from the Nepal Rajah. "Famine stared them in the face. Retreat under the present circumstances was out of the question and it was impossible to hold Sindhuli for long as all supplies of provisions had been cut off by the enemy."^[21] But as Kinloch insisted the troops had to face the Bagmati River. The troops had built an improvised bridge and rafts but the violent torrent washed them down. Famished and falling sick in an increasingly large number, the troops had no way out but to order an immediate retreat. The retreating troops, however, were hotly pursued by the Gorkhas sent by Prithvi Narayan Shah. Capt. Kinloch then, at last, returned to the Terai and occupied the territories of Bara, Parsa and Hilwall.^[14] The miscarriage of the Kinloch expedition allowed Prithvi Narayan Shah to deal with the besieged capitals of Kathmandu, Patan, Bhadgaon, etc. By the end of the year 1768, he had succeeded in reducing all the cities that still held out.^[14]

Towards the end of his life, Prithvi Narayan Shah was troubled by illness to a great extent. He had probably started to realize his end was near, which is why he decided to organize an unofficial council meeting known as bhardaari-sabha. In this sabha he decided to inform his brothers, his son and his ministers on why he was involved in the unification of Nepal and what should the appropriate policies and programs for the future be regarding Nepal. This sabha continued for the whole day for about 5/6 hours. The messages he gave in this sabha were written down by his brothers and ministers and was compiled as Divyopadesh.^[12]

Prithvi Narayan Shah was a Hindu. After he became the master of Kathmandu proper, he began to follow his policy of exclusion and expulsion of the Europeans with all strictness. The Capuchin missionaries who were residing in Nepal for a long time were expelled from Nepal. He called Nepal the actual 'Hindustan.' He advised the citizens of Nepal to never leave the traditional dharma of the ancestors.^[12][22]

Prithvi Narayan Shah strongly emphasized local production. In his Divya Upadesh, he was of the idea that if foreign traders enter Nepal then they will suck the country dry. In the same context, he suggested a boycott on wearing foreign clothes and also promoted the training of the local people to weave clothes. He believed that by doing so, the local wealth would not be allowed to reach out of the country. He encouraged the selling of Nepali herbs to foreign lands and bringing the wealth so attained back to the country. He famously said, "प्रजा मोटो भए दरबार पनि बलियो रहन्छ" (If the people are capable then the palace will also remain stronger).^[12]

King Prithvi Narayan Shah established the Nepal Army in August 1762 with Shreenath, Kali Baksh, Barda Bahadur, and Sabuj companies. Prithvi Narayan Shah emphasized the building of forts. He considered the land of Nepal as a natural fort created by God Himself. He suggested building one strong fort each on Shivapuri, Phulchowki, Chandragiri, Mahadevpokhari, Palung, Daapcha, and Kaahule. Construction of iron doors at the bhanjyangs and the placement of cannons in each of those doors was also advocated by Prithvi Narayan Shah.^[12]

King Prithvi Narayan Shah was ultimately able to capture small principalities and annex them into the kingdom. This expansion was crucial to ensure the continued survival of the Kingdom of Nepal as the East India Company was already expanding into the Indian subcontinent. Shah was convinced that the company would eventually conquer the regions bordering Nepal to the south. Expanding his kingdom ensured that Nepal would remain an independent state and be able to negotiate with a foreign power on equal terms.^[23]

In January 1775, at the age of 52, Prithvi Narayan Shah died at Devighat, Nuwakot on his birthday. Upon his death, his son, Pratap Singh Shah, succeeded him and his unification campaign was continued by his younger son, Bahadur Shah.^[24]

Prithvi Narayan Shah's legacy as the founder of modern Nepal is profound. He transformed a small hill principality into a unified kingdom that could resist external threats. His teachings in the Divyopadesh continue to be quoted in Nepali political discourse, and his emphasis on national unity and self-reliance has made him a national hero.^[4][6]