Prithvi Narayan Shah - the Great

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 with 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.

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. He ordered that all the male inhabitants of Kirtipur, except infants, were to have their noses and lips cut off. The weight of the noses and lips that were brought to him amounted to no less than eighty pounds. Father Giuseppe, who was present at the time records the horror with which he saw so many living men whose faces resembled skulls.

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 Nārāyan 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 Nārāyan was succeeded by his son, Pratap Singh Shah.

From : www.wikipedia.org