Prithvi Narayan Shah

Prithvi Narayan Shah

          Prithvi Narayan Shah was born to King Narbhupal Sha of Gorkha and his second queen Kaushalyawati on 27 Paush 1779. He received education from his caretaker mot Chandrapraväwati. It was because of her lessons that he kept himself aloof from royal luxuries. He believed that a kin indulged in luxury ruins his nation. Prithvi Narayan Shal married Makawanpur princess Indra Kumari and Kashi princes Narendra Laxmi. He ascended the throne at the age of 20.

          King Prithi Narayan Shah was a man of lofty aims. Grew a great ambition to annex the scattered kingdoms of Nepal into his kingdom. He was more fascinated by the three states the then Nepal valley. He was aware of the fact that sovereignty of the tiny states was at stake because of the ever-expanding empires in the south and north.

          But it was not an easy task for him to unify all the scattered kingdoms some of which were more powerful than his own. As soon as he became king, he started strengthening his military force. He encouraged youths from various castes to his army. He gave them good training and collected arms and weapons some of which were received from his in-law-state. Benares (Kashi). He also appealed his subjects to contribute cash and kind and they responded heartily.

          The period between 1801 and 1831 BS is a period Prithvi Narayan Shah’s invasions and conquests. The first conquest was achieved at Nuwakot, one of the two main gateways to the valley. He put the valley into an into blockade when he captured Makawanpur in 1819 ES. By %  1826 ES, he captured the valley completely. Before he died in 1831 BS, he had expanded the territory of Nepal up to the Mechi River in the east, Tibet in the north and Bihar in the south. The victory campaign was further continued by his successors.

          All activities throughout Prithvi Narayan’s life were directed towards his unification campaign. He was never disheartened at his defeat; instead, he learnt lessons from them. He was a far-signed diplomat and tried to maintain diplomatic relations with other powerful states. He was far-sighted and could take right decisions at right times. He boosted the morale of his soldiers by commanding many of his unification operations by himself. It was a key to his success. Prithvi Narayan Shah gave good positions to the learned people and utilized their advice. He wanted to rule according to public wish.

          Prithvi Narayan Shah gave us a unified stronger Nepal. The modern era of Nepalese history begins with the rise of this great king. He can be portrayed as a successful warrior and an able administrator. He is compared with great conquerors of the world such as Alexander the Great. He also brought several reforms. His teachings known as divine counsels are valuable guidelines for our administrators. His contributions to the nations should not be undermined just because they also satisfied his personal wishes.