Prithvi Narayan Shah Biography

 Prithvi Narayan  Shah Biography

His Majesty King Prithvi narayan Shah (1779-1831B.S) was a Shah dynasty king. He is known as the Nation Builder of modern Nepal, creating a single country by uniting twenty-two and twenty-four states divided into small states. In his memory, National Unity Day is celebrated in Nepal on the 27th of Push. Nepal was ruled by Rana till 2007. When democracy came. Then Yogi Narharinath started the process by saying that the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Prithvi narayan Shah should be celebrated in Nepal. It may have been celebrated before, but the Rana family did not know how it was celebrated. There was no public participation.

Prithvi Narayan Shah

 

 Since 2009, Yogi Narharinath, in coordination with the government, has formed a function committee to celebrate National Unity Day and Earth Day. Even if Yogiji had not made that effort, there would have been an earth jubilee, but in what form? That cannot be said. However, it started as a founder under the leadership of Yogi Narharinath. As long as the yogi lived, he lived by working for the national interest. Every year, all Nepalis have been celebrating Earth Day with one or another program.  Prithvinarayan Shah transformed the Shah dynasty ruling in small areas (Bhirkot, Kaski, Lamjung Gorkha) into a dynasty of the whole of Nepal and laid the foundation of modern Nepal. The unification campaign started by Prithvinarayan Shah expanded to include the Tista River in the east, the Magadha River in the south and the Sutlej River in the west. Later, after the Nepal-British War, until the Sugauli Treaty, this territory was under Nepal's control. Prithvi narayan Shah, one of the most respected men in the history of Nepal. Even though he died at Devighat in Nuwakot district on the day of Maghe Sankranti in 1831 BS at the age of 52, the Nepal Unification Campaign was continued by his daughter-in-law Rani Rajendra Laxmi, son Bahadur Shah and others. (1814–16). B.S. The unification campaign lasted for a full 72 years until the Treaty of Sugauli was signed in 1873 BS. 

Early life

 

Prithvi Narayan Shah (Nation Builder His Majesty King Prithvi Narayan Shahdev) was the son of King Narbhupal Shah and Queen Kausalyavati of Gorkha, a small hill state within Nepal. He was born on Thursday 27th Poush 1779 B.S.

He was very brave, brilliant, intelligent and hardworking from his childhood. From the beginning he was given the knowledge of Ramayana, Mahabharata and later on Sukraniti. He was also perfect in archery, sword, horse racing, etc.

His first marriage was to Princess Indra Kumari of Makwanpur. When he had to travel between Gorkha and Makwanpur, he took a good look at the topography and economic condition of the valley. At that time, the people of 1200 households in Gorkha did not have enough food or financial status to eat for six months. That is why he had made up his mind to conquer the prosperous and prosperous Kathmandu Valley.  Prithvinarayan Shah, who came to Kathmandu in 1798 BS, gave the pagari brought from the Gorkha court to Ranjit Malla, the king of Bhaktapur. When he returned to Gorkha, he found out that Changunarayan, Pashupati and Guheshwari had gone to visit Pashupatinath. King Jayaprakash Malla of Kathmandu brought him to the palace and made him his friend.

Married life

His first marriage was to Indra Kumari, daughter of King Hemkarna Sen of Makwanpur. Was born in 1794. As Makwanpur was a powerful state at that time, the marriage was solemnized for political gain. However, Hemkarna Sen later expressed his inability. His second marriage was to Narendra Laxmi, daughter of Abhiman Singh Rajput of Kashi. Pratap Singh Shah and Bahadur Shah were born from Narendra Laxmi.

Early year of tenure

B.S. After the death of King Narbhupal Shah in 1799, Prithvinarayan became the king of Gorkha at the age of 20. Before becoming king, he lived in B.S. In 1798, he had thoroughly studied the political life of the Kathmandu Valley. As Prithvinarayan Shah wanted to conquer the Kathmandu Valley and the eastern region, he joined forces with his powerful opponent, King Ripumardan Shah of Lamjung. In 1799, a treaty was signed stating that if the two states succeeded in capturing Kaski's Argha, they would give the timber to Kaski.

In order to realize the dream of unification of father Narbhupal,  In 1800 B.S., under the leadership of Biraj Thapa Magar and Maheshwar Pant, he invaded Nuwakot but was defeated by the Gorkhalis from Nuwakot.

Faced with defeat in the battle of Nuwakot, Prithvinarayan Shah went to Vanaras to collect the necessary weapons. Father Narabhupal traveled to Kashi to attain virtue and changed the tribe from his Bhardwaj tribe to the Kashyap tribe. At the same time, he made a treaty with Hari Shah, the king of Jajarkot, who had gone on a pilgrimage.

For the second time, Prithvinarayan Shah won the B.Sc. In 1801, under Kalu Pandey's command, Nuwakot was attacked. This time, all the Gurkha youths between the ages of 12 and 20 were armed and the number of soldiers was over 1,000. Some of these soldiers were brought to Nuwakot as farmers. After that, Kalu Pade sent a letter to Jayant Rana, who was stationed at Nuwakot Raksha, saying that there was no other good for him except meeting him in Gorkha. However, Jayant Rana reached Kathmandu and demanded more troops and weapons from the Gorkhalis. However, Jayaprakash Malla ignored Jayant Rana's demand as Indrajatra was in full swing in the valley. While Jayant Rana's son Shankhamani Rana was stationed in the security of Nuwakot, Prithvinarayan Shah, Daldarman Shah, Chautara Bishnu Shah, Kazi Shur Pratap Shah and others from Nuwakot laid siege to Nuwakot. Shakhamani Rana died at the hands of Daldarman Shah and Prithvinarayan Shah conquered Nuwakot. Prithvinarayan Shah attacked Velkot, ignoring the advice of Kalu Pade not to attack immediately as the soldiers of Nuwakot had fled to Velkot due to the occupation of Nuwakot by the Gorkhalis. Jayant Rana was arrested here.

Efforts to unify Nepal

 

Prithvinarayan Shah started the great journey of unification of Nepal and merged many places into the nation of Nepal and created flower gardens of 4 characters and 36 species. Historians have seen Prithvinarayan's purpose as the demand of the age. There was a growing need for a strong nationalist force in the then twenty-two and twenty-four kingdoms, the divided Malla kingdoms in the valley, the eastern Kirant and Limbuan regions, which were replaced by Prithvinarayan Shah.

Attack on Tanahun

After the conquest of Nuwakot and Velkot, the Gorkhalis captured Lamidanda. But the desire of Tanahun to capture Lamidanda increased the possibility of a clash between Tanahun and the Gorkhalis. But after Prithvinarayan Shah sent Guru Gaureshwar Pant with the news that he would make a treaty with the king of Tanahu, after some time of negotiations, the king of Tanahun, Trivikram Sen, hid in the side as per the scheduled time. Since this type of work is likely to anger Lamjung, Kaski, Parbat, etc., In 1810 B.S., Trivikram Sen was released. In 1812B.S. , the Gurkha army had to fight with the combined forces of Lamjung and Tanahun. In this war, the Gorkhas suffered heavy loss of life and property. However, Naldum, Dahchok, Mahadev Pokhari, Siranchowk as well as Kulekhani, Ipa, Malta, etc. were captured and the border of Gorkha reached Makwanpur.

The first attack on Kirtipur

 In 1814 B.S., Prithvinarayan Shah attacked Kirtipur. There were 1,200 soldiers on the Gorkha side. But as Kirtipur asked for help from Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, there were about 300 troops on the Kirtipur side. After a six-hour battle between the two sides on the Balkhu River, many Gorkhalis lost their lives. Prithvinarayan Shah, who was captured in Kirtipur, survived only because of the moral rule that he should not be killed. Kazi Kalu Pandey, who had died in the first battle of Kirtipur, was replaced by his son Vanshraj Pandey and Kehar Singh Basnyat, son of Shivram Singh Basnyat.  In 1816 B.S, he conquered Shivpuri and Kavre.

Makwanpur victory 

 In September 1819 B.S, a large number of troops sent by Banshrajpade and Kehar Singh, as well as Mahoddam Kirti Shah, Dalmardan Shah, Shur Pratap Shah, Nandu Shah and Daljit Shah, attacked Makwanpur. The battle lasted for 10 hours and finally Digvandhan Sen surrendered.

Attack on Gorkha

Gorkha durbar

  In 1820 B.S, a joint force of King Trivikram Sen of Tanahun, King Mukunda Sen III of Palpa, and King Siddhinarayan Shah of Kaski, in support of Digvandhan Sen, attacked and looted Harmi, Bhirkot, Dhapkot, Chawangli, Dhaurali and Lakankot under Gorkha rule. 

Second attack on Kirtipur 

  In Bhadra 1821, Kirtipur was attacked for the second time under the leadership of Shur Pratap Shah, Daljit Shah and Shri Harsh Pant. Even in this war, Kirtipur did not receive military support from the valley as before, but the people of Kirtipur did not allow the Gurkha soldiers to break the Gopur fort and enter Kirtipur. In this battle, Shur Pratap's eyes were opened from the side targeted by Kirtipur and some other troops were forced to return.

Third attack on Kirtipur

The third battle over Kirtipur was led by Kazi Vanshraj Pade. He surrounded the Gopur fort from all sides and sent some soldiers to Kirtipur as farmers. At that time, as it was time to bring paddy to Kirtipur, the dynasty asked the people of Kirtipur to surrender. In this war, Kirtipur did not receive military assistance from neighboring states. Dhanwant Kazi surrendered at Gopur Fort on 3 April 1822
B.S.

Relationship with Salyan

In 1823 B.S, Salyani married Ranbhim Shah, the son of King Krishna Shah, and befriended his daughter Vilas Kumari. Chhilli, Dang, Deukhari were given as dowry.

Attack on Kathmandu Valley

As Kirtipur fell to the Gurkhas and there was a possibility of an attack on the valley in the near future, Jayaprakash Malla had a meeting with the kings of Lalitpur and Bhaktapur and expressed the view that a strong military campaign should be launched against the Gurkha soldiers. But the kings of Lalitpur and Bhaktapur did not respond favorably and thinking that the first attack of Gorkhali would take place at Kantipur, Jayaprakash Malla sought the help of the British with troops and arms.To assist King Jayaprakash Malla. In 1823 B.S, 2400 troops led by Kinlock marched towards Kathmandu via Sindhuligadi in eastern Nepal. As Prithvinarayan Shah was already aware of this, when Birbhadra Pade and Birbhadra Upadhyay and Vanshu Gurung's group reached Dhungewas to defend Sindhuligadhi, Vanshu Gurung attacked as expected. They ran to the forest to save him.

Attack on Kantipur

As Prithvinarayan Shah laid siege to the valley from all sides, there was an extreme economic crisis in the valley. King Jayaprakash Malla of Kathmandu was also hard-hearted, arrogant and conceited. But later he regained his power but he did not get the sympathy of his son, queen and nobles. The devout Nepalese people were outraged by the Guthi Maseka of foreign gods and goddesses to maintain their power, and the soldiers of Kantipur were frustrated as they were even given higher salaries to foreign soldiers.

The fall of Lalitpur

Understanding such a situation, Prithvinarayan Shah On the 13th of Ashwin, 1825 B.S., during the Indra Jatra, Naradevi, Tudikhel and Bhimsensthan were attacked from three sides and Kantipur was conquered. King Jayaprakash Malla fled and took refuge in Raja Tejanar Singh Malla of Lalitpur. On 25th Ashwin 1825 B.S, Prithvinarayan Shah sent Dhanwant and Kehar Singh to Lalitpur to surrender. The king of Patan fled without a fight.

Bhaktapur victory

King Jayaprakash Malla of Kathmandu and King Tejan Singh Malla of Lalitpur fled and took refuge with King Ranjit Malla of Bhaktapur. King Ranjit Malla sent 1,500 armed forces along with Vanshraj Pandey, Kahar Singh Basnyat, Ram Krishna Kunwar, Amar Singh Thapa, Kalidas Khadka and others to attack Bhaktapur, thinking that it was too late to seek unnecessary help from the neighboring states and the British instead of surrendering. There was a war in Bhaktapur in which great loss of life and property was caused. More than 2,000 were killed and more than 500 were destroyed. Defeat Vs. Ranjit Malla surrendered on 1 December 1826. In the same battle, Jayaprakash Malla was shot in the leg. According to his wish, Prithvinarayan Shah arranged for him to go to Pashupati. Mitbabu Ranjit Malla, 67, arranged for him to stay in Kashibas as per his wish. He died 18 months after arriving there. As King Tejnar Singh Malla of Lalitpur did not express any wish, he was imprisoned for life in Bhaktapur Durbar.

Attack on 24 states(चौबीसे राज्यमाथि आक्रमण)

After retaining power in the three cities of the valley, Prithvinarayan Shah set out to conquer twenty-four kingdoms in the west. In 1828, an army led by Vanshraj Pandey and Kehar Singh Basnyat and a combined army of twenty-four states were formed. In 1828, the Ghamasan War broke out. During the 16-hour long battle, more than 500 Gorkhalis, including Kehar Singh Basnyat, were killed and the generals like Vanshraj Pandey and Prabhu Malla fell into the hands of the enemy. Prithvinarayan Shah terminated the jobs of those who surrendered their weapons to the enemy and took Rs. 60 for the price of a gun. This defeat hurt the ambitions, dignity and prestige of the Gorkhalis and aroused in the enemies a defensive feeling that victory could be achieved if they fought hard against the Gorkhas.

Campaign to the east

• Death        

Prithvinarayan Shah, who had gone to Nuwakot to avoid winter in mid-November 1831 (1774 BS), fell ill at the Nuwakot Durbar. As his health deteriorated, he was taken to Devighat as per his wish. He remained at the pier for nine days and died at 7 am on January 20. It is also mentioned that Hinda died after being seriously injured in a tiger attack while going hunting. While on the ferry, he gave lectures on Nepal's geopolitical situation, social life, defense and development, also known as the 'Divine Sermon "Nepal is like a yam between two stones. The king of the south is very clever. Not to cut, not to cut. Nepal is a common flower garden of four characters, thirty-six castes." Etc. Relevant sermons were given by Prithvinarayan Shah. On the day of Maghe Sankranti, he died at the age of 52 at Mohan Tirtha or Devighat, the confluence of Trishuli and Tadi rivers in Nuwakot district.