Gorkha Kingdom

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Kingdom of Gorkha
गोरखा राज्य
Gorakhā Rājya
1559–1768 CE
Flag of Gorkha Kingdom
Flag
Coat of Arms of Shah dynasty of Gorkha Kingdom
Coat of Arms of Shah dynasty
Capital
Khas (later Nepali)
Religion
Hinduism
GovernmentMonarchy
Māhārājādhirāj 
• 1559–1570 CE
Dravya Shah (first)
• 1570–1605 CE
Purna Shah
• 1609–1633 CE
Ram Shah
• 1633–1645 CE
Dambar Shah
• 1645–1661 CE
Krishna Shah
• 1661–1673 CE
Rudra Shah
• 1673–1716 CE
Prithvipati Shah
• 1716–1743 CE
Nara Bhupal Shah
• 1743–1768 CE
Prithvi Narayan Shah (last)
History 
• Established
1559
• Disestablished
1768 CE
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Khasa kingdom
Kingdom of Nepal
Today part ofNepal
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  • Licchavi Kingdom
    , c. 400 – c. 750 CE
  • Thakuri dynasty, c. 600 – c. 1200
  • Katyuri kings, c. 700 CE – 1065 CE
  • Khas Malla Kingdom
    , c. 954 CE – 14th century
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    , c. 1097 CE – c. 1324 CE
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    , c. 1201 – 1482
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    c. 1380 CE – 1795 CE
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The Gorkha Kingdom (

Marshyangdi River in the west, forming its border with the Kingdom of Lamjung. To the east, the kingdom extended to the Trishuli River, forming its border with the Nepal Mandala.[2] The Gorkha Kingdom was established in 1559 CE by Prince Dravya Shah, the second son of King Yasho Brahma Shah of Lamjung. The prince replaced the King Mansingh Khadka Magar who previously ruled the region.[citation needed
]

Origin

According to legend, one of the earliest Shah rulers was Rishi-raj Rana-Ji, of the

Yavanas
took power. The Bhattarak had to abdicate and could only retain his caste family name, Rana-ji. The rajas were titled Rana-Ji for four generations and Rana-ji Rava for a further seventeen generations.

Akbar, the Mughal emperor, (1542-1605) wished to marry the daughter of Fatte Sinha Rana-Ji Rava. Akbar was refused because he was not a Hindu but from a different religion (namely Islam). This decision led to the war. Many Rajputs, including Fatte Sinha Rana-ji Rava, were killed. The survivors of the war were led by Udaybam Rana-Ji Rava. They founded a settlement called Udaipur.[3]

Manmath Rana-Ji Rava went to

Dhor. He conquered Magarat and reigned over Garhon, Sathum and Birkot. Micha, the younger son, went to Nuwakot in the far west and became ruler there.[3]

From Micha, a dynasty of seven rajas commenced in Nuwakot. Kulamandan, the eldest son of Jagdeva, became ruler of

Gurungs.[3] The second son of Yasobramha, Dravya Shah conquered the Ghale people of neighbouring Ligligkot, now in Gorkha. Prince Dravya Shah in 1559 CE also replaced the King Mansingh Khadka Magar and named the newly found kingdom Gorkha.[citation needed
] The ancient name Gor-kha is derived from Gorakhnath.[4]

  • The old king's Darbar at Gorkha
    The old king's Darbar at Gorkha
  • Mohar of Gorkha king Prithvi Narayan Shah dated Saka Era 1685 (1763 CE)
    Mohar of Gorkha king Prithvi Narayan Shah dated
    Saka Era
    1685 (1763 CE)

List of kings of Gorkha

Khas or Kus group, Gorkha, dominant tribe, Nepal

The following is a list of the ten kings of the Gorkha principality:[citation needed]

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Dravya Shah
  • राजा द्रव्य शाह
died 157015591570Son of Yasho Brahma ShahShah
Purna Shah/Purendra Shah
  • पूर्ण शाह/ पूरेन्द्र शाह
died 160515701605Son of Dravya ShahShah
Chatra Shah
  • छत्र शाह
died 1609 (heirless)16051609First son of Purendra/Purna ShahShah
Ram Shah
  • Ram Shah The Just
  • श्रीमन्त महाराजधिराज राम शाह
died 163616091633 (abdicated)Second son of Purna/Purendra Shah
adopted title of Svasti Sri Giriraj		ShahRam Shah of Gorkha
Dambar Shah
  • डम्वर शाह
died 164516331645Son of Ram ShahShah
Krishna Shah
  • श्रीकृष्ण शाह
died 166116451661Son of Dambar ShahShah
Rudra Shah
  • रुद्र शाह
died 167316611673Son of Krishna ShahShah
Prithvipati Shah
  • पृथ्वीपत्ति शाह
died 171616731716Son of Rudra ShahShah
Nara Bhupal Shah
  • नरभूपाल शाह
1697- 3 April 174317161743Grandson of Prithvipati Shah and Son of Prince Birbhadra ShahShah
Prithvi Narayan Shah
  • बडामहाराजधिराज पृथ्वीनारायण शाह
(1723-01-11)11 January 1723[citation needed] – 15 January 1775(1775-01-15) (aged 52)174325 September 1768Son of Nara Bhupal ShahShahPrithvi Narayan Shah of Gorkha

Expansion campaign

Main article: Unification of Nepal

From 1736, the Gorkhalis engaged in a campaign of expansion begun by King

Prince Bahadur Shah. Over the years, they conquered huge tracts of land to the east and west of Gorkha.[5][6]

Among their conquests, the most important and valuable acquisition was the wealthy

Newar confederacy of Nepal Mandala centered in the Kathmandu Valley
. Starting in 1745, the Gorkhalis mounted a blockade in a bid to starve the population into submission, but the inhabitants held out.

The Newars appealed to the British

Lalitpur and Bhaktapur fell to the Gorkhalis between 1768 and 1769. The Gorkhali king subsequently moved his capital to Kathmandu.[8]

In 1788, the Gorkhalis turned their attention north and invaded

Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse. This time the Chinese army came to Tibet's defence and advanced close to Kathmandu but could not achieve success due to strong counterattack.[10] The anxious Bahadur Shah asked for 10 howitzer mountain guns from the British East India Company. Captain William Kirkpatrick arrived in Kathmandu, however the deal was not made due to unfavorable circumstances for the Gorkhalis.[11] Eventually, the Fu Kanggan was keen to protect his army and the war being resultless was concluded by signing a peace treaty at Betrawati.[10][12][13]

A later

Nepalese–Tibetan War was fought from 1855 to 1856 in Tibet between the forces of the Tibetan government (Ganden Phodrang, then under administrative rule of the Qing dynasty) and the invading Nepalese army, resulting in the victory of Nepal.[10]

The Gorkha dominion reached its height at the beginning of the 19th century, extending all along the

Himalayan foothills from Kumaon and Garhwal in the west to Sikkim in the east. They were made to return much of the occupied territories after their defeat in the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–1816).[14][15]

Gorkha to Nepal

Postage stamp issued by Gorkha government in 1907
Gorkhapatra dated January 9, 1933

The Gorkha dominion continued to be known as "Gorkha Rajya" (lit. 'Gorkha Kingdom') until the beginning of the 20th century. Historically, the name 'Nepal' referred mainly to Kathmandu valley, the homeland of the Newars. Since the 1930s, the state began using it to refer to the entire country and 'Nepal Khaldo' (Nepal Valley) became 'Kathmandu Valley'.[16][17] The name Gorkha Sarkar (meaning Gorkha government) was also changed to Nepal government.

Similarly, the Gorkhali language was renamed as Nepali in 1933.[18] The term Gorkhali in the former national anthem entitled "Shreeman Gambhir" was changed to Nepali in 1951.[19] The government newspaper, launched in 1901, is still known as Gorkhapatra (meaning Gorkha gazette).

The Shah dynasty ruled Nepal until 2008 when it became a republic following a people's movement.[20] Today, Gorkha District, roughly corresponding to the old kingdom, is one of the 77 administrative districts of Nepal.

Gurkhas

Gurkha soldiers arrive in Japan in 1946 as part of Allied occupation forces

Not to be confused with the inhabitants of the old Gorkha Kingdom only, the

British East India Company
to recruit men from the Gorkha kingdom hills to serve as mercenaries.

During

Nepalese Army battalions, plus parachute, training, garrison, and porter units. They earned 2,734 bravery awards, and suffered around 32,000 casualties in all theatres.[21]

Gallery

  • Metal Window
    Metal Window
  • Stone history
    Stone history
  • Gorkha Durbar
    Gorkha Durbar
  • King Prithavi Pal
    King Prithavi Pal
  • Image of Goddess & Gorkha Palace
    Image of Goddess & Gorkha Palace
  • Gorkha Tallo Durbar
    Gorkha Tallo Durbar
  • Shree Panch Bada Maharajadhiraj Prithavi Narayan Shah Dev
    Shree Panch Bada Maharajadhiraj Prithavi Narayan Shah Dev
  • Nepali Cannon
    Nepali Cannon
  • Nagada
    Nagada

See also

References

  1. ^ Hamilton, Francis Buchanan (1819). An Account of the Kingdom Of Nepal and of the Territories Annexed to This Dominion by the House of Gorkha. Edinburgh: Longman. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2013. Page 237.
  2. ^ Kirkpatrick, Colonel (1811). An Account of the Kingdom of Nepaul. London: William Miller. Retrieved 12 January 2013. Page 123.
  3. ^ a b c d e Daniel Wright, History of Nepāl, Cambridge University Press, 1877, Nepal. Chapter X, page 273
  4. ^ "Bringing Aid To Gorkha's Poor | Features | ECS Nepal - The Nepali Way". ecs.com.np. Archived from the original on 2022-01-16. Retrieved 2017-04-23.
  5. ^ Hamilton, Francis Buchanan (1819). An Account of the Kingdom Of Nepal and of the Territories Annexed to This Dominion by the House of Gorkha. Edinburgh: Longman. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2013. Page 7.
  6. ISBN 9788120615779
    . Pages 30-31.
  7. ISBN 9780415336475
    .
  8. ^ Hamilton, Francis Buchanan (1819). An Account of the Kingdom Of Nepal and of the Territories Annexed to This Dominion by the House of Gorkha. Edinburgh: Longman. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2013. Page 7.
  9. ISBN 9780415336475
    .
  10. ^ a b c "Nepalese Army | नेपाली सेना". Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  11. ^ Kirkpatrick, Colonel (1811). An Account of the Kingdom of Nepaul. London: William Miller. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  12. ^ Boulnois, L. "Chinese Maps and Prints on the Tibet-Gorkha War of 1788-92" (PDF). Kailash. p. 86. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  13. ^ "The Enclosing of Nepal". U.S. Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  14. ISBN 978-0-19-562723-7
    . Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  15. ASIN B001OQE7EY
    .
  16. ^ Planet, Lonely. "History of Nepal - Lonely Planet Travel Information". www.lonelyplanet.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-22. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
  17. ISBN 9781742203614
    .
  18. ISBN 81-208-0963-7
    . Page 3.
  19. ^ "The kings song". Himal Southasian. June 2003. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  20. ^ "Nepal's Gorkha kingdom falls". The Times of India. 2 June 2008. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  21. ISBN 978-0-7553-1415-7
    .
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