नेपालको एकीकरण

King Prithvi Narayan Shah

Prithvi Narayan Shah, the king of Gorkha, began the unification campaign in 1744 AD by attacking Nuwakot.

The Divya Upadesh (Divine Counsel) is the collection of advice given by King Prithvi Narayan Shah to his courtiers and successors in his later years (c. 1774-75). It is regarded as the first statement of Nepal's national policy and statecraft. Two of its counsels are as follows.

1. "Nepal is a yam between two boulders." Prithvi Narayan Shah described Nepal as lying between two great powers, China in the north and the British-ruled India in the south, and advised that Nepal must keep friendly relations with both and avoid war with either.

Importance: This counsel is the base of Nepal's balanced foreign policy and of its policy of independence and neutrality. It warns that a small landlocked country survives only by careful diplomacy.

2. "This is a garden of four varnas and thirty-six castes." He described Nepal as a common garden in which people of all castes, communities and religions live together like different flowers, and said that all should be protected equally.

Importance: This counsel is an early expression of national unity in diversity. It teaches that the strength of the new state lay in the harmony of its many communities, and it is still quoted today for social harmony and inclusion.

Conclusion: The Divya Upadesh matters because it gave the newly unified state a guide for its foreign policy, unity and administration.

Bahadur Shah (reigned 1785–1794) was the younger son of Prithvi Narayan Shah and the most important figure in consolidating and extending the unification campaign after his father's death in 1775. His contribution can be described under the following points:

1. Resuming the stalled campaign. After Prithvi Narayan Shah's death, the unification drive slowed during the brief reign of Pratap Singh Shah. Bahadur Shah, as regent for the infant king Rana Bahadur Shah, revived the campaign with fresh energy and made it a continuous, organised military effort.

2. Eastern conquests. He completed the conquest of the eastern hill region — the Kirat and Limbuwan areas — bringing territories up to the Mechi and beyond under Gorkha's control. Sikkim was also invaded (1788–1790), though the campaign there was only partly successful.

3. Western conquests. He extended Nepali rule west of the Bheri, conquering the Baisi principalities of Jajarkot, Salyan, and others, and pushing toward Kumaon and Garhwal in the far west. These campaigns brought large areas of the western hills into the unified kingdom.

4. Southern campaigns and the Tibet–Nepal War. He launched attacks on the southern plains (the Terai) and, more significantly, went to war with Tibet in 1788 and again in 1791–92. The second campaign ended in a Nepali defeat and the Treaty of Betrawati (1792), under which Nepal paid tribute to Tibet/China — a setback, but it also defined Nepal's northern boundary and forced the state to look inward and consolidate.

5. Administrative and military organisation. Bahadur Shah strengthened the army, maintained the military reforms begun under his father, and managed the conquered territories through a centralised administration. He kept the unification process intact during the minority of Rana Bahadur Shah, preventing the kingdom from disintegrating.

6. Significance. By the time he fell from power in 1794, Nepal had grown from a small Gorkha principality into a large, expanding hill kingdom stretching from the Mechi in the east to the Karnali and beyond in the west. Although he did not complete unification — that was finished later, notably under Bhimsen Thapa — Bahadur Shah was the leader who sustained and expanded Prithvi Narayan Shah's vision, and he is rightly regarded as a key architect of Greater Nepal.

Conclusion: Bahadur Shah's contribution lies in reviving the unification campaign, extending it in all directions, and holding the young kingdom together through strong regency rule — making him the second great unifier of Nepal after Prithvi Narayan Shah.

Introduction

When Prithvi Narayan Shah became king of Gorkha in 1743 (1799 BS), Nepal was divided into dozens of small states: the Chaubisi and Baisi principalities in the hills, the three Malla kingdoms of Kantipur, Patan and Bhaktapur in the Valley, and the Sen kingdoms of Makwanpur, Chaudandi and Vijayapur in the east. The British East India Company was meanwhile extending its power in India. Prithvi Narayan Shah set out to make a single strong state, and his role can be evaluated under the following heads.

1. As a visionary He was the first ruler to think of the hill states as one nation. In the Divya Upadesh he called Nepal "a garden of four varnas and thirty-six castes" and "a yam between two boulders", and advised unity, a strong army, self-reliance and caution towards foreigners. This gave unification a clear national goal.

2. As a diplomat

• He made friendly alliances and marriage ties, for example with Makwanpur, where he married Indrakumari, daughter of King Hemkarna Sen, and he kept neighbouring Lamjung, Tanahun and Palpa at peace while his army fought elsewhere.
• When the Malla king of Kantipur appealed to the British, Captain Kinloch's expedition (1767) was defeated; distrusting foreign powers, he adopted a policy of keeping foreign influence out of Nepal.

3. As a military leader

• He captured Nuwakot in 1744, the gateway to the Valley and the trade route to Tibet.
• He applied an economic blockade to the Valley, then took Makwanpur (1762) and Kirtipur (1767) after earlier failures.
• Kantipur (September 1768), Patan (1768) and Bhaktapur (1769) fell soon after, ending Malla rule, and he moved the capital to Kathmandu. He then conquered Chaudandi and Vijayapur in the east (c. 1773-74).
• His success rested on commanders such as Kalu Pande, Shivaram Singh Basnyat and Banshu Gurung, on spies, and on the surprise and discipline of his army.

4. As an administrator He organised the conquered lands, encouraged trade and agriculture, kept his army disciplined, and tried to win the support of the conquered people.

Limitations

• Unification was incomplete at his death in 1775; the western Baisi and Chaubisi states were added later by his successors (Bahadur Shah and later rulers).
• His treatment of Kirtipur, where noses and lips of the defeated were cut, was cruel.
• His rule was autocratic and the caste hierarchy was upheld.
• The closing of the country to foreigners contributed to later isolation.

Conclusion Prithvi Narayan Shah was the chief architect of the unification of Nepal. He provided the vision, diplomacy, military leadership and administrative foundation of the modern state, though unification was completed by his successors. He is therefore rightly called the founder of modern Nepal.

Causes of the Anglo-Nepal (Nepal-East India Company) War, 1814-16 A.D.

The Anglo-Nepal War was fought between Nepal and the British East India Company from November 1814 and ended with the Treaty of Sugauli (signed 1815, ratified March 1816). It was not caused by one event. A long conflict of aims and interests built up over time.

1. Nepal's policy of expansion After Prithvi Narayan Shah's unification, Nepal kept expanding. By the early 1800s its territory stretched from the Tista in the east to the Sutlej in the west. As it grew it came into direct contact with the Company's territory in the south, and the two powers became rivals.

2. The British aim of expansion in India The Company was expanding across northern India and wanted to remove or weaken any strong neighbour. A strong Nepal on its northern border was a hindrance to British plans.

3. Border disputes in the Terai Many border areas of the Terai had unclear ownership. Nepal and the Company disputed districts such as Butwal and Sheoraj, and the Nepalese claimed rights over parts of Bara, Parsa and Rautahat. These disputes were the immediate cause of the war.

• In 1813 the Company's officials took over Butwal and Sheoraj, which Nepal claimed.
• In 1814 Nepalese forces drove out the British police at Butwal, after which the British declared war.

4. Trade and economic motives The Company wanted to open trade with Tibet and Central Asia through Nepal and to gain access to Nepal's forest, timber and mineral wealth. Nepal's restrictions on trade routes and its wish to control the trade irritated the British.

5. Failure of diplomacy Efforts by both sides to settle the dispute through talks failed. Nepal refused to give up its claims, and the British were not willing to compromise. The British wanted a pretext to act.

6. Nepal's alliance attempts and influence of internal politics Nepal's court under Bhimsen Thapa and the military leaders favoured a firm stand and was confident in its army. The British wanted to remove the Gorkha army's threat. Nepal's hope of getting help from other Indian powers (the Marathas, Sikhs and others) against the British also alarmed them.

7. Disputes over refugees and Bhutan-Sikkim Nepal's conflict with Sikkim and its efforts to extend influence in the east added to British unease, since Sikkim had become friendly with the Company.

Conclusion: The war was caused by the clash of two expanding powers, with border disputes in the Terai as the immediate trigger. Neither side was willing to give way, and war became unavoidable.

Causes of conflict between Queen Rajendra Laxmi and Bahadur Shah

After the death of King Pratap Singh Shah, his son Rana Bahadur Shah became king at a young age. Rana Bahadur's mother, Queen Rajendra Laxmi, became the regent and Bahadur Shah, the younger brother of Pratap Singh Shah and uncle of the young king, was also in power. They became rivals for control of the government.

1. Struggle for power Rajendra Laxmi wanted to control the state as regent for her minor son. Bahadur Shah, as the king's uncle and an experienced leader, expected to hold the highest power. Both wanted power, which caused conflict.

2. Difference in policy Bahadur Shah pursued an active policy of expansion, especially in the west, and acted on military matters. This was not fully acceptable to the Queen and her group.

3. Influence of rival courtiers There were two groups in the court: those loyal to the Queen and those loyal to Bahadur Shah. The courtiers made the conflict deeper by spreading rumours and giving suggestions.

4. Suspicion and mistrust Each side feared the other would take away its position. The Queen thought Bahadur Shah might replace her son, and Bahadur Shah thought the Queen was trying to remove him.

5. Role of Bahadur Shah's successes His successes in the military conquests and his popularity made the Queen jealous and suspicious of his rising strength.

Results of the conflict

• Bahadur Shah was arrested and imprisoned in 1778 (some sources give a slightly different date), on the Queen's order, and later released.
• The conflict weakened the court and encouraged factions.
• Later Bahadur Shah returned to power after the Queen's death in 1785 and ruled as regent.

Conclusion: The conflict was mainly caused by the struggle for power, supported by differences in policy, mistrust and the influence of courtiers. It shows the weakness of the Gorkha court after Prithvi Narayan Shah.