Gorkha Kingdom
Nepal, 1559–1768. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Gorkha Kingdom, also known as the Gorkha Confederation or the Gorkha Empire, was one of the 24 Khasa principally state or Chaubisi states, situated at the junction of the Himalayas and the Indian subcontinent. The Gorkha kingdom was established in 1559 CE by a Thakuri Prince Dravya Shah, the second son of King Yasho Brahma Shah of Lamjung. In 1743, the kingdom began a campaign of military expansion, annexing several neighbors and laying the foundations of present-day Nepal. Dravya Shah's descendants eventually unified much of what is now Nepal under the leadership of Prithvi Narayan Shah, initiating the unification of Nepal in the 18th century.
Seat of power: Gorkha
Rulers
Prithvi Narayan Shah
monarch, 1743–1768
He ruled Gorkha from 1743 to 1768 and Nepal from 1768 until his death in 1775. Through a series of strategic conquests, systemic economic blockades, and fragile political alliances, he expanded Gorkha's territory and laid the sovereign framework of modern Nepal.
Portrait of Prithvi Narayan Shah: the Record, Public domain, file
Culture
- The Gorkha Kingdom extended to the Marshyangdi River in the west, forming its border with the Kingdom of Lamjung.
- The name Gorkha is believed to be derived from the yogi saint Gorakhnath, who is said to have blessed Dravya Shah's rise to power.
- Among their most important acquisitions was the wealthy Newar confederacy of Nepal Mandala, centered in the Kathmandu Valley.
- The palace is the birthplace of the king Prithvi Narayan Shah, who was born in 1723 and started the unification of Nepal.
Picture
The Gorkha Palace is a historic landmark in the Gorkha district of Nepal, built in the 16th century by Ram Shah.
Image: Anuj Devkota, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.