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Lesson Prithvi Narayan Shah and
7.3
Unification Campaign

FACTS “On returning to Chandragiri Hill, I asked which were the
to Understand places of Nepal? They showed me one place calling it
Kantipur, another Patan and the next Bhadgaon. Suddenly,
a strong wish becoming the king of those townships
developed in my soul.”
- Divine Counsel

Till the end of the Medieval Period, Nepal was a geographical expression only as
it was divided into 52 small principalities, rulers of different clans like Lichchhavi,
Kirant, Malla, Sen, Khas, Shah, ruled over the kingdoms. The relations among
these states were not warm. There were internal rivalries and battles among them
which made them very weak. The rulers were arrogant and engaged in groupism and
conspiracies. The number of such scattered states often changed due to the battle and
their annexation to each other. The major states divided that time were:

Eastern Part Three Sen kingdoms: Makwanpur, Chaudandi and Bijaypur
Central Part Three Malla Kingdoms (Valley Kingdoms): Kantipur, Patan and Bhadgaon
Western Part Baise Rajya (Karnali region) and Chaubise Rajya (Gandaki region)

In neighbouring country India, the East India Company was aggressively extending
its territories. Their main motive was to make colony for extension of trade and market
to Tibet, collection of raw materials and the suitable climate. Prithvi Narayan Shah
well understood that the independence and existence of Nepal would be at great risk.
Therefore, he grew attention, realization and determination to those small principalities
and annexed them into a greater Nepal. That time he had hardly 1200 soldiers.
Prithvi Narayan Shah was the founder of modern Nepal. He was the eldest son of
Narbhupal Shah, the king of Gorkha and Kaushal Yawali. Narbhupal Shah had four
queens and seven sons. The tree chart of Narbhupal Shah is given below:
251 Dynamic Social Studies - Book IX