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Gorkha Kingdom ( ne, गोरखा राज्य) was a member of the Chaubisi rajya, a confederation of 24 states on the
Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...
ruled by
Khas people Khas people (; ne, खस) popularly known as Khas Arya are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Himalayan region of South Asia, what is now present-day Nepal, Indian states of Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Sikkim. Historical ...
. In 1743 CE, the kingdom began a campaign of military expansion, annexing several neighbors to become present-day
Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
. The Gorkha Kingdom extended to the Marshyangdi River in the west, forming its border with the Kingdom of Lamjung. To the east, the kingdom extended to the
Trishuli River The Trishuli River ( ne, त्रिशूली नदी) is one of the major tributaries of the Narayani River basin in central Nepal. It originates in Tibet as a stream and enters Nepal at Gyirong Town. Etymology The Trishuli is named after ...
, forming its border with the
Nepal Mandala Nepal Mandala ( ne, नेपाल मण्डल) is an ancient confederation on the Indian subcontinent, marked by cultural, religious and political boundaries which lies in present-day central Nepal. It consists of the Kathmandu Valley an ...
. The Gorkha Kingdom was established in 1559 CE by Prince
Dravya Shah Dravya Shah ( ne, द्रव्य शाह; 1559–1570) was the king of the Gorkha Kingdom in Nepal. He was the father of Purna Shah, king of Gorkha. Dravya Shah's accomplices were Bhagirath Panta, Ganesh Pandey, Narayan Arjyal, Sarveshwar Kha ...
, second son of King
Yasho Brahma Shah Yasho Brahma Shah or Yasobam Shah ( ne, यशोब्रह्म शाह) (dates unknown) was the King of Kaski and Lamjung. He was the youngest son of Kulamandan Shah Khad. His eldest son succeeded him as King of Lamjung, while his secon ...
of
Lamjung Lamjung District ( ne, लमजुङ जिल्ला ), a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the 77 districts of Nepal. The district, with Besisahar as its district headquarters, covers an area of and had a population of 167,724. Lamjung ...
. The prince replaced the
Khadka Khadka ( ne, खड्का), anciently called as Khaḍga ( sa, खड्गा), is a surname of Khas -Chhetri community. Khadga was an ancient ''Paikelā'' (warrior) rank along with '' Thāpā'', ''Rānā'' and ''Buḍhā''. Kunwar Khadka cla ...
chiefs who previously ruled the region.


Origin

According to legends, one of the earliest Shah rulers was Rishi-raj Rana-Ji, of the
Lunar dynasty The Lunar dynasty (IAST: Candravaṃśa) is a legendary principal house of the Kshatriyas varna, or warrior–ruling caste mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. This legendary dynasty was said to be descended from moon-related deities (''So ...
. He was made the ruler of
Chittorgarh Chittorgarh (also Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in Rajasthan state of western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It was a major stronghol ...
and received the title of ''Bhattarak''.Daniel Wright, ''History of Nepāl'', Cambridge University Press, 1877, Nepal
Chapter X
page 273
The lunar dynasty remained in power for thirteen generations. Then, the
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
Yavanas The word Yona in Pali and the Prakrits, and the analogue Yavana in Sanskrit and Yavanar in Tamil, were words used in Ancient India to designate Greek speakers. "Yona" and "Yavana" are transliterations of the Greek word for "Ionians" ( grc, � ...
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 Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...
, 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 Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
). This decision led to war. Many
Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
, including Fatte Sinha Rana-ji Rava, were killed. The survivors of the war were led by Udaybam Rana-Ji Rava. They founded a settlement,
Udaipur Udaipur () (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura''), historically named as Udayapura, is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Udaipur district. It is the historic capit ...
. Manmath Rana-Ji Rava went to
Ujjain Ujjain (, Hindustani pronunciation: �d͡ːʒɛːn is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative centre of Ujjain district and Ujjai ...
. His son Bhupal Ranaji Rao went to
Ridi Ruru Kshetra ( ne, रूरू क्षेत्र), also known as Ridi (रिडी), is a religious and cultural place situated on the confluence of ''Ridi Khola'' and Kaligandaki river in Nepal. It is also tri-junction of Gulmi, Palpa an ...
in the northern hills and in 1495 CE (
Saka Era The Shaka era (IAST: Śaka, Śāka) is a historical Hindu calendar era (year numbering), the epoch (its year zero) of which corresponds to Julian year 78. The era has been widely used in different regions of India as well as in SE Asia. Hist ...
1417), to Sargha, and then to Khium in Bhirkot. There, he cultivated the land. The new ruler of Khium had sons, Kancha and Micha. Their ''bartabandha'' (the taking of the Bharmanical thread) was performed. Plans for the boys to marry the daughters of the Raghuvanshi
Rajputs Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
were made. Kancha, the elder son went to
Dhor The Dhor Koli also known as Tokre Koli, or Tokare Koli is a subcaste of the Koli caste found in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Rajasthan. Dhor Kolis are bamboo cutters by profession. Origin and distribution The Dh ...
. He conquered
Magarat Magarat is considered to be the place settled and inhabited by Magars, one of the largest indigenous ethnic groups of Nepal. It is a geographical cluster of Federal Republic of Nepal which existed in the modern territory of Nepal before the Unificat ...
and reigned over Garhon, Sathum and Birkot. Micha, the younger son, went to Nuwakot in the far west and became ruler there. From Micha, a dynasty of seven rajas commenced in Nuwakot. Kulamandan, the eldest son of Jagdeva, became ruler of Kaski displacing
Gurung Gurung (exonym; ) or Tamu (endonym; Gurung: ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the hills and mountains of Gandaki Province of Nepal. Gurung people predominantly live around the Annapurna region in Manang, Mustang, Dolpo, Kaski, Lamjung, Gorkha ...
king. He was favoured and became ''Shah'' and succeeded his father. Kalu, the second son was sent to Dura Danda in
Lamjung Lamjung District ( ne, लमजुङ जिल्ला ), a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the 77 districts of Nepal. The district, with Besisahar as its district headquarters, covers an area of and had a population of 167,724. Lamjung ...
at the people's request to become their king. Kalu was killed by the Sekhant tribe, who were the ancestor of present-day
Gurungs Gurung (exonym; ) or Tamu (endonym; Gurung: ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the hills and mountains of Gandaki Province of Nepal. Gurung people predominantly live around the Annapurna region in Manang, Mustang, Dolpo, Kaski, Lamjung, Gorkh ...
. In the 1500s, another son, Yasobramha, became the ruler of
Lamjung Lamjung District ( ne, लमजुङ जिल्ला ), a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the 77 districts of Nepal. The district, with Besisahar as its district headquarters, covers an area of and had a population of 167,724. Lamjung ...
after he compromised with the
Gurungs Gurung (exonym; ) or Tamu (endonym; Gurung: ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the hills and mountains of Gandaki Province of Nepal. Gurung people predominantly live around the Annapurna region in Manang, Mustang, Dolpo, Kaski, Lamjung, Gorkh ...
. The second son of Yasobramha,
Dravya Shah Dravya Shah ( ne, द्रव्य शाह; 1559–1570) was the king of the Gorkha Kingdom in Nepal. He was the father of Purna Shah, king of Gorkha. Dravya Shah's accomplices were Bhagirath Panta, Ganesh Pandey, Narayan Arjyal, Sarveshwar Kha ...
conquered the
Ghale Ghale is an indigenous group of Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a l ...
people of neighbouring Ligligkot, now in
Gorkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are recruit ...
. Prince
Dravya Shah Dravya Shah ( ne, द्रव्य शाह; 1559–1570) was the king of the Gorkha Kingdom in Nepal. He was the father of Purna Shah, king of Gorkha. Dravya Shah's accomplices were Bhagirath Panta, Ganesh Pandey, Narayan Arjyal, Sarveshwar Kha ...
in 1559 CE also replaced the
Khadka Khadka ( ne, खड्का), anciently called as Khaḍga ( sa, खड्गा), is a surname of Khas -Chhetri community. Khadga was an ancient ''Paikelā'' (warrior) rank along with '' Thāpā'', ''Rānā'' and ''Buḍhā''. Kunwar Khadka cla ...
chiefs then named the newly found kingdom Gorkha. The ancient name of Gor-kha is derived from Gorakhnath File:Kings Palace Gorkha Nepal.jpg, The old king's Darbar at Gorkha File:Nepal30005a.JPG, Mohar of Gorkha king Prithvi Narayan Shah dated
Saka Era The Shaka era (IAST: Śaka, Śāka) is a historical Hindu calendar era (year numbering), the epoch (its year zero) of which corresponds to Julian year 78. The era has been widely used in different regions of India as well as in SE Asia. Hist ...
1685 (1763 CE)


List of kings of Gorkha

The following is list of all ten kings of Gorkha hill principality


Expansion campaign

From 1736, the Gorkhalis engaged in a campaign of expansion begun by King
Nara Bhupal Shah Nara Bhupal Shah ( ne, नरभूपाल शाह) (1697–1743) was a king of the Gorkha Kingdom, which lies in modern day Nepal; and the father of Prithvi Narayan Shah. Nara Bhupal Shah was the son of Birbhadra Shah, the grandson of Prithv ...
, which was continued by his son, King Prithvi Narayan Shah and grandson Prince Bahadur Shah. Over the years, they conquered huge tracts of land to the east and west of Gorkha. Among their conquests, the most important and valuable acquisition was the wealthy
Newar Newar (; new, नेवार, endonym: Newa; new, नेवा, Pracalit script:) or Nepami, are the historical inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley and its surrounding areas in Nepal and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisatio ...
confederacy of
Nepal Mandala Nepal Mandala ( ne, नेपाल मण्डल) is an ancient confederation on the Indian subcontinent, marked by cultural, religious and political boundaries which lies in present-day central Nepal. It consists of the Kathmandu Valley an ...
centered in the
Kathmandu Valley The Kathmandu Valley ( ne, काठमाडौं उपत्यका; also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley ( ne, नेपाः उपत्यका, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः)), ...
. 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
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
to help, and in 1767, it sent an expedition under Captain Kinloch which ended in failure. The three Newar capitals of
Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...
, Lalitpur and
Bhaktapur , motto = ne, पुर्खले सिर्जेको सम्पत्ती, हाम्रो कला र संस्कृति , lit=Creation of our ancestors, our heritage and culture , image_map ...
fell to the Gorkhalis between 1768 and 1769. The Gorkhali king subsequently moved his capital to Kathmandu. In 1788, the Gorkhalis turned their attention north and invaded
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...
. They seized the border towns of Kyirong and Kuti, and forced the Tibetans to pay an annual tribute. When the Tibetans stopped paying it, the Gorkhalis invaded Tibet again in 1791 and plundered the
Tashilhunpo Monastery Tashi Lhunpo Monastery (), founded in 1447 by the 1st Dalai Lama, is the traditional monastic seat of the Panchen Lama, and an historically and culturally important monastery in Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet. The monastery was sa ...
in
Shigatse Shigatse, officially known as Xigazê (; Nepali: ''सिगात्से''), is a prefecture-level city of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Its area of jurisdiction, with an area of , corresponds to the histor ...
. This time the Chinese army came to Tibet's defence and advanced close to Kathmandu but could not achieve success due to strong counterattack. 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. Eventually, the Fu Kanggan was keen to protect his army and the war being resultless was concluded by signing a peace treaty at Betrawati. A later Nepalese–Tibetan War was fought from 1855 to 1856 in
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...
between the forces of the Tibetan government (
Ganden Phodrang The Ganden Phodrang or Ganden Podrang (; ) was the Tibetan system of government established by the 5th Dalai Lama in 1642; it operated in Tibet until the 1950s. Lhasa became the capital of Tibet again early in this period, after the Oirat l ...
, then under administrative rule of the
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...
) and the invading Nepalese army, resulting in the victory of Nepal. The Gorkha dominion reached its height at the beginning of the 19th century, extending all along the
Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
n foothills from Kumaon and Garhwal in the west to
Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siligur ...
in the east. They were made to return much of the occupied territories after their defeat in the
Anglo-Nepalese War The Anglo-Nepalese War (1 November 1814 – 4 March 1816), also known as the Gorkha War, was fought between the Gorkhali army of the Kingdom of Nepal (present-day Nepal) and the British forces of the East India Company (EIC, present-day Indi ...
(1814–1816) .


Gorkha to Nepal

The Gorkha dominion continued to be known as Gorkha Rajya (meaning the 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'. The name Gorkha Sarkar (meaning Gorkha government) was also changed to Nepal government. Similarly, the Gorkhali language was renamed as
Nepali Nepali or Nepalese may refer to : Concerning Nepal * Anything of, from, or related to Nepal * Nepali people, citizens of Nepal * Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...
in 1933. The term Gorkhali in the former
national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europe ...
entitled "Shreeman Gambhir" was changed to Nepali in 1951. The government newspaper, launched in 1901, is still known as
Gorkhapatra ''Gorkhapatra'' () is the oldest Nepali language state-owned national daily newspaper of Nepal. It was started as a weekly newspaper in May 1901 and became a daily newspaper in 1961. It is managed by the Gorkhapatra Sansthan. ''The Rising Nepal' ...
(meaning Gorkha gazette). The Shah dynasty ruled Nepal until 2008 when it became a republic following a people's movement. Today,
Gorkha District Gorkha District ( ne, गोरखा जिल्ला ), a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the 77 districts of Nepal, which is the fourth largest district (by area) of Nepal and connected historically with the creation of the modern Nep ...
, roughly corresponding to the old kingdom, is one of the 77 administrative districts of Nepal.


Gurkhas

Not to be confused with the inhabitants of the old Gorkha Kingdom only, the
Gurkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are recru ...
s are also military units in the British or the Indian army (where they are known as Gorkhas) enlisted in Nepal and India. Their history goes back to the
Anglo-Gorkha War The Anglo-Nepalese War (1 November 1814 – 4 March 1816), also known as the Gorkha War, was fought between the Gorkhali army of the Kingdom of Nepal (present-day Nepal) and the British forces of the East India Company (EIC, present-day Indi ...
and the
Sugauli Treaty The Treaty of Sugauli (also spelled Sugowlee, Sagauli and Segqulee), the treaty that established the boundary line of Nepal, was signed on 4 March 1816 between the East India Company and Guru Gajaraj Mishra following the Anglo-Nepalese War ...
of 1816. It allowed the
British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
to recruit men from the Gorkha kingdom hills to serve as mercenaries. During World War II (1939–45), a total of 250,280 Gurkhas served in 40 battalions, plus eight
Nepalese Army The Nepali Army ( ne, नेपाली सेना, translit=Nēpālī Sēnā), technically the Gorkhali Army ( ne, गोरखाली सेना, translit=Gōrakhālī Sēnā, label=none; see ''Gorkhas''), is the land service branch ...
battalions, plus parachute, training, garrison, and porter units. They earned 2,734 bravery awards, and suffered around 32,000 casualties in all theatres.


Gallery

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


See also

* Battle of Kathmandu *
Kingdom of Nepal The Kingdom of Nepal ( ne, नेपाल अधिराज्य), also known as the Gorkha Empire ( ne, गोरखा अधिराज्य) or Asal Hindustan ( ne, असल हिन्दुस्तान)(), was a Hindu king ...
*
List of Hindu empires and dynasties Indian empires rose to power following the birth of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism in the Indian subcontinent. The period of the Gupta Empire under Samudragupta is sometimes attributed to as the Golden Age of India. List The following list enumera ...
*
Shah dynasty The Shah dynasty ( ne, शाह वंश), also known as the Shahs of Gorkha or the Royal House of Gorkha, was the ruling Chaubise Thakuri dynasty ; and the founder of Gorkha Kingdom from 1559 to 1768 and later the unified Kingdom of Nepal ...
*
Rana dynasty Rana dynasty ( ne, राणा वंश, IAST=Rāṇā vaṃśa , ) is a Chhetri dynasty that imposed totalitarianism in the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1951, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making Prime Minister and other ...


References

{{Uttarakhand Gurkhas History of Nepal Empires and kingdoms of Nepal 16th-century establishments in Nepal 18th-century disestablishments in Nepal Chaubisi Rajya Former kingdoms