The Gorkha Palace, located in the

Gorkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with the endonym Gorkhali ( Nepali: गोर्खाली ), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of North India. The Gurkha units consist of Nepali and ...

district of

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

, is a historic landmark built in the 16th century by Ram Shah. The palace is built on top of a hill at an altitude of about . This palace is an hour walk from the downtown Gorkha bazaar. The palace is the birthplace of the king

Prithvi Narayan Shah Prithvi Narayan Shah (; 7 January 1723 – 11 January 1775), was the last king of the Gorkha Kingdom and first king of the Kingdom of Nepal (also called the ''Kingdom of Gorkha''). Prithvi Narayan Shah started the unification of Nepal. He is a ...

who was born in 1723 and started the

unification of Nepal The unification of Nepal () was the process of building the modern Nepalese state, by invading fractured Malla kingdoms including the Baise Rajya's 22 kingdoms and the Chaubisi Rajya's 24 kingdoms. It began in 1743 CE (1799 BS), by Prithvi N ...

. Prithvi Narayan Shah was born in the Dhuni Pari, a part of the Palace.

The Palace

The palace lies on the hilltop and is completely fortified. It is an example of Newari architecture. The walls of the palace are about three feet thick. The floors are supported by extended wooden beams. Gorkha palace at the hill - panoramio

The Palace exemplifies architectural brilliance

The Gorkha Palace showcases a remarkable blend of traditional Newari architecture and strategic military design. Built primarily of wood and stone, the structure reflects the craftsmanship of Newari artisans and the architectural principles of the time from the Nepa Valley region (Outside Gorkha). Multiple levels and intricate wooden carvings characterize the palace, with each section serving both aesthetic and functional purposes.

Temples inside and near the Palace

Gorkha Durbar also has religious importance due to the placement of various Hindu temples inside the palace. In the western part of the palace lies Kalika temple which was built during the 17th century. The temple has wooden carvings of birds, animals and deities. The temple of Goddess Gorakhkali lies on the southwestern side of the palace. The Goraknath temple is located near the Gorakhali temple. Goraknath was a Hindu yogi who was an influential founder of the Nath Hindu movement and also one of the two notable disciples of Matsyendranath. This place holds a fair every year on the day of

Baisakh Purnima Vesak (; Sanskrit: '), also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, Visak Bochea and Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as in Tibet and Mongolia. It is among the most impor ...

(the full moon day on the month of Baisakh) in Gorakhnath Cave. There is also a cave that is claimed as the shelter of Gorakhnath where he meditated

Tantra Tantra (; ) is an esoteric yogic tradition that developed on the India, Indian subcontinent beginning in the middle of the 1st millennium CE, first within Shaivism and later in Buddhism. The term ''tantra'', in the Greater India, Indian tr ...

Gorkha temple in front of palace - panoramio

Museum

The museum located inside the premises of the palace houses various items including armours, paintings and the Divya Upadesh of Prithvi Narayan Shah.

Surroundings

The palace also serves as a viewpoint to observe

Manaslu Manaslu (; , also known as Kutang) is the List of highest mountains#List, eighth-highest mountain in the world at above sea level. It is in the Mansiri Himal, part of the Nepalese Himalayas, in west-central Nepal. Manaslu means "mountain of the ...

Himalchuli Himalchuli (also sometimes written as two words, Himal Chuli) is the second-highest mountain in the Mansiri Himal, part of the Nepalese Himalayas, and the List of highest mountains, 18th-highest mountain in the world. Features Lying south-south ...

Annapurna Annapurna (; ) is a mountain situated in the Annapurna mountain range of Gandaki Province, north-central Nepal. It is the 10th highest mountain in the world at above sea level and is well known for the difficulty and danger involved in its as ...

and

Ganesh Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

peaks of the

Himalayas 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 Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

in the Northern side while planes of Gorkha and surrounding villages in the southern side. The “eternal flame” lies on the southern part of the palace which has been lit since the unification of Nepal.

Impact of 2015 earthquake

The

April 2015 Nepal earthquake The April 2015 Nepal earthquake (also known as the Gorkha earthquake) killed 8,962 people and injured 21,952 across the countries of Nepal, India, China and Bangladesh. It occurred at on Saturday 25 April 2015, with a magnitude of Moment magni ...

partially damaged the palace. It took over two years for the reconstruction process to start by the Department of Archeology and the work started on November 15, 2017. As of 2022, the repair work is still ongoing. Gorkha Tallo Durbar

Tourism

According to the Gorkha Museum, 48,233 people visited the palace in 2015–2016. In 2016–2017, there were 72,648 visitors and in 2017–2018, there were 77,753 visitors.

References

{{Reflist Shah palaces of Nepal Forts in Nepal 16th-century establishments in Nepal Buildings and structures in Gorkha District