King Prithvi Narayan Shah (c 1769-1775), was the one with whom we move into the modern period of Nepal's history. He was the ninth generation descendant of late King Dravya Shah (1559-1570), the founder of the ruling house of Gorkha. King Prithvi Narayan Shah succeeded his father King Nara Bhupal Shah to the throne of Gorkha in 1743 AD. Prithvi Narayan Shah was quite aware of the political situation of the Valley kingdoms as well as of the Baise and Chaubise principalities. He foresaw the need for unifying the small principalities as an urgent condition for survival in the future and set him self to the task accordingly.
His assessment of the situation among the hill principalities was correct, and the principalities were subjugated fairly easily. King Prithvi Narayan Shah's victory march began in 1744 with the conquest of Nuwakot, which lies between Kathmandu and Gorkha. After which he occupied strategic points in the hills surrounding the Kathmandu Valley thus, the communications of valley with the outside world were cut off. The occupation of the Kuti Pass stopped the Valley's trade with Tibet in about 1756 . Finally, King Prithvi Narayan Shah entered the Valley after the victory of Kirtipur.
King Jaya Prakash Malla of Kathmandu sought help from the British and so the East India Company sent a contingent of soldiers under Captain Kinloch in 1767. but the British force was defeated at Sindhuli by King Prithvi Narayan Shah's army. This defeat of the British completely shattered the hopes of King Jaya Prakash Malla. The capture of Kathmandu (September 25. 1768) was dramatic, as the people of Kathmandu were celebrating the festival of Indrajatra, Prithvi Narayan Shah and his men marched into the city. A throne was put on the palace courtyard for the king of Kathmandu on which Prithvi Narayan Shah sat on and was hailed by the people as the king of Kathmandu. But King Jaya Prakash Malla managed to escape with his life and took asylum in Patan. When Patan was captured a few weeks later, both King Jaya Prakash Malla and the king of Patan, Tej Narsingh Mallal took refuge in Bhaktapur, which was also captured after some time. Thus the Kathmandu Valley was conquered by King Prithvi Narayan Shah and Kathmandu became the capital of the modern Nepal after 1769.
King Jaya Prakash Malla of Kathmandu sought help from the British and so the East India Company sent a contingent of soldiers under Captain Kinloch in 1767. but the British force was defeated at Sindhuli by King Prithvi Narayan Shah's army. This defeat of the British completely shattered the hopes of King Jaya Prakash Malla. The capture of Kathmandu (September 25. 1768) was dramatic, as the people of Kathmandu were celebrating the festival of Indrajatra, Prithvi Narayan Shah and his men marched into the city. A throne was put on the palace courtyard for the king of Kathmandu on which Prithvi Narayan Shah sat on and was hailed by the people as the king of Kathmandu. But King Jaya Prakash Malla managed to escape with his life and took asylum in Patan. When Patan was captured a few weeks later, both King Jaya Prakash Malla and the king of Patan, Tej Narsingh Mallal took refuge in Bhaktapur, which was also captured after some time. Thus the Kathmandu Valley was conquered by King Prithvi Narayan Shah and Kathmandu became the capital of the modern Nepal after 1769.
King Prithvi Narayan Shah was successful in bringing together diverse religio-ethnic groups under one national. He was a true nationalist in his outlook and was in favor of adopting a closed-door policy with regard to the British. Not only his social and economic views guided the country's socio-economic course for a long time, his use of the imagery, 'a yam between two boulders in Nepal's geopolitical context, formed the principal guideline of the country`s foreign policy for future centuries.
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