Prithvi Narayan Shah

Maharajadhiraj Prithvi Narayan Shah (1723-1775) was the last ruler of the Gorkha Kingdom and the first monarch of the Kingdom of Nepal (also called Kingdom of Gorkha). Prithvi Narayan Shah initiated Nepal's unification. He is remembered as one of the most important historical figures in Nepal.

Because North India was ruled by Islamic Mughal rulers, Shah proclaimed the newly unified Kingdom of Nepal Asal Hindustan ("Real Land of Hindus"). He also called the rest of Northern India Mughlan (Country of Mughals). In Nepal, Prithvi Narayan Shah is regarded as the Father of the Nation.

King Prithvi Naraya Shah was eventually able to capture and annex small principalities into the kingdom. This expansion was critical to the Kingdom of Nepal's survival, as the East India Company was already expanding into the Indian subcontinent from their base in Bengal. Shah was convinced that the company would eventually conquer the southern regions bordering Nepal and approach Nepal. In the event of a war with the company or any other foreign power, he believed that if Nepal remained a collection of fifty principalities, it would be easily defeated and conquered. By expanding his kingdom, he ensured that Nepal would remain an independent state capable of negotiating on equal terms with a foreign power.

On his 52nd birthday in January 1775, Prithvi Narayan Shah died at Devighat, Nuwakot. His son, Pratap Singh Shah, succeeded him after his death, and his unification campaign was carried on by his younger son, Bahadur Shah.