We all know from history books that the national unification process started by Prithvi Narayan Shah 300 years ago resulted in the formation of modern Nepal with the distinct identity of Nepali people. There was no modern Nepal then. The modern Nepal, as we know today, was divided into numerous small states and principalities known, as Baise and Chaubise rajaya. Prithvi Narayan Shah, then, was the king of the Gorkha state, one of those principalities. He assumed the throne of Gorkha state at the young age of 20 year. He was, unlike many other kings, very intelligent, strategic thinker, and a visionary. He organized his army, people, consulted his generals and court officials and shared his vision of Gorkha state’s expansion ultimately leading to the formation of one unified nation state. This was a daunting task, but he was so passionately ambitious and committed to carry this path of unification that he never had a second thought of relinquishing the unification process despite being defeated number of times.
A Strategic Thinker
Prithvi knew that it was extremely difficult to carry forward the task of unification as it involved the massive amount of state revenue and funds to recruit soldiers, increase military strength, train, and maintain the well-equipped army. People are the ultimate source of state revenue and if people willingly did not participate in the unification campaign, there was no way that he could succeed. His modus operandi was remarkably appreciable in the sense that he was very close to his people and knowledgeable about their sentiments and what they thought about his ambitious plan. As a king, unlike others, he did not coerce his people to pay taxes to support the military expansion of Gorkha state. He rather interacted with people, sought their advice, and tried to win over their support. People overwhelmingly supported their king’s call and the unification campaign.
He was, unlike many other kings, very intelligent, strategic thinker, and a visionary.
Prithvi was blessed with the company of some very brave, strategic thinker and farsighted generals like Kalu Pandey and others who carried the vision of their king. Without their intelligence, organizational and military tactical capability, Prithvi and Gorkha army could not have achieved what they achieved. It was a collective endeavor of a visionary king, the committed generals and the people who rallied behind the unification campaign.
Given the crude feudalistic political and economic structure of that time, Prithvi’s approach to reach out to his people, his generals, and court officials for their opinion and suggestions was progressive, participatory, and democratic. On many occasions, Prithvi changed his opinion and plans as per the suggestions of his generals like Kalu Pandey and others in the matters of strategic military decisions. This indicates that Prithvi was mostly open to suggestions and better alternatives from his generals and court officials. This was rarely found in other kings as most of them imposed and commanded often on whim what they thought was right. Prithvi, on the other hand, invited opinion and suggestions from his generals and even from people and finally choose the best option taking into consideration of all possible consequences.
Formidable Geo-Political Reality
More than half of India was ruled by British empire and Muslim Mogul state was in the process of disintegration. Mir Kasim was one powerful Muslim ruler of Bengal. Tibet was the main center of trade business at that time. Palpali, Sen king was powerful and ruled eastern part of Nepal from Palpa to Rai-Limbu Kirat Pradesh in the East. Christian missionaries were already operating in Kathmandu valley and passing valuable information to the British regime in India urging British regime to take over Kathmandu valley before Prithvi Narayan Shah did because, in their assessment, it would have been impossible for British to defeat Prithvi Narayan Shah’s Gorkha military force. That is the reason why Prithvi expelled the Christian missionary from Kathmandu valley. His statement of warning about ‘Phirangi’ and their activities did not come out of nothing. It is said that Prithvi conceptualized the dream of unification from Chandragiri hill in Kathmandu after he returned from Makawanpur. When he observed Kathmandu valley from Chandragiri hill, he realized that without conquering Kathmandu valley, unified Nepal could not be materialized. Prithvi realized that without consolidating his army to stop the possible advancement of British army from eastern Tarai, he could not complete his unification. The victory of Bijaypur in the eastern part of Nepal by Gorkha army was the turning point in the unification of Nepal. This victory of Bijaypur facilitated the victory of eastern Kirat, Makawanpur, and the powerful Palpa Sen kingdom. The unification process completed through the conquest of Kathmandu valley created the modern Nepal with a distinct identity of Nepal and Nepali people.
Every Nation Has Their Founding Father
Every modern nation has their founding father or fathers. History tells us that unification is a painful process that does not come from peaceful means and the change of hearts of the rulers and their people. In the history, we have observed that a dominant state starts unification process by conquering the weaker states through military might. War and battles were the universal phenomenon for the formation of unified powerful states. European history is, in fact, the history of bloodiest wars and battles waged by their rulers in the process of creating powerful unified nation states.
It is said that Prithvi conceptualized the dream of unification from Chandragiri hill in Kathmandu after he returned from Makawanpur.
Germany did not exist as a single nation state before unification by Prussian ruler Otto von Bismarck. There were 39 individual states in Germany just like Baise and Chaubise rajaya in Nepal. There is an interesting parallel between the unification process of Nepal and Germany, but Nepal’s unification is even more complicated in the sense that Prithvi Narayan had to reckon with the British colonial regime in India while launching unification in the then Nepal. Otto von Bismarck unified 39 small German states into the powerful German empire through bloody war and battles. He was nick named as the ‘Iron Chancellor’ because he ruled German empire with iron fist to keep the unified Germany intact. Today, all German people take a great pride in Bismarck and pay enormous tribute to their founding father.
George Washington and six other (John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, James Monroe, and Benjamin Franklin) founding fathers occupy an unparalleled place in American history. They were the leaders of the revolution that brought independence to American colonies from Great Britain in the late 18th century. Even though their revolutionary ideals of freedom and equality did not end the slavery and protect the rights of American Indians, they are still held in high esteem as founding fathers of America by all Americans including the African American community. Abraham Lankan had to wage a civil war to end slavery that unified America in the true sense. Some may consider Lankan as the true founding father of America.
Giuseppe Garibaldi was the founding father of Italy. He was an Italian soldier and a patriot who led many bloody military campaigns that brought about the formation of the modern unified Italy. He was called the “hero of the two worlds” in tribute to his military expeditions in South America and Europe.
What If Nepal Was Not Unified?
Just imagine, had Prithvi Narayan Shah not unified Nepal, what would have been the fate and identity of today’s Nepal and Nepali? It was Prithvi’s Gorkha army that defeated British and Mir Kasim’s invasion in their attempt to conquer Kathmandu valley and suburban sates of Makawanpur, Palpa and eastern Kirat of Nepal. Nepal would have come under British colonialism just like India and would have been integrated into India when British left India. Nepal and Nepali would not exist today. There is no doubt that Prithvi Narayan Shah was the founder father of modern Nepal and should be duly recognized without any prejudice and hatred.
It is quite understandable why Anglo-European Christian and their political allies in Nepal do not like Prithvi to be recognized as the founding father of Nepal? They succeeded to abolish the celebration of ‘National Unification and Prithvi Day’ through the then Girija Congress government which was simply implementing the Maoist agenda. The rationale of Maoist political ideology or the ‘Prachanda path’ could not have been established without undoing what Prithvi Narayan Shah did through unification of the then numerous principalities. Maoists accelerated ethnic-casts hatred and promised ethnicity cast-based statehood for all the major ethnicities of Nepal by dividing the country into 14-15 ethnicity cast based principalities. This misguidedly inspired young people from various ethnicities to join their so called ‘janayuddha’ which eventually landed them on participating in the liberal democracy through 12-point Delhi agreement. How can one justify their accepting liberal democracy against which they staged 10 years violent insurrection that killed 18 thousand people, destroyed properties, infrastructures and eventually participate in bourgeois democracy against which they staged the arms struggle? Was this violence necessary to come to fundamentally the same political system with some cosmetic changes? Not at all. Ethnicity cast based statehood could not have been accomplished without disintegrating the unified unitary Nepal and attacking Prithvi Narayan Shah who founded the modern Nepal. That is why Prachanda, and Baburam were bent on destroying statutes of Prithvi Narayan Shah.
Advice to NC and UML
One can find some truth in the criticism that Girija Prasad Koirala was ego-driven foolish politician who aggrandized his ego by demeaning Prithvi Narayan Shah (he abolished the National Unification and Prithvi Day) because of the revenge he wanted to take against Gyanendra Bikram Shah, apparently the other ego-driven heir to the throne. The current congress party is the GP party not the party of BP, KP and Ganesh Man Singh and Sher Bahadur is the carrier of the Prachanda path. This is not my assessment of Nepali Congress party but just the criticisms of political analysts I have read in the national newspapers.
Likewise, UML and its so-called nationalist leaders are also being criticized for being ambivalent and silent on the question of ‘National Unification and Prithvi Day’. How can they be nationalist without formally recognizing the founding father of a nation, the modern Nepal? My advice to both NC and UML are that you should formally recognize the ‘National Unification and Prithvi Day’ and that is, sooner the better. Please do not be confused if you think that to recognize Prithvi Narayan Shah as the founding father of modern Nepal is to recognize Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah as the King of Nepal. Nepal can be a republic democratic state and forget about Gyanendra Shah, but you cannot forget Prithvi Narayan Shah as the founding father of Nepal because if Prithvi had not unified Nepal, you would have been fighting for MLA or MP of Indian State Assembly or the Indian Parliament these days Chetanabhaya.
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