From the Gorkha unification to a republic: how the Nepali state took its present shape

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From the Gorkha unification to a republic: how the Nepali state took its present shape

Background

An ambitious Gorkha King named Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered the kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley by 1769 and moved his capital to Kathmandu. The Shah dynasty he established ruled unified Nepal from 1769 to 2008. During the mid-19th century Jung Bahadur Rana became Nepal's first prime minister to wield absolute power, starting a hereditary reign of the Rana Prime Ministers that lasted for 104 years. The Ranas were overthrown in a democracy movement of the early 1950s, and King Tribhuvan was reinstated as the Head of the State. An independent Ministry of Foreign Affairs was established in 1951, in place of the older Munshi Khana. A Constituent Assembly election was held on April 10, 2008. The new constitution of Nepal was promulgated by a vote of the Constituent Assembly on September 20, 2015.

Unification under the Gorkha king: 1769 Shah dynasty rule over unified Nepal: 1769 to 2008 Hereditary Rana premiership: 104 years Constituent Assembly election: April 10, 2008 Constitution promulgated: September 20, 2015

Why it matters for exams: Examiners ask who unified Nepal, how long the Rana premiership lasted and which body adopted the present Constitution, and the three together make one clean chronology question.

Kerala PSCUPSC

6 October 2026 Source: Embassy of Nepal, Tokyo - History of Nepal

In plain words

Gorkha — The hill kingdom whose ruling house went on to unify Nepal and give the country its royal dynasty.

Munshi Khana — The office that handled Nepal's foreign correspondence before a separate foreign ministry was created.

Constituent Assembly — An elected body whose task is to write a constitution.