Dr. Niranjan Man Singh Basnyat
Kathmandu, Nepal
In the first paragraph of the Counsel, names of Gods and Goddesses were written by the transcript writer such as Shree Ganesh, Shree Kalika, and Shree Shiva Gorakhnath. It was and is a general practice among Hindus to remember gods, particularly Shree Ganesh first and Goddesses before commencing on any important task. The writer asks for blessings from all these gods and says that now he would like to narrate about King Prithvi Narayan Shah’s speech.
When the Counsel was given, all the priests, brothers, courtiers, six castes of people, and the king’s own personal assistant Surathi Singh Rana Magar were present. Surathi Singh was believed to be the King’s maternal uncle because his sister Kalika Dhai was one of the mistresses of Narabhupal Shah. Also, the old King Prithvi Narayan Shah is mentioned as having become the Hindupati after conquering the Sen Kingdoms of Makwanpur, Chaudandi and Bijayapur. This follows in the tradition of Sen Kings who used to call themselves Hindupati, or protector of Hindus. There is also mention of victory of the Malla kingdoms of Kathmandu valley. In the beginning, King Prithvi Narayan Shah’s name is also written which means it was immediately transcribed after his death.
His brothers, Mohaddamkirti Shah and Dalmardan Shah, had deserted King Prithvi Narayan Shah as they were deeply dissatisfied because Prithvi Narayan Shah did not make them kings of various conquered states. His youngest brother, Shoorpratap Shah, had already been killed in 1774. Among his brothers, only Daljit Shah was with him in Nuwakot. His principal warriors and courtiers, namely Shivaram Singh Basnyat, Kalu Pandey, Bagh Bhim Singh Thapa,Tularam Pandey, and Kehar Singh Basnyat had already died during the unification campaign. Ranarudra Shah had already died his natural death. Bansaraj Pandey was imprisoned in Beni by the Chaubisi states.
Damodar Pandey might have been in eastern Nepal. Others who went to meet the king in his last days were believed to be the three brothers of the Basnyat family, namely Nahar Singh, Abhiman Singh, and Dhaukal Singh. In addition, the king’s younger son, Bahadur Shah, was had always been with his father because immediately after his death, he was engaged in mourning rituals in Nuwakot.
In historical documents, there is no evidence of the visit of Crown Prince Pratap Singh Shah to see his ailing father in Nuwakot. There was a rumour circulating at that time that the king was not happy with the activities of the Crown Prince. Pratap Singh was more interested in merry making and entertainment in the palace. He was deeply involved in practicing Tantrism as per the advice of Pandit Braznath Poudel and some Gubhaju (tantric priests) of Patan. On the day King Prithvi Narayan Shah died, Pratap Singh ascended the throne of Nepal in Kathmandu.
It is believed that King Prithvi Narayan Shah gathered those closest to him in order to deliver his Counsel because he realized he was soon going to die. He also did not have full trust and confidence in his elder son and heir Crown Prince Pratap Singh. Pratap Singh used to live in Hanuman Dhoka Palace in Kathmandu surrounded by his own coterie of people, such as bodyguard Subedar Sworup Singh Karki, Pandit Braznath Poudel, and his mistress Maiju Maharani.
Prithvi Narayan was very concerned about safeguarding his achievements and ensuring the longevity of his newly unified kingdom. (Paragraph 1).
The king believed that the old people should share their experiences with the next generation before they die. The sharing of experiences with the future generations fulfills the purpose of equipping future leaders of the country in helping to ensure stability and prosperity. So, Prithvi Narayan wished to impart his wisdom, especially with regard to state affairs. (Pragraph 2).
Prithvi Narayan compared himself and his brothers to the five brothers (Pandava) in the Mahabharat, the Hindu epic. Pandava were born from Pandu’s wives Kunti and Madri: from Kunti Yudhshtira, Bhisma and Arjuna were born and from Madri twin Nahakul and Sahadeva were born.
Prithvi Narayan Shah and his four brothers were born from three different mothers in Gorkha. Prithvi Narayan Shah and Dalmardan Shah were born from Queen Kaushalyavati; Mohaddamkirti Shah and Daljit Shah were born from Queen Subhadravati; Shoorpratap Shah was born from Queen Buddhimati. There were other brothers who were also born from mistresses of his father but they were not counted in the state hierarchy according to the traditions of that time. Ranarudra Shah was born from Premavati, a mistress of Narabhupal Shah and he helped Prithvi Narayan Shah during the initial period of the unification campaign. He was appointed Kazi. King Prithvi Narayan Shah believed he had provided appropriate roles to his courtiers according their abilities and talent. (Paragraph 3).
King talks about his marriage with Princes Indra Kumari of the kingdom of Makwanpur. It was a rich state in comparison to Gorkha. He had gone to Makwanpur to take his wife to Gorkha nearly two years after the marriage. This time he demanded single-tusk elephant and expensive necklace, (which were used during the ceremony of marriage) from his father-in-law King Hemkarna Sen and brother-in-law Digbandhan Sen. Then he threatened that if these were not given, he would take his wife by fighting with swords. In other words by winning the battle against them. But this time also he had to return empty handed and this incident gave him hurt feelings. Some writers have criticised King Prithvi Narayan Shah for being a greedy person saying that he had married with the Princess of the rich state and demanding an elephant and the expensive necklace. One tusk elephant is considered as symbol of good omen. But according to the Hindu traditional practice and royal tradition, the items which were used in the marriage generally belongs to the bride or to the bridegroom. That was why he was demanding these things from his father-in-law. Thus he was not a greedy person.
In some historical accounts, it is mentioned that Prithvi Narayan Shah had felt it very unpleasant about the incident in which some harsh words were used to him by the queen of King Hemkarna Sen in Makwanpur. He shared his discontent with his astrologers and courtiers traveling with him back to Gorkha. Some historians believe that this episode was one of the reasons behind his quest for the unification campaign. (Paragraph 4).
While returning from Makwanpur, Prince Prithvi Narayan Shah arrived at Chandragiri Hill via Chitlang, 13 km south west from Kathmandu. He had inner desire to become the victor of three Malla kingdoms of Kathmandu valley. As a result, when he looked at the three kingdoms from the hills, stroking his moustache with his fingers, he yearned to be the ruler of Kathmandu valley. His trusted men and Pundits Kulananda Dhakal and Bhanu Arjyal told Prithvi Narayan that because he respected Brahmins, Yogis, cows, guests, gods and goddesses, he will indeed be blessed by god and will be able to fulfill his desire.
While he ultimately did achieve his lofty ambition, it took Prithvi Narayan two decades of struggle and sacrifice. (Paragraph 5).
Prithvi Narayan Shah had to walk day and night to reach Dhading through Thankot pass by crossing a river in Kalharighat. He was talking about physical hardships he had faced at the time. (Paragraph 6).
Then Prithvi Narayan Shah arrived at Maidi in Dhading from where he called his three brave men, namely Ranajit Basnyat, Birbhadra Pathak, and Mansingh Rokaya, stationed in Liglig near Khawa of Chepe to come to see him. He told them about the incident in Makwanpur and asked their opinions about his threat to King Hemkarna Sen. They said to Prithvi Narayan Shah that they were ready to fight for his support. So, he can go ahead with the attack on Makwanpur. In the event that Chaubisi states come to attack Gorkha at that time, they ensured him that they will make a flow of blood in Chepe river. This shows the resolve of his men to fight for him. (Paragraph 7).
Prithvi Narayan Shah used to take advice from various people. The king met with his maternal uncle, Prince Udyot Sen of Palpa, who was on his pilgrimage tour to Gosaikund, Pashupati and came to Gorkha for visit the deity of Gorakhnath. He took his valuable advice to put Khas in the leadership during battles. This advice that Prithvi Narayan Shah accepted paid dividends and led to the success of his unification campaign. Udyot Sen was the son of King Gandharbha Sen. He died before he could become king. He had also taken the advice of Bishe Nagarchi who was an instrumentalist and tailor belonging to a low caste. Nagarchi had suggested to the King to raise one rupee from each 12,000 households of Gorkha to finance his travel to Banaras. The king agreed to his advice. (Paragraphs 8 and 9).
The king also talked about the diplomatic skills of Kalu Pandey. He, along with Kalu Pandey, went to meet with the king of Lamjung, Ripumardan Shah, in Chepeghat. He wanted to ensure that Kalu Pandey was remembered for having played a decisive role in making peace with Lamjung.
The king said that Kalu Pandey made him happy but he wished to find out whether the people of Gorkha and neighbouring states were happy with Kalu Pandey. When he received the report that almost all people are happy with Kalu Pandey, he appointed Kalu Pandey as Kazi, though personally he had been prepared to give this position to Biraj Bakheti. This demonstrated the importance Prithvi Narayan Shah placed on the opinion of his subjects. (Paragraph 10).
Prithvi Narayan Shah himself arranged the marriage between Basnyat and Pandey families so that these families would unite and there would be no inter-family conflicts during the unification campaign. This act of the king gave a big thrust to his ultimate objective of increasing internal cohesion in the country. Prithvi Narayan Shah has specially mentioned the victory of Kathmandu valley kingdoms with the unity of these families. Thus, he made sure to recognise the important contributions of Basnyats and Pandeys in the unification campaign. This marriage was held probably in 1753. (Paragraph 11).
The king fully respected the religion, tradition, and culture of the country. His worship of Salyankot Devi Temple of Dhading demonstrates this fact. He even created a trust that looked after the maintenance of the temple and its surroundings. He believed that the lady he had seen in his dream was really a goddess. He used to recite the religious texts in front of the temple every day. (Paragraphs 12 and 13).
It was the long-cherished goal of Prithvi Narayan’s father, Narabhupal Shah, to capture Nuwakot. But he was not successful when he had sent troops under Maheswor Panth and Jayant Rana. Maheswor Panth blamed Jayant Rana for the failure. Then King dismissed Jayant Rana.
Jayant had joined with King Jaya Prakash Malla. He became chief of Nuwakot. King Prithvi Narayan Shah had also already tried to conquer Nuwakot the previous year but had failed. Then king made a secret plan to attack Mahamandal in Nuwakot, so he established a temporary camp at Simalchaur. He used to visit the temples of Bhairavi and Indrayeni by crossing the river by boat.
His men used to work for irrigation channels in Khinchet for deceiving their enemies. From there, he sent the message to Jayant Rana to surrender and come to the Gorkhali side. Jayant was made the chief of Mahamandal from King Jaya Prakash Malla of Kathmandu. But Jayant refused the proposal of King Prithvi Narayan Shah and, on the contrary, threatened him from Belkot. Thus, Prithvi Narayan believed it was necessary to attack and capture that strategic place. (Paragraph 14 and 15).
The king told astrologers that he had a dream during the day according to which showed him that an auspicious day for an attack was in the forthcoming week on Saturday. He stated that he climbed to Mahamandal on that Saturday.
Gorkha won the battle after his brother Dalmardan Shah killed Shankhamani Rana. Dalmardan Shah was stated in the Counsel to be only twelve years old.
However, based on other records, his actual age was found to be 14 years 4 months at the time. He was born on 15 May 1730. Gorkhalis had attacked Nuwakot on 27 September 1744. The victory of Nuwakot was the first important victory after Prithvi Narayan Shah became king.
After a few days, Belkot was also captured by the Gorkhalis under the leadership of the king himself and Kalu Pandey. During the Belkot attack, Jayant Rana was captured and later flayed alive. He was treated as a traitor to Gorkha. (Paragraphs 16 and 17).
The king has explained that he had established security posts in Kakani and Shivapuri in the northwest of Kathmandu and was ready to enter inside the valley from there. (Pragraph 8).
Parshuram Thapa, his elder brother Kashiram Thapa, and their father Angad Thapa were the courtiers of Jaya Prakash Malla. They were Bagale Thapa who came originally from Gorkha at the time of King Mahindra Malla (also known as Bhaskar Malla). They were involved in battles on behalf of Kathmandu. Parshuram Thapa’s eldest brother, Jagdeu Thapa, was made Sardar and sent to fight the battle against Makwanpur during the time of King Mahindra Malla. The king of Kathmandu was very fond of elephants so he wanted to own large quantities of that were found in the forests of Makwanpur. But Kathmandu lost the battle and Jagdeu Thapa was killed.
Later, when another brother, Kashiram Thapa, was killed on 1 August 1746 (for losing the battle to recapture Nuwakot) by an angered Jaya Prakash Malla at Gaurighat near Guheswori Temple, Kathmandu, Parshuram Thapa left Kathmandu kingdom to join Bhaktapur and became its military chief. Though King Ranajit Malla was the foster father of King Prithvi Narayan Shah, he was hatching a conspiracy against the Gorkha King by siding with the Chaubisi states. Parshuram Thapa was working as per a secret plan so he had sent his own younger brother Birman Thapa with money and material support to Chaubisi states, which would have been used against Gorkha. Thus, King Prithvi Narayan Shah wanted to put a stop to this and he chose Jhagal Gurung to go to Pokhara in Hatiya Pass and kill Birman. Jhagal Gurung executed the plan according to the wishes of his king and came back to Gorkha safely. This incident is believed to have happened in 1754. (Paragraph 19).
King Prithvi Narayan Shah talks of Nepal as being similar to a ‘yam between two rocks’. He gives instructions to maintain peace with both of Nepal’s neighbours, the British Emperor and Chinese Emperor. He was of the opinion that Nepal should not go first to attack the enemy but rather it should maintain a defensive posture. He said that we need to attack them only when they attack us.
This, he said, in reference to the possible attack by the East India Company, which was likely to come to Nepal in search of strong forts, in case the states of India were united against the Company.
This was one of the basic tenets of the foreign policy of the Prithvi Narayan Shah: Maintain peace with neighbours unless it is necessary to defend Nepal’s sovereignty.
At the same time, he has cautioned future leaders that if the British cannot win conventional military battles against us, they will attempt to gain influence in Nepal through persuasion or trickery. In a letter dated 18 August 1767 addressed to one Ramchandra Prasai in Ramechhap, Prithvi Narayan referred to the British as “wolves” and said that if they arrive in Nepal even once, they will never return (for example, even if they claimed they came to help Jaya Prakash Malla). Despite Prithvi Narayan’s astute understanding of the British threat, many of his successors were not as wise to understand the king’s warnings of both hard power and soft power that could be employed by the British. However, many of his successors had not given due importance to this basic instruction so eloquently he enunciated. In fact, now also the situation remains the same in terms of their interference from most of our present neighbours and others. Still many learned people are remind Nara Bahadur ‘Naru Thapa’, Kirat Magar Itihas (History of Kirat Magar).
Reminding the leaders about this guideline particularly on the birth anniversary of King Prithvi Narayan Shah. (Paragraph 20).
Forts in Nepal are very strong. They do not need repairs or maintenance as often as forts elsewhere. They are true defenders of our throne. If one can take full control of these forts, no enemy, even the four emperors (believed to be Emperors of England, China, Italy, and Russia), will be unable to attack us. He gave the names of these seven forts and gave instructions as to how they can be better organised by the soldiers to defend against enemies and criminals. (Paragraph 21).
The king had an unfulfilled wish to formulate some rules for social peace and harmony of 12,000 households of Gorkha. He referred to his study of social norms as set by King Ram Shah (Gorkha), King Jayasthiti Malla (Bhaktapur), and King Mahindra Malla (Kathmandu), who were great social reformers of their time. He also wanted to be like them, but he could not. He also wanted to block routes in the west and the east, only opening routes to Kathmandu. Perhaps he wanted to protect himself from the influence of foreign cultures all over the country. So, he expressed his remorse at being unable to do this. (Paragraph 22).
The king again talks about his unfulfilled wishes. He believes that people in the three cities of the valley are only inclined to hatching conspiracies and intrigues. Because they drink the water from the wells, not from running rivers. That is why, he believes, they lack bravery. He wished to make a palace for himself in Dahachowk (a hilltop 10 km south west of Kathmandu) surrounded by the houses of his trusted courtiers nearby. But this wish also remained unfulfilled. (Paragraph 23).
The king said that we had fought wearing “Chyanga Panga”, coarse textile woven in villages, facing hardship to save money. He was very much aware of the fact that if foreign merchants entered into Nepal, they will take away the cash and people may become bankrupt. Godhparsa is the fort of Parsa near present city of Birgunj, which was a main entry point from the south. Thus, Prithvi Narayan Shah gave instruction to stop the entry of foreign traders. The king was concerned about the sources of income for his people. So, he wanted to protect whatever products Nepal had at that time. He also wanted to promote home products and ban foreign goods. He gave instructions to sell those products produced in the country so that those exports could be used to enrich and strengthen the country.
These concerns are still relevant today. It is still valid when our balance of trade and balance of payment is not in our favour and economy has become quite weak in recent years. (Paragraphs 24 and 25).
The king also talked about controlling corruption by high officials. He was against awarding contracts to business people and instead wanted governments to conduct daily affairs. Prithvi Narayan Shah also advocated a simple lifestyle, cautioning that those accustomed to copious amounts of entertainment and recreation would be weak soldiers. This instruction is still best suited in Nepal where contracts are awarded mostly to preferred people of the higher authority. (Paragraph 26).
The king emphasizes that Nepal was unified through enormous effort. That included big battles beginning from Nuwakot to Makwanpur, against Muslim forces of Bengal, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur, the East India Company, Chaudandi, and Bijayapur. So, he was of the opinion that people of all creeds and castes should maintain peace and harmony to safeguard the interest of the country in the long run. Here he talked about equality of all races, emphasizing that all should have equal opportunity to advance the interests of the country. He notes that Nepal is a real place for Hindus and it was a good “Hindusthan.” He instructed not to abandon the religion and tradition which have been maintained for centuries. King Prithvi Narayan Shah was the founder of the nation. Now, many people who do not have the deep knowledge about the details of his hardships inhistory, take this historic achievement very lightly. Nepal is one of the oldest independent countries of the world located in South Asia. Thus every Nepali must realise this and he/she should be proud of the glorious history of his/her country. All Nepalese should pay high respect to King Prithvi Narayan Shah. If he had not been born in Gorkha, the creation of unified Nepal would not have been possible. These passages note the great emphasis Prithvi Narayan Shah gives to the protection of religion and tradition. (Paragraph 27).
The king was very much obliged to some people in his kingdom who were instrumental during and after unification. Shivaram Singh Basnyat and Kalu Pandey were killed in battles. Later, their sons and grandsons were also instrumental in conquering several territories and annexing them into Nepal. Tularam Pandey, ‘Bagh’ Bhim Singh Thapa, and Kehar Singh Basnyat were also killed.
Prithvi Narayan Shah wanted to give the affairs relevant to the south (India) and the north (Tibet and China) to the descendants of Shivaram Singh Basnyat and Kalu Pandey, respectively. Similarly, he wanted to give the position of Chief of Royal Household (Kapardar) to the descendants of Kalu Khadka Magar. He further states that war compensation should be given to the Pandeys, Basnyats, the Pantha brothers, and Magars on a rotational basis. These were his trusted servants. His instruction was that even if they committed some serious crimes, these courtiers be sent to battle and not killed. (Paragraphs 28 and 29).
The king again talks about measures against corruption. He was of the opinion that those who give bribes and officials who take bribes are criminals. Stern action should be taken against them.
Their properties should be confiscated or even the death penalty should be applied. Future kings should maintain justice in the country and no injustice should be tolerated. In view of the rampant corruption in Nepal at present, his instruction was very pertinent. (Paragraph 30).
The King was very helpful towards soldiers. He said that some lands should be given to them so that their families can manage their living. Thus soldiers can have confidence to go to the battles. (Paragraph 31).
King Prithvi Narayan Shah always emphasized a proper screening system for the enrolment of soldiers, sergeants, and other officials in the army. Higher officials must have relevant prior experience in other battles. Only competent people should be taken for military service and loyalty to authority was key. (Paragraph 32).
According to the tradition of the time, Prithvi Narayan Shah advocated employment be limited to people of four castes: Khas, Magar, Gurung, and Thakuri. In Gorkha, these castes had the reputation of being strong and determined in battle. There were also Brahmins who were liked by Prithvi Narayan Shah, although Brahmins typically did not fight battles, with a few exceptions like Shakti Ballav Arjyal and Captain Kalu Pandey (different from Kazi Kalu Pandey who was Khas Chettri). (Paragraph 33).
The king talked about how to consolidate the military and the state. He advised future king as to how to do it. (Paragraph 34).
If someone dies in battle, Prithvi Narayan Shah advises that compensation be provided to the family until the son becomes old enough to fight in battle. Equal compensation should be provided both to those who assist and those who are killed. The state should not discriminate. This will also lure others to come to fight for the kingdom, thus strengthening our military. Gorkha had the policy of hiring the best people, even if they come from other states. There were several examples like Sardar Partha Bhandari from Lamjung, Sworup Singh Karki from Chaudandi, Jasram Thapa from Kathmandu, and Atibal Bista and Gajabal Bista from Patan. Famous Sardar, Bhakti Thapa, was also from Lamjung. He was detained by Nepali troops on Friday 1st November 1782 during the battle against Lamjung. He subsequently joined Nepali troops in 1782, seven years after the death of King Prithvi Narayan Shah. (Paragraph 35).
The king stated that soldiers and citizens were the basic foundation of the state. Soldiers should be better trained and must always remain in good shape. Soldiers and ordinary citizens should live in harmony, thus there can be no disorder. If future kings are wise, they can keep soldiers and people happy in his kingdom so that missions are accomplished. (Paragraph 36).
In state hierarchy, higher officials should be taken from among the most experienced. In the palace and forts all over the country, the most experienced should be assigned. But do not bring Brahmin and Khas from the east and the west. Many historians believe that this sentence in the Counsel was pointed towards Pandit Braznath Poudel, a Brahmin from Tanahun and Sworup Singh Karki, a Khas from Chaudandi. These people were very much liked by Prince Pratap Singh Shah, Prithvi Narayan Shah’s son and heir to the throne, but disliked by Prithvi Narayan Shah himself.
They formed a group, which also included Maiju Maharani, a Newar mistress of the Prince. King Prithvi Narayan Shah believed that these were the people who encouraged the young prince towards a lavish lifestyle in Hanuman Dhoka Palace. Some religious persons from Patan (Gubhaju) insisted that the prince should practice and adopt Tantrism. Pandit Braznath Poudel also supported this. As a result, Prithvi Narayan Shah became suspicious of their influence on his son. (Paragraph 37).
The king advised the future kings to take full control of power as head of the country. Prithvi Narayan Shah has described how he was able to have good management of the forts and allocated the required budgets carefully. Then only people were ready to leave for battles whenever they were ordered to go. He provides his own example of an able administrator, which he believes enables a country to be prosperous. Then he said that how he was able to consolidate his territories and enhance the properties of the country. He meant to say that the King should always work for the progress and well-being of the country like what he was doing.(Paragraph 38).
The king suggested that the future king should keep the most experienced people around him.
If this was done, the administration of the state and the palace would be both strong. If the king is clever, it is the best interest for him to keep soldiers and the people happy. Everybody should be trusted on the basis of his loyalty. When subjects and administrators are kept satisfied, they will also be loyal. (Paragraph 39).
The king also recommends that the mint of the coins be kept pure and clean. He further suggests carefully selecting judges and clerks of the court in a transparent manner to deliver real justice. Prithvi Narayan Shah actually wanted to enhance the trust of the people in the justice system.
The king states that revenues of the court should not be used for the expenses of the palace. If any money remains after all the expenditures of the court, it should be utilised to buy necessary goods for beggars, yogis, and other poor people. He was very conscious about the fact that people should not be given any opportunity for blaming the state for corruption. (Paragraphs 40 and 41).
The king recommends that if certain valuable minerals are found in the village, we need to evacuate the village to another place and build mines to excavate the minerals. Likewise, if a source of water is found in the terraces of a house, we need to construct irrigation canals by dismantling the house and relocating the house. This showed that the king was very much concerned about the development of industry and agriculture as a means of generating revenue for the state.
(Paragraph 42 and 43).
The king said that he was invited to attack Kathmandu by King Ranajit Malla of Bhaktapur and its military chief Parshuram Thapa. They wanted to have peace with Gorkha. But in reality, they betrayed him by providing support to Baisi Chaubisi states, who worked against Gorkha. He further states that he had to make a lot of efforts to clear this problem and finally achieved success in capturing Malla kingdoms of Kathmandu valley. (Paragraph 44 and 45).
The king talked briefly with pride about the battles in Makwanpur and his confrontation against the forces of Bengal sent by Mir Qasim under the command of Gurgin Khan. He further explains how they were killed, and how some arms and ammunitions were captured. He also describes the Sindhuligadhi battle against the rising colonial power of the British East India Company. It was a remarkable victory for Gorkhalis. Thereafter, the king states that three Muslim technicians and trainers of guns were employed by him to produce guns and to train his soldiers. (Only later, it was found that two of them were muslims namely Sheikh Zorabar and Memtaki whereas one Bhekhar Singh was an ironsmith of Hindu origin from Lukhnow). This was necessary because Gorkha had already introduced guns in their military contingents since 1744 after the king’s visit to Banaras.
Thus, this was another one of his good decisions that he made for Gorkha, which worked to help him strengthen and consolidate military power. (Paragraphs 46, 47 and 48).
Prithvi Narayan Shah notes that he has studied some history books and chronicles of Nepal points out that Nepal seems to have been governed by Turks, Magars, and the British in previous centuries. A sultan of Turkish origin named Shamsuddin Ilias Shah had attacked and captured Nepal for some weeks in 1347. The king claimed that he himself was the king of Magrat, state of Magars. Prithvi Narayan further states that to save Nepal from becoming Muglana (India-under the East India Company), he established several military companies in line with European standards. He set aside budgets for both types of companies—ones with guns and ones with swords—of one hundred soldiers each for that purpose. Paragraphs 49 and 50).
The king was not happy about people coming from Muglana (India) for the song and dance performances to provide entertainments in Nepal during festivals. He was very concerned that young people of Nepal would mingle with the Muglana and forget their own duties to the country.
Prithvi Narayan Shah suggested not inviting such people, who he believed would spoil our culture and traditions. Entertainment, he believed, should be limited to cultural troupes from Kathmandu valley. If someone wants to listen to the music and watch the dances, they can do so by inviting Newari cultural troupes from various cities of Kathmandu valley. This shows his love for Nepali songs and dances, and his desire to promote them. This will keep the money inside Nepal and the secrecy of the country would be maintained and foreigners would not be able to take secret information outside the country. Thus the country will remain strong. This highlights both Prithvi Narayan Shah’s appreciation of native culture and his distrust of foreign influence. (Paragraphs 51and 52).
If King Prithvi Narayan Shah would not have addressed to the people of Nepal or the copy of the Counsel would not have been discovered, Nepali citizens and foreigners would not have known his emotions and sentiments about the country he created and to which he was deeply attached. It is only because a copy of Prithvi Narayan Shah’s advice was later discovered that we have come to understand the deeply held views of the founder of Nepal. In addition, the Counsel aims to provide advice on matters ranging from administrative control, military management, judicial structure, to domestic and foreign policy. There were also some instructions and guidelines in the forms of his Rukka, Laal Mohars, letters and inscriptions. But the Counsel gave explanations of his valuable views on many issues. It has become a very important document in the history of Nepal which still inspires the leaders and people of every generation.
In this context, noted historian Dr. Mahesh Raj Pant has stated that “His [King Prithvi Narayan Shah’s] principal aim was to save Nepal located between the big Empire of China and the rising power of British India. In marching ahead with that main objective in mind, there were some good things and some not so good things happened in the eyes of today. If we really want to save our country, we need not only to teach the Counsel incorporating it in the curriculum (of schools and colleges), but the time has come to implement it, except those of his views on which posts should be given to which castes of people.”
# Next issue to begin with Conclusion…….: Ed. Upadhyaya.