When did the Gorkha Kingdom exist?

The Gorkha Kingdom existed 1559–1768. On this map it is drawn 1588–1787.

How large was the Gorkha Kingdom?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Gorkha Kingdom covered about 150,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.

South Asia · Mughals and successors

Gorkha Kingdom

Hill kingdom of the central Himalayas (modern Nepal) · 1559–1768

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Type: Hill kingdom of the central Himalayas (modern Nepal)
Existed: 1559–1768
Shown on the map: 1588–1787
Peak area: the kingdom proper was small, but its successor empire reached about 150,000 km² at its early-19th-century unification peak.
Region: South Asia

Origins and founding

Gorkha was a member of the Chaubisi Rajya, the confederation of twenty-four hill states. According to tradition, the Shah line descended from Rajput Ranas who fled Chittorgarh after conflict with Akbar, settling via Udaipur, Ujjain and the northern hills. Kulamandan Shah became ruler of Kaski; his grandson Yasobramha ruled Lamjung. In 1559 Yasobramha's second son, Dravya Shah, conquered Ligligkot and Gorkha-kot from the Magar kings Dalshur Ghale Magar and Mansingh Khadka Magar, founding the Gorkha Kingdom — named after the saint Gorakhnath.

Capitals and territory

The capital was Gorkha, its territory bounded by the Marshyangdi River (west) and the Trishuli (east), facing the Newar kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley (Nepal Mandala).

Major rulers and key events

Ten kings ruled from Dravya Shah (1559–1570) through Purna Shah, Chatra Shah, Ram Shah "the Just" (1609–1633), Dambar Shah, Krishna Shah, Rudra Shah, Prithvipati Shah, and Nara Bhupal Shah (1716–1743), who began the expansion campaign in 1736. His son Prithvi Narayan Shah (r. 1743–1768 in Gorkha) blockaded and conquered the three Newar capitals — Kathmandu, Lalitpur (1768) and Bhaktapur (1769) — repelling a British expedition under Captain Kinloch (1767).

Government, economy and culture

A Hindu monarchy using the mohar currency; the court language was Khas (Gorkhali, later renamed Nepali in 1933), with Newari long used in administration.

Decline and end

The kingdom did not fall but transformed: with the conquest of Kathmandu in 1768, the capital moved there and the Gorkha polity became the Kingdom of Nepal, expanding under Bahadur Shah into Tibet (wars of 1788–92) and from Kumaon-Garhwal to Sikkim before losing the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–16) and signing the Treaty of Sugauli.

Legacy and significance

Gorkha created the modern Nepali state; the Shah dynasty ruled until the 2008 republic, and the kingdom's name lives on in the famed Gurkha regiments of the British and Indian armies.

Common questions

What was the Gorkha Kingdom?: Gorkha was a member of the Chaubisi Rajya, the confederation of twenty-four hill states. According to tradition, the Shah line descended from Rajput Ranas who fled Chittorgarh after conflict with Akbar, settling via Udaipur, Ujjain and the northern hills.
When did the Gorkha Kingdom exist?: The Gorkha Kingdom existed 1559–1768. On this map it is drawn 1588–1787.
How large was the Gorkha Kingdom?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Gorkha Kingdom covered about 150,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Where was the Gorkha Kingdom?: The capital was Gorkha, its territory bounded by the Marshyangdi River (west) and the Trishuli (east), facing the Newar kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley (Nepal Mandala).
Who ruled the Gorkha Kingdom?: Ten kings ruled from Dravya Shah (1559–1570) through Purna Shah, Chatra Shah, Ram Shah "the Just" (1609–1633), Dambar Shah, Krishna Shah, Rudra Shah, Prithvipati Shah, and Nara Bhupal Shah (1716–1743), who began the expansion campaign in 1736. His son Prithvi Narayan Shah (r. 1743–1768 in Gorkha) blockaded and conquered the three Newar capitals — Kathmandu, Lalitpur (1768) and Bhaktapur (1769) — repelling a British expedition under Captain Kinloch (1767).
How did the Gorkha Kingdom end?: The kingdom did not fall but transformed: with the conquest of Kathmandu in 1768, the capital moved there and the Gorkha polity became the Kingdom of Nepal, expanding under Bahadur Shah into Tibet (wars of 1788–92) and from Kumaon-Garhwal to Sikkim before losing the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–16) and signing the Treaty of Sugauli.
How was the Gorkha Kingdom governed?: A Hindu monarchy using the mohar currency; the court language was Khas (Gorkhali, later renamed Nepali in 1933), with Newari long used in administration.
Why does the Gorkha Kingdom still matter?: Gorkha created the modern Nepali state; the Shah dynasty ruled until the 2008 republic, and the kingdom's name lives on in the famed Gurkha regiments of the British and Indian armies.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

Wikipedia: Gorkha Kingdom en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorkha_Kingdom

This entry was written from the sources above and last updated 10 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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