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TheChaubisi Rajya,Chaubise Rajya, orChaubisye Rajya (Nepali:चौबीसी राज्य, चौबीसे राज्य; lit. ‘24 principalities’) were a group of sovereign and intermittently allied petty kingdoms located in the mid-hill regions of present-day central and western Nepal. These principalities were ruled by various local dynasties, includingThakuri,Khas, andMagar lineages, reflecting the ethnic and political diversity of the region. One of these kingdoms,Gorkha, under KingPrithvi Narayan Shah, began a campaign of unification soon after his accession in 1743 AD. This process led to the gradual annexation of the Chaubisi states between 1744 and 1816 AD. To the west of theGandaki Basin, a parallel confederation of 22 small kingdoms known as theBaise Rajya (Nepali: बाइसे राज्य) also existed, with similarly diverse ruling groups.[1]
TheShah Kingdom was founded byDrabya Shah, the youngest son ofYasho Brahma Shah, king ofKaski andLamjung, his eldest son became the king of Kaski and Lamjung which created a fight for supremacy.[2]Palpa was one of the biggest and most powerful kingdoms; the rulers were able to create independent kingdoms inTanahu,Makwanpur and Vijaypur.[3] The first battle took place inNuwakot. Prithvi Narayan Shah sent KajiBiraj Thapa Magar to attack Kathmandu, but he returned without fighting, suggesting that they had misjudged the enemy’s strength and the valley’s defenses. Later, Shah sent KajiKalu Pande with a larger force. In 1757, during the first Battle of Kirtipur, Kalu Pande was killed, and the Gorkhali army suffered a heavy defeat, marking an important early setback in Shah’s campaign.
Chief of NuwakotJayanta Rana Magar (formerKaji of Gorkha) was defending a Nuwakot and knowing that Gorkha is going to attack them in near future had gone to take help fromJaya Prakash Malla. Meanwhile, on September 1744Prithvi Narayan Shah led the surprise attack on Nuwakot. WhileJayanta Rana Magar was away, his son Commander of Nuwakot Sankha Mani Rana Magar tried to defend, but lost. In 1744, Shah conquered Nuwakot, then went on to win a battle againstBelkot (Jayanta Rana Magar secondfort).[4]
Not much is known about these principalities but these kingdoms played a pivotal role in the modern history of Nepal.[5] The unifiedKingdom of Nepal continued to be ruled by theShah dynasty, with theRana dynastyde facto ruling the country from 1846[6] to February 1951AD.[7][8] In 2006, ademocracy movement broke out that overthrew the monarchy and transitioned to theFederal Democratic Republic.[9]