Prithvi Jayanti being observed today
The day is being observed at the people’s level amid demands for the declaration of the Jayanti as National Unity Day and a public holiday.
KATHMANDU: The birth anniversary Prithvi Jayanti is being observed across the country on Sunday.
The day is being observed at the people’s level amid demands for the declaration of the Jayanti as National Unity Day and a public holiday.
Prithvi Narayan Shah, the king of a princely state named Gorkha, had unified princely states and created modern Nepal. He sat on the throne of Gorkha at the age of 20.
Through wars that lasted about three decades, he amalgamated ever-fighting states and made them a part of Nepal when the British Empire was making inroads into India.
Prior to the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of Nepal as a republic, the state observed Prithvi Jayanti as National Unity Day.
After several years, the government has declared today a public holiday in honor of the 301st Prithvi Jayanti.
Meanwhile, the Nepal Army (NA) is commemorating the 301st birth anniversary of its founder, Prithvi Narayan Shah, across the country on Wednesday with a series of events.
According to Nepal Army Spokesperson Krishna Prasad Bhandari, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Prabhuram Sharma is unveiling the full-body-size statue of nation builder Shah in the premises of the Gorkha Palace.
Prithvi Jayanti’s History
King Prithvi Narayan Shah was crowned at the age of 20 in Gorkha, one of Nepal’s 54 states at the time.
In 1743, he began to expand his domain. He became monarch of modern-day Nepal after conquering Kathmandu Valley in 1768, establishing a period of hereditary rule that lasted until 2008, when Nepal became a republic.
One of his motivations for uniting the states was to make it more difficult for the British Empire to occupy the region.
Prithvi Narayan Shah died on Jan 11th, 1775.
Public Holiday
The government has declared today a public holiday in honor of Prithvi Jayanti. The cabinet meeting on Monday decided to declare a public holiday on Jan 11.
The ruling RPP had requested a public holiday on Jan 11. As a major condition, he had proposed a public holiday on Jan 11.
The RPP applauded the government’s decision to declare a public holiday on Jan 11, the birth anniversary of the nation’s founder, Prithvi Narayan Shah.
RPP believes that this decision will contribute to the country’s national unity among all ethnic groups.
Although holidays were previously given on this day, the government cut the holiday after the second mass movement.
