Shah dynasty
dynasty that ruled The Gorkha Kingdom from 1559-1768, and Kingdom of Nepal from 1768-2008
The Shah dynasty, also known as the Shahs of Gorkha or the Royal House of Gorkha, was the ruling Chaubise Thakuri dynasty and the founder of the Gorkha Kingdom from 1559 to 1768 and later the unified Kingdom of Nepal from 25 September 1768 to 28 May 2008.
History
The Shah dynasty traces its historical ancestry to King of Kaski, Kulamandan Khand Shah, whose grandson Dravya Shah conquered the Liglig from local Magar King Dalsur Ghale Magar with the help of accomplices from six resident clans of Majhkot and Liglig. Dravya Shah named his new kingdom Gorkha.
The origins of Shah dynasty is deeply rooted in the historical landscape of Magarat and Tamuwan, an ancient confederation in western Nepal inhabited primarily by the Magars in the Western and Central hills (Palpa, Tanahu, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Syangja, Myagdi, Parbat, Baglung, Pyuthan, Rukum, Rolpa, Kushma, Musikot, Ghiring, Rising, Liglig, and Gorkha, which were historically part of the Magarat region as it was known as the Magar homeland before the unification of Nepal, and Gurung in the Central hills (Lamjung, Gorkha, Kaski, Tanahu). Before the Shah came to power, 12 Magarat—located in the Western and Central hills—was ruled by various Magar kings, including the powerful Magar kings of Palpa. Meanwhile, 18 Magarat, located west of the Kali Gandaki river and primarily inhabited by the Kham Magar, was governed by Magar rulers, alongside Malla-Khas influence in some areas, and Tamuwan was ruled by Native Gurung tribal chief. After the decline of Magarat's unity, the region fragmented into two groups of small kingdoms: the Baise Rajya (22 principalities) in the far west and the Chaubisi Rajya (24 principalities) in central Nepal. These kingdoms were mostly ruled by local Thakuri and Magar chieftains. Among the Chaubisi Rajya states was Gorkha, where the Shah dynasty rose to power by replacing local chief. In 1559 CE, Dravya Shah, the son of a Lamjung ruler, seized control of Gorkha by defeating the Magar king Mansingh Khadka Magar with the support of local elites.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Shah dynasty” is dynasty that ruled The Gorkha Kingdom from 1559-1768, and Kingdom of Nepal from 1768-2008. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Shah, dynasty and ruled, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “dynasty that ruled The Gorkha Kingdom from 1559-1768, and Kingdom of Nepal from 1768-2008” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3274200. The Library of Congress control number is sh85120795. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1559, 1768 and 2008.
Later summaries often reconcile disputed chronology or motive more neatly than the contemporary record permits. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Shah dynasty” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.