Magar people in the context of "Palpa District"

The Gorkha Kingdom, also known as the Gorkha Confederation or the Gorkha Empire, was one of the Chaubisi states, situated at the junction of the Himalayas and the Indian subcontinent. In 1743, the kingdom began a campaign of military expansion, annexing several neighbors and laying the foundations of present-day Nepal.

Following the disintegration of the Magarat confederation—formerly ruled by the Magar—the region fragmented into the Baise Rajya (22 principalities) in the far west and the Chaubisi Rajya (24 principalities) in central Nepal.

The Chaubisi Rajya, Chaubise Rajya, or Chaubisye 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, including Thakuri, Khas, and Magar lineages, reflecting the ethnic and political diversity of the region. One of these kingdoms, Gorkha, under King Prithvi 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 the Gandaki Basin, a parallel confederation of 22 small kingdoms known as the Baise Rajya (Nepali: बाइसे राज्य) also existed, with similarly diverse ruling groups.

The Shah Kingdom was founded by Drabya Shah, the youngest son of Yasho Brahma Shah, king of Kaski and Lamjung, his eldest son became the king of Kaski and Lamjung which created a fight for supremacy. Palpa was one of the biggest and most powerful kingdoms; the rulers were able to create independent kingdoms in Tanahu, Makwanpur and Vijaypur. The first battle took place in Nuwakot. Prithvi Narayan Shah sent Kaji Biraj 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 Kaji Kalu 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.

The Baise Rajya (Nepali: बाइसे राज्यहरू, lit. ‘22 kingdoms’) were sovereign and intermittently allied petty kingdoms in the western hills of what is now Nepal, located around the Karnali–Bheri river basin. They formed after the break up of the Khasa-Malla kingdom.These kingdoms were ruled by local dynasties, of Magar chieftains, depending on the region. Several of these kingdoms, particularly in areas like Rukum, Rolpa, and Pyuthan, had strong Magar leadership and populations. The Baise states maintained varying degrees of independence until they were gradually annexed during the unification of Nepal from 1744 to 1810. Although Prithvi Narayan Shah (r. 1743–1775), the founder of the Gorkha kingdom, initiated the unification, it was completed under his successors by the end of the 18th century.

The 22 principalities were Jumla, Doti, Jajarkot, Bajura, Gajur, Malneta, Thalahara, Dailekh District, Dullu, Duryal, Dang, Sallyana, Chilli, Tulsipur State, Darnar, Atbis Gotam, Majal, Gurnakot, and Rukum. These Baise states were ruled by Khasas and several decentralized tribal polities.

Thapa (नेपाली: थापा) is a historic martial title and family name borne by members of multiple Nepali communities—most prominently the Chhetri and the Magar —and denotes a tradition of military leadership and regional governance from the late medieval period through the 19th century. Its earliest attestations lie in the Magarat confederations of western Nepal, where Thapa-titled chieftains governed hill principalities before and during the unification campaigns of Prithvi Narayan Shah. Over time, distinct lineages of Thapas—both Magar and Chhetri—rose to prominence in the royal court of Kathmandu, served as commanders in the growing Gurkha forces, and played key roles in Nepal’s administration and on global battlefields.