Dravya Shah, king of Kaski and Lamjung, conquered the Kingdom of Liglig during the Bijayadashami festival in September 1559 and founded the Gorkha Kingdom; legend says it was renamed Gorkha after the Nath warrior-saint Gorakhnath, who is believed to have appeared there. Prithvi Narayan Shah was born in Gorkha Palace in 1723 and launched the campaign to unify Nepal from Gorkha on 25 September 1744, making Gorkha the founding seat of modern Nepal. The famed Gurkha soldiers take their name from the district. The April 2015 Nepal earthquake severely damaged major heritage sites including Gorkha Palace and Manakamana Temple, with Department of Archaeology-led reconstruction stretching over several years.
Researched by the ChillNepal team from published sources. Spot something out of date? Tell us from the place's page.
