Surja Mulk Arabisht 💯 Validated

In a final, furious assault, the Gorkhas breached Kirtipur’s walls. The aftermath is legendary in its brutality. Prithvi Narayan Shah, enraged by the earlier defeats, ordered the noses and lips of all male captives above the age of 12 to be cut off. was among those mutilated before being executed.

The unification of Nepal under King Prithvi Narayan Shah was not a single battle but a grueling series of sieges, betrayals, and heroic stands. Among the most tragic and pivotal episodes of this campaign was the Second Battle of Kirtipur in 1767. At the heart of this conflict stood two opposing figures: Surja Mulk (also known as Sur Pratap), the fierce Malla commander of Kirtipur, and Arabi Sahib , the Muslim adventurer sent by the East India Company to stop the Gorkha advance. Their clash represents the intersection of local patriotism and foreign intervention, ending in one of the most brutal atrocities of the unification era. The Siege of Kirtipur: A Fortress of Resistance By 1767, Prithvi Narayan Shah had blockaded the Kathmandu Valley, strangling the three Malla kingdoms of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur. However, the strategic hill-fort of Kirtipur remained a thorn in his side. Its commander, Surja Mulk , was a man of immense courage and tactical skill. He had already repelled the Gorkha king once in 1757. To the Kirtipuris, Surja Mulk was not just a general but the embodiment of Newar defiance. surja mulk arabisht

Arabi Sahib led a detachment of sepoys equipped with modern flintlock muskets. The Malla kings of Kathmandu, particularly King Jaya Prakash Malla, welcomed this foreign force, hoping their firepower would lift the Gorkha siege. Arabi Sahib’s strategy was straightforward: use European-style volley fire to cut down the Gorkha fighters, who relied on khukuri and bow. In 1767, the combined Malla-Arabi Sahib force marched toward Kirtipur. Initially, the tactic worked. The Gorkha charge was mowed down by disciplined musket fire. The valley kings celebrated what they thought was a decisive victory. In a final, furious assault, the Gorkhas breached