Nepal marked 294th birth anniversary of King Prithvi Narayan Shah, the founding father of modern Nepal, today as per the Nepali calendar. Prithvi Narayan Shah (1723–1775), ascended to the throne of Gorkha in 1743 after his father King Naraybhupal Shah's death. He started conquering small principalities divided as Baise and Chaubise rajyas, laid the foundation of modern Nepal.