Nepal existed a long time before Prithbi Narayan Shah, contrary to what Bharat Basnet thinks ('Prithbi Narayan's message', #308). It was centred in Kathmandu, and had a government, a legal system, currency, foreign relations, and defined boundaries. That, however, may not have been the case with the other rajyas that were merged into present-day Nepal.

Bhai Kaji,
Kathmandu