Nepali Army to launch Gorkha–Jitgadhi National Unification Trek from April 10

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Apr. 7: Nepali Army is set to organise the Gorkha–Jitgadhi National Unification Trek starting April 10, to preserve historical forts and promote public awareness of Nepal’s unification history.

According to the Nepali Army Headquarters, the trek will continue until April 20, retracing the strategic routes used by King Prithvi Narayan Shah during the 18th-century state-building campaign. 

The trek will pass through significant historical sites including forts (kot, gadhis), traditional trails and battlefields.

In a preparatory meeting held at the Kalibhanjan Battalion (East) in Chapaghat, Byas Municipality-5, local stakeholders from Tanahun pledged their full support to ensure the success of the event, according to the press statement of the Army.

“This is more than a trek—it’s a living history lesson,” said Byas Municipality Mayor Baikuntha Neupane, emphasising the importance of local participation in passing Nepal’s heritage to future generations. The trek will commence from Gorkha Durbar on April 10 and will cover a 35-kilometre distance on its first day, reaching the historic site of Satighat in Tanahun and concluding the day at Green Park in Bhanu Municipality-1. A civic reception will be held in Bhanu, as announced by Mayor Anand Raj Tripathi.

Chief District Officer of Tanahun, Shyam Krishna Thapa has called upon local residents to welcome and support the historic march. “This is a matter of national pride. The trek symbolises the very roots of our nationhood,” he remarked.

Throughout the 35-kilometre journey, the symbolic integration flag will be ceremonially handed over from one military unit to another. On the first day, the Ripumardan Battalion from Gorkha will pass the flag to the Bhairav Dal Battalion at Bhanu.

On April 11, the trek will continue through Bhimsen Gadhi, Bangera, Sepabagaicha, and Tuhurepasal before reaching Tanahunsur Durbar, where another reception has been planned in coordination with Byas Municipality. There, the flag will be handed over to the Kalibhanjan Battalion.

The journey continues with further flag transfers: from Tanahunsur to Dhenung Deurali, where it will be presented to the No. 3 Rajdal Battalion; from there to Keladighat, where the Famous Mahendra Dal Battalion will take the flag handed over by No. 3 Rajdal Battalion; and then onward to Nuwakotgadhi, where the Garud Dal Battalion will receive the flag. The final leg of the trek will reach Jitgadhi on April 20.

The procession will feature traditional music, the national flag, and historic regimental banners from the five original unification-era military companies—Shreenath, Kalibox, Purano Gorakh, Bardawani and Sabuj—as well as the Gurubox Company, which fought in the decisive battle of Jitgadhi. The distance from Gorkha to Jitgadhi is 305 km.

The Nepali Army has been organising this trek annually to honour the spirit of national unity and to engage citizens with the country’s foundational history.