Revenge of a Garhwali Woman against Gorkha Commander

 Folktale about Revenge of a Garhwali Woman against Gorkha Commander

History Analysis: Gorkha Folk Tales and Sayings, Reports about Gurkha/Gorkha Rule in Kumaon, Garhwal, Himachal -5

History of Gorkha /Nepal Rule over Kumaun, Garhwal and Himachal (1790-1815) -65

  

   History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -584

                        By: Bhishma Kukreti (A History Research Student)

        Upadhyaya offered following folktale in his book Nepal ko Itihas –Digdarshan.

       When Gurkha/Gorkha attacked on Shrinagar, Garhwal King Pradyuman Shah had to flee in Today’s Tehri Garhwal region by crossing Alaknanda River. Gorkha/Gurkha army led by Commander Nain Singh entered into Shrinagar by elephant Ride. His soldiers were dancing and playing War Folk Dramas and singing.

           When Commander Nain Singh Thapa was busy in watching Gorkha soldiers dance and drama he got a gun shot on his chest. The gun shot came from a double story building crossing the main road. Nain Singh Thapa became unconscious and fell from Elephant. There was chaos among Gurkha/Gorkha soldiers. At the same time another gun shot came from the same building and holed the right side of assistant Gurkha commander Dalbam Shah. Dalbam Shah fell on the ground.

  Gorkha soldiers ran to find that cowardly person who was shooting guns from behind the scene. They found a bodily soft, beautiful and charming woman was firing on Gorkha soldiers. She  fired eight ten fires on soldiers those came to find the gun man. Four or five soldiers fell down by her firing. At last soldiers captured her and took her in the captive.

          When Nain Singh Thapa got conscious he heard the story of a woman firing on Gurkha/Gorkha army.  Gurkha/Gorkha commander Nain Singh Thapa called the woman before him. When the soldiers brought the woman before Nain Singh Thapa she was showing courage and had revengeful emotions on her face.

 Nain Singh Thapa asked – Lady! Why did you fire on us?

The brave lady answered – “I am the wife of martyr Garhwal Army Commander Kirti Singh. Your army killed my husband and he died. I have every right to fire on you and kill as much I can.  I have fulfilled my duty and now, I can die with peace as brave widow of brave soldier. I am sorry I could not offer my life while fighting. Now, I request you to kill me as brave woman. “

 Dalbam Pande asked Nain Singh Thapa to kill the woman immediately. However, Nain Singh was in praising mood for that brave and faithful for her husband woman.  Nain Singh said,” I am pleased to see such great brave lady. I wish to send you to Nepal and recommending that Nepal court fix a pension for you.”

The brave Garhwali woman refused the kindness and recommendation of Nain Singh Thapa. She replied,” I want to die with body of my deceased husband who died while fighting with his enemy”

       Nain Singh ordered to search the dead body of Kirti Singh the husband of that brave lady. Gurkha/Gorkha soldiers found the dead body o f commander Kirti Singh .The brave lady died with the pyre of her husband Kirti Singh.

 Nain Singh Thapa died in Shrinagar after three days of the woman became Sati (burning with husband dead body).

                History Discussion on the Folk Tale of Revenge of a Garhwali Woman

 The above folktale does not match with available history records. According to Maulram, Nain Singh Thapa died in second attempt for capturing Kangra fort. Surprisingly, there was no Garhwali folktale related to wife of Kirti Singh.

*** History of Gorkha/Gurkha /Nepal Rule over Kumaun, Garhwal and Himachal (1790-1815) to be continued -65

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti Mumbai, India, bckukreti@gmail.com17/3//2015

History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -585

(The History of Garhwal, Kumaon, Haridwar write up is aimed for general readers)

XX

                    Reference

Atkinson E.T., 1884, 1886 , Gazetteer of  Himalayan Districts …

Hamilton F.B. 1819, An Account of Kingdom of Nepal and the territories

Colnol Kirkpatrik 1811, An Account of Kingdom of Nepal

Dr S.P Dabral, Uttarakhand ka Itihas part 5, Veer Gatha Press, Dogadda

Bandana Rai, 2009 Gorkhas,: The Warrior Race

Krishna Rai Aryal, 1975, Monarchy in Making Nepal, Shanti Sadan, Giridhara, Nepal

I.R.Aryan and T.P. Dhungyal, 1975, A New History of Nepal , Voice of Nepal

L.K Pradhan, Thapa Politics:

Gorkhavansavali, Kashi, Bikram Samvat 2021 

Derek J. Waller, The Pundits: British Exploration of Tibet and Central Asia page 172-173

B D pande, Kumaon ka Itihas

Sharma , Nepal kin Aitihasik Rup Rekha

Chaudhari , Anglo  –Nepalese Relations

Pande, Vasudha , Compares Histriographical Traditions of Gorkha Rule in Nepal and Kumaon

Pradhan , Kumar, 1991, The Gorkha Conquests , Oxford University  Press

Minyan Govrdhan Singh , History of Himachal Pradesh

A.P Coleman, 1999, A Special Corps

Captain Thomas Smith, 1852,Narrative of aFive Years Residence at Nepaul Vol.1

Maularm , Ranbahadurchandrika and Garhrajvanshkavya

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Nepal Itihas, Garhwal Itihas, Kumaon Itihas, Himachal Itihas; Gurkha/Gorkha ks kumson psr Adhikar Itihas , Gurkha/Gorkha Garhwal par Shasan Itihas;  Gurkha/Gorkha Rule in Kumaon, Garhwal Uttarakhand; History Gurkha/Gorkha  Rule in Himachal, Uttarakhand;कुमाऊं , उत्तराखंड काइतिहास ; गढ़वाल , उत्तराखंड का इतिहास ; डोटी , पूर्व उत्तराखंड का इतिहास;गोरखाओं /गुर्खाओं का कुमाऊं पर अधिकार इतिहास ; गोरखाओं /गुर्खाओं कागढ़वाल पर अधिकार इतिहास ; गोरखाओं /गुर्खाओं का हिमाचल पर अधिकारइतिहास ; गोरखाओं /गुर्खाओं का  इतिहास ; नेपाल इतिहास

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History: Gorkha Folk Tales and Sayings, Reports about Gorkha Rule in Kumaon, Garhwal, Himachal; History: Gorkha Folk Tales and Sayings, Reports about Gorkha Rule in Kumaon,; History: Gorkha Folk Tales and Sayings, Reports about Gorkha Rule in Garhwal; History: Gorkha Folk Tales and Sayings, Reports about Gorkha Rule in Himachal; History: Gorkha Folk Tales and Sayings, Reports about Gorkha Rule and Dealing Ranjit Singh, Himachal;