East India Company starting Commercial Fairs in Haridwar and Kumaon

Anglo Nepalese War with   Reference to Gurkha Rule over Uttarakhand -3

History of Gorkha /Nepal Rule over Kumaun, Garhwal and Himachal (1790-1815) -124    

   History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -645

                          By: Bhishma Kukreti (A History Student)

                Fairs and Festivals of Haridwar

              For centuries, Haridwar was famous for commercial and religious fairs and festivals. It was immaterial who was governing Haridwar Indians from all over subcontinent used to visit Haridwar for religious and commercial purposes. British were commercially very intelligent and they took care of Haridwar. Governor General Lord Marquees Wellesley built Ghat at Ganga bank and built Saray and a couple of houses as felicities for traders.  On 18^thAugust 1802, East India Company secretary informed to Kolkata Head quarter that there would be two fairs in Haridwar in April and November every year. The secretary suggested that Company should lavvy nominal  tax on Traders in Haridwar. The secretary also suggested facilities of boats for Rohilkhand Traders.  Company arranged facilities for Traders in those fairs. Slowly, trading community and other communities started establishing houses in Haridwar.

              The company officials used to visit Haridwar for facilitation of different facilities for people and commercial organizations in fairs of Haridwar (English Permuting Records). Due to sales of slaves and domestic and wild animals, Haridwar was attractive commercial place. People of Garhwal and Punjab used to come there to sell animals. In other parts, there were heavy demands for animals for transportation.

        Company had prohibition for slave trade but there was no restriction to keep slaves.  People from various regions of India used to come near Haridwar at Gurkha Chauki for purchasing slaves from Gurkha officers. People used to buy child and used to make them Hijda (eunuch) for long life slave. People also used to come to purchase young women from Gurkha for having keeps and maids.

   East India company officials were more interested for knowing the trade secrets and trade roads from to Garhwal -Tibet. In 1789, an artist Denial with his nephew and other officials reached to Shrinagar for knowing about roads, crops, commercial produces and trade with Tibet from Garhwal. In 1796, Hardwick travelled from Kotdwara to Shrinagar and informed about poor conditions of Garhwal people.

      From 1802, after capturing Haridwar, east India company officials used to reach Haridwar for getting information about Gurkha army administration.

       Due to Gurkha ignoring commerce in Garhwal, East India Company was not able to establish commercial relations with traders of Garhwal. However, Company officials were positive that Garhwal and Kumaon are important regions for getting trade benefits in Himalayan Terrain.

   East India Company started Commercial fairs in Haridwar.

                 Starting Commercial fairs in Tarai Kumaon  

 East India Company started two commercial fairs in Tarai of Kumaon and on 10^th September 1802, informed traders that Company would provide sufficient protection to traders in British region. The following commercial fairs were started to have trade with Garhwal and Kumaon-

Chikliyaghat, Kashipur- The fair was established from ninth November to eighth December.

Bilharighat Pilibhit- The fair used to run from Seventh January to fifth February.

Company was trying to have trade relation with Tibet through those commercial Fairs. However, scanty business transaction happened with Tibet through those fairs.

** Most of references and details were taken from Dr Dabral

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti Mumbai, India, bckukreti@gmail.com22/6/2015

History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -646

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

(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 ko 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 a Five Years Residence at Nepal Vol.1

Maula Ram/Mola Ram  , Ranbahadurchandrika and Garhrajvanshkavya

J B Fraser , Asiatic Research

Shyam Ganguli, Doon Rediscovered

Minyan Prem Singh, Guldast Tabarikh Koh Tihri Garhwal

Patiram Garhwal , Ancient and Modern

Tara Datt Gairola, Parvtiy Sanskriti

John Premble, Invasion of Nepal

Chitranjan Nepali, Bhimsen Thapa aur Tatkalin Nepal

XXX

History Gurkha /Gorkha Rule over Garhwal, Kumaon, Uttarakhand; Himachal; History Gurkha /Gorkha Rule over Pauri Garhwal, Udham Singh Nagar Kumaon, Uttarakhand; Sirmour Himachal; History Gurkha /Gorkha Rule over Chamoli Garhwal, Nainital Kumaon, Uttarakhand; Kangara Himachal; History Gurkha /Gorkha Rule over Rudraprayag Garhwal, Almora Kumaon, Uttarakhand; Baghat Himachal; History Gurkha /Gorkha Rule over Tehri Garhwal, Champawat Kumaon, Uttarakhand; Punar Himachal; History Gurkha /Gorkha Rule over Uttarkashi Garhwal, Bageshwar Kumaon, Uttarakhand;  Nahan Himachal; History Gurkha /Gorkha Rule over Dehradun Garhwal, Pithoragarh Kumaon, Uttarakhand; History Himachal; 

Nepal Itihas, Garhwal Itihas, Kumaon Itihas, Himachal Itihas; Gurkha/Gorkha ka Kumaon par  Adhikar Itihas , Gurkha/Gorkha Garhwal par Shasan Itihas;  Gurkha/Gorkha Rule in Kumaon, Garhwal Uttarakhand; History Gurkha/Gorkha  Rule in Himachal,

Xx

History of Commercial Fairs in Haridwar; History of Commercial Fairs in Kashipur; Kumaon; History of Commercial Fairs in Pilibhit