Major Bradshaw Failing Dispute Resolution with Gurkha Representatives

Anglo Nepalese War with   Reference to Gurkha Rule over Uttarakhand & Himachal -9

History of Gorkha /Nepal Rule over Kumaun, Garhwal and Himachal (1790-1815) -130    

   History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -651

                          By: Bhishma Kukreti (A History Student)

              East India Company and Gurkha Rulers were expansionists and both were opportunists for expanding their territories for any reasons.  

        For resolving the Butbal disputes the Company deputed Major Bradshaw to talk with Nepalese representatives –Krishna Pundit and Raghunath Pundit.  The conference was totally failures as both the parties were least bothered to accept other’s arguments and logics. Major Bradshaw wrote to Company that the Company had logical rights on Butbal and Syuraj.

    After some time, Company handed over Bradshaw the responsibility of resolving Saran and Tirhut border Disputes.

           Major reached Saran and told to Nepal Vakil /advocate to hand over the disputed land (twenty two villages) to East India till the dispute was  resolved. Major Bradshaw promised that if the right of Nepal on twenty villages were proved logically the Company would return the land. Nepal representatives either believed on cunning Bradshaw or they were under compulsion they handed over the disputed land to the Company. East India Company never looked after from that time for resolving the issue.

       On 4^th March 1814, the Company ordered Major Bradshaw to resolve the issue for ever. Company also ordered Bradshaw to get back Saran land from Nepal. He was asked to take necessary action against Nepal if needed. Bradshaw reached to disputed land. Bradshaw called again the Nepalese representative for discussion. Nepalese representatives refused to come for discussion with Bradshaw and cleared that those twenty two villages were handed over to east India Company for temporary basis. Nepalese representatives asked Bradshaw to vacate the land immediately. After asking Bradshaw to vacate land, the Nepalese representatives left for Kathmandu.

                                        Protest from Hastings

             Governor General Hastings was annoyed by the information that Nepalese representatives were not agreeing for handing over the land to the Company. He sent a letter and threatened that Nepal should take off its administrators form the land and cautioned if Nepal government did not take off administration from the land Company would take stern action against Nepal (Sanwal).

                 East India Company Army Action

  After dispatching letter to Nepal, Company head office sent three artilleries for helping major Bradshaw. Company ordered major Bradshaw that he should wait for a reasonable time for answer from Nepal. Later on he was asked to capture the land from Nepal.

 Company deputed Colonel Richardson with seventeen Army companies to Gorakhpur, Gorakhpur magistrate was asked to send warning letter to Nepal for vacating Butbal and Syuraj. If Nepal government did not agree the Colonel was asked to take army action against Nepal for capturing Butbal and Syuraj territories.

              Nepal government answered through letter that Yong had cleared that Nepal had right on Butbal and Syuraj. Nepal government refused to vacate Butbal and Syuraj. Nepal government informed that Nepal was ready to resolve the border issue by talk and was ready to send its representatives to Kolkata. The letter reached on 4^th May 1814. However, East India Company Magistrate of Gorakhpur captured the territories before the letter reached to Gorakhpur Magistrate. Initially Nepalese army resisted but later on Ambar Singh Thapa asked his army to go back towards Nepal.  

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

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti Mumbai, India, bckukreti@gmail.com28/6/2015

History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -652

*** 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

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John Premble, Invasion of Nepal

Chitranjan Nepali, Bhimsen Thapa aur Tatkalin Nepal

Sanwal, Nepal and East India Company

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,