Strategic Discussion (Chhalfal) in Nepal Court about East India Company

trategic Discussion (Chhalfal) in Nepal Court about East India Company

           Anglo Nepalese War with   Reference to Gurkha Rule over Uttarakhand & Himachal -10

History of Gorkha /Nepal Rule over Kumaun, Garhwal and Himachal (1790-1815) -131    

   History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -652

                          By: Bhishma Kukreti (A History Student)  

              Leo O Rose writes (Nepal: Strategy and Survival) that there was fundamental difference of policy between British Policy in the Past 1814 and of Warren Hastings three decades earlier. When Hastings sent a warning letter to Nepal King, Nepal King in April 1814, suggested his main representatives not to have war with East India Company. King called the nearby residents and asked suggestions through letters from far away representatives.  

  The King wrote letter as (Balchandra Sharma page 257) –

  “There had been a conflict between English people and us. Governor General wrote to us to leave disputed land without war. If we leave the land as it is we will not have existence. In our opinion we should use arms. You think undividedly and decide and suggest me.”

   The meeting of Bhardar (main Representatives) started at nine Am and continued till eight PM in Kathmandu. Henry T. Prinsep (History of Political and Military Transactions in India, vol 1), the book is available on Internet) and other writers wrote about details of the above meeting.  There were two groups among representatives,. One group wanted to have friendly relation with the East India Company and other group wanted to have war.

            Bhimsen Thapa replied to the Nepal King- Nobody could dare to head on you and your predecessors. Once, China attacked on us and it had to come forward for treaty. How come British win over our Hill regime? Under your leadership we fifty two soldiers will fight with British and will kill them. They (British) tried to win a small weak fort of Bharatpur built by weak men but later on they left to win that fort. God has created our hill caves and hills. Those are non winnable. That is why I suggest for war with British. Watching the fruitful situation we may have treat at any point later on.  

      Kaji Randoj Singh Thapa said,” Whatever General Bhim Sen Thapa said is right. Alexandra captured India but could not enter into Hill Kingdoms. Yes! There is one single fear. That we displaced many Hill Kings and those Kings will have dialogues with British people and will open various secretes of those Hill Kingdoms. When those displaced Hill Kingdoms would unite and will help British the East India Company will definitely dare to attack on us. Therefore, I suggest having peaceful relation with Company for the time being. Instead of conflicts and war we should leave some portion of disputed land to Company. By doing this the planning of enemy displaced Kings would  be failed.”

   Rajguru Raghunath Pundit said,” The Company did not harm that much that war is a compulsion. No doubt, Company could not harm us in Hill regions but we are weak in Tarai and plains. If we have to sacrifice half disputed for keeping peace it is not wrong diplomacy.”  English writer Henry T. Prinsep (History of Political and Military Transactions in India, vol 1, ) wrote that Company did not harm much to Nepal as other court ministers would have opposed Rajguru Raghunath Pundit.

             The army representatives of West as Bamashah Chautariya, Hastidal Chautariya and Amar Singh Thapa wrote letters and the meaning was as –

          “The present situation is not favorable for us. Analyzing the circumstances, British decided to attack on us.  Now, English will not sit calm till they capture the territory. East India Company will unite those Kings whom we displaced.  Till date we hunted deer and now we have to fight with lions. If the King agreed with our suggestion we should leave that disputed land on which the Company had right earlier. If we insist on disputed land there would be unrest in West of Kali River. The said region is already facing problem. War with company will create same situation in other part too”

 “That who is instigating you for war and claiming win he (Bhim Sen Thapa) was born in Court and he does not have experience of hard life of a soldier. He is exaggerating for win but he never came out of Court and never saw battle field. Gurkha spent life by cutting wood and still that is their profession. War is not child play. War requires trained army and we can’t win war by the wood cutters”

    Ambar Singh Thapa the old administrator of Palpa and father of Bhimsen Thapa was not keeping well but came to Kathmandu from Palpa. Ambar Singh was deadly against to surrender before proud and notorious Englishmen. Ambar Singh Thapa had full belief on his battalion of Palpa army. Ambar Singh Thapa spent money on his army for training to fight with British army. He suggested that at least once the Nepal should have head on with East India Company. Ambar Singh told that Nepal should not surrender the land without war and treaty could be possible at any time later on. Ambar Singh suggested that if Nepal won the initial war there would be fame and propaganda for Nepal and people would appreciate Nepal strength. He argued that even Nepal loosed in the Plains it would come to hills for protection. Ambar Singh suggested that even after losing war Nepal could put conditions before the Company.

             The strong suggestions of Prime Minister Bhimsen Thapa and Ambar Singh Thapa were agreed upon. To war with East India Company was agreed upon. Nepalese court agreed to fight with East India Company with courage and brevity. However, Nepalese government did not alert East India Company for war. Nepal Government sent a letter to Governor General that Nepal wanted peaceful and cordial relation with the Company but did not mention anything about the disputed land.

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

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti Mumbai, India, bckukreti@gmail.com29/6/2015

History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -653

*** 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

Balchandra 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

Sanwal, Nepal and East India Company

Nagendra kr Singh, Refugee to Ruler

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,