Third British Attack on Khalanga/Nalapani Fort -1

  Khalanga, Nalapani Campaign -23

     Anglo Nepalese War with   Reference to Gurkha Rule over Uttarakhand & Himachal -73

History of Gorkha /Nepal Rule over Kumaun, Garhwal and Himachal (1790-1815) -189   

             History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -715

                                         By: Bhishma Kukreti (A History Student)

            John Premble (Invasion of Nepal) offered details of third attack on Khalanga/Nalapani Gadhi by British army.

   For three weeks, Colonel Mawbey waited for bigger canons supply from Delhi. Bigger canons reached to Doon Camp on 24^th November. Two light infantry companies, Carpenter battalion reached to camp with four canons of eighteen pounds, two mortars of eight inches too. Colonel Mawbey sent a couple of companies for surrounding Nalapani fort from all sides that Gurkha soldiers don’t run away from territory.  Mawbey sent Ludly to Tharapani hill with soldiers. Major Baldock reached from right side of Tharapani. Captain Buck was sent to Lakhend and Captain Caulmart was sent to Asthal.

   That time, British army took another rout for surrounding Nalapani Fort. British army marched through south east of Saung valley (Gdhera). That rout was long and more difficult terrain. However, Gurkha could not watch on the new rout. Army reached slowly , slowly to a small hill (Tappad) one mile and south east of the Nalapani fort. By difficulty soldiers took the two twelve pound canons and four eighteen pound canons in night to the place 250 meter away from fort. By noon of 27^th November, British soldiers fired canons on the fort wall and fort wall broke down.

  Major Inglebai   reached near the damaged wall and was just to enter inside but got injured and came back. Captain Parker reached to the wall and found that the hole was at higher height. By peering from the hole it was found that below the hole there was ditch and Gurkha were ready with swords to cut the entrants. The soldiers who were on wall or wall of the hole were killed by Gurkha soldiers. Lieutenant Herington was killed by a gun fire on his back by Gurkha gun man. Gurkha were answering British attack by stones, arrows and gun fires,. British army started firing on Gurkha inside the hole.

 Captain John Campbell was dead due to arrow attack from Gurkha. The third attack also was failure attack. Lieutenant Laxford was also injured.  Muslim soldiers got scared by failure.

  The soldiers of 53 Battalion were not cowered but were inactive or sluggish before Gurkha.  Four European officers were killed and seven officers and 33 soldiers were killed and 636 injured (including 12 sergeants and three band masters). 184 Privates of 53th Battalions, either were injured or disappeared. Totally 864 soldiers were injured in third attack.

    Only 250 Gurkha soldiers were alive in Gurkha camp inside Nalapani fort.

On 28^th November, Balbhadra Kunwar ordered to take dead bodies of British army. Thirteen dead bodied were taken inside the fort. The body of dead Hairngton was beheaded. 

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti Mumbai, India, bckukreti@gmail.com 8/11//2015

History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -716

*** 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

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John Premble, Invasion of Nepal

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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