British Occupying Syahi/Siyahi Devi Temple Hill

History British Campaign for Capturing Kumaon -30

Nepal Rule over Kumaun, Garhwal and Himachal (1790-1815) -243

            History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -771          

                                                           

                                         By: Bhishma Kukreti (A History Student)

              Between Kumpur and Almora there is Syahi/Siyahi Devi temple hill that’s height would be 7186 Feet. Kosi River flows between Syahi/Siyahi Devi Hill and Almora city. It was supposed that Nepalese would kept army on Syahi/Siyahi Devi temple hill.  However, due to unknown reasons, Gurkha/Nepalese commanders did not keep army at Syahi Devi Hill. Lieutenant Colonel Gardner decided for occupying Syahi/Siyahi Hill for strategic purpose. By occupying Syahi /Siyahi hill , it was necessary that Gurkha/Nepalese army would vacate Kumpur Camp. Or there would abe situation for capturing Almora city.         

           Bumshah sent his whole army to Kumpur and the soldiers in Almora city were in few numbers. On 22^nd March night, Gardner sent 1200 soldiers towards Syahi /Siyahi Devi temple hill. Those soldiers came to Panor Gadan (rivulet). That Rivulet Gadan meet to Ulavgad Gadan which meets to Kosi then.  In morning for destracting Gurkha soldiers, British army did drama for attacking on Kumpur Camp. It was done that Gurkha/Nepalese could not be attracted to activities being done on Syahi Devi Hill region.  On 23^rd noon, the information reached to Gardner that 400 soldiers reached to Baol and they established a Camp there. Baol was 10 miles away from British camp and 4 miles left from Kumpur.  The soldiers those reached to Ulavgad valley they started to walk over on Syahi/Siyahi Devi hill. After crossing Suri village British soldiers reached a temple and camped there on Syahi Devi Hill top . Late noon Gurkha /Nepalese army came to know that British occupied Syahi /Siyahi Devi Hill top.

  On 24^th March Gurkha/Nepalese army ran away from Kumpur camp through Riuni and Katarmal hills for protecting Almora city. Before vacating Kumpur Gurkha /Nepalese soldiers burnt Wood fences of Kumpur camp. The Syahi Devi Hill occupying campaign by British was successful .

 (From writings of B D Pande, Atkinson, Preamble, Sanwal, Saxsena,  Fraser etc) 

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti Mumbai, India, bckukreti@gmail.com 11/4/2016

History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -772

*** 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

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Tara Datt Gairola, Parvtiy Sanskriti

John Premble, Invasion of Nepal

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Sanwal, Nepal and East India Company

Nagendra kr Singh, Refugee to Ruler

Saxena, Historical papers related to Kumaon

Paper Respecting Nepal War by East India Company (papers in Stock)

Basu, Rise of Christian Power in India)

Moti Lal Ghosh, an article in Amrit Bazar Patrika

XXX

History Gurkha /Gorkha Rule over Garhwal, Kumaon, Uttarakhand Ruthless Gurkha/Nepalese Administration in Himachal; Himachal; History Gurkha /Gorkha Rule over Pauri Garhwal, Udham Singh Nagar Kumaon, Uttarakhand Ruthless Gurkha/Nepalese Administration in Himachal; Sirmour Himachal; History Gurkha /Gorkha Rule over Chamoli Garhwal, Nainital Kumaon, Uttarakhand; Kangara Himachal Ruthless Gurkha/Nepalese Administration in Himachal; History Gurkha /Gorkha Rule over Rudraprayag Garhwal, Almora Kumaon, Uttarakhand; Baghat Himachal; History Gurkha /Gorkha Rule over Tehri Garhwal, Champawat Kumaon, Uttarakhand Ruthless Gurkha/Nepalese Administration in Himachal; 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 Ruthless Gurkha/Nepalese Administration in Himachal;  History of Nepal, History of Doti Nepal, History of Gurkha regime

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