British Capturing Makwanpur

 Sugauli Treaty -4

                          

               Nepal Rule over Kumaun, Garhwal and Himachal (1790-1815) -303

            History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -833          

                       

                          By: Bhishma Kukreti (A History Student)

              By November 1815, the Army of Ochterlony started gathering at Balvi the border region of Saran. Ochterlony decided capturing Bhichhakhori Ghat by crossing three places of Chudia /Churiya Hill through three Army Battalions. Ahead of Bhichhakhori Ghat, there were cities and Garhs of Makwanpur. Gurkha planned to attack suddenly on British army Bhichhakhori Ghat Fort.  Ochterlony marched with 9500 soldiers and Canons for Bhichhakhori Ghat. Lieutenant Colonel Nichols was supposed to meet Ochterlony Mahajogi raod (thirty miles in west of Bhichhakhori Ghat) ahead of Rapti valley with 5000 soldiers. 35 miles right away from Ochterlony, Colonel Kelli marched towards Hariharpur through Lakhand Rivulet with 4000 soldiers. On 3^rd February, Ochterlony started his march towards Bhichhakhori Ghat. On third day Ochterlony with army reached to Bhichhakhori Ghat region. Ochterlony stayed there for five days. However, no Gurkha soldiers were there in scene.

      An opium seller deceptively informed   that there was a steep and difficult road through Baluwater for Makwanpur but there was no Gurkha army. Ochterlony reached near Makwanpur with hardship. Gurkha soldiers ran away from Bhichhakhori Ghat towards Makwanpur. On 27^th February 1816, a Battalion captured Bhichhakhori Ghat. After capturing Hathora, Ochterlony marched to Makwanpur.  On afternoon of 27^th he reached to Makwanpur.  

        Second day, 3000 Gurkha attacked on British camp with canon fires. A gun fire blown ahead of Ochterlony camp and his servant with an inkpot died there. Before sun set there was fierce battle.  As per written records (Premble, Invasion of Nepal), Gurkha lost 800 soldiers and hundreds of Gurkha soldiers got injured. British lost 45 soldiers, 175 were injured and 2 were missing. Gurkha ran away from Makwanpur.

  When Kelli and his army reached to Hariharpur Gurkha army commander Ranjor Singh Thapa was there with 1000 soldiers for protection.  British army fired Canons continuously. There was heavy casualty in Gurkha camp. Gurkha commander Ranjor Singh Thapa and his army ran away from Hariharpur.

       According to a Gurkha source, there was war at other place too.  Maularam illustrated that war but with exaggeration.

                                End of War

     When a portion of Ochterlony army was marching ahead of Makwanpur, Bakhtawar Singh the brother of Bhimsen Thapa sent Chandrasekhar Upadhyaya with a treaty letter authorized by the Nepal King to Ochterlony. Ochterlony insulted the Envoy for a while and then later on took the letter. Ochterlony offered authorized Treaty letter by Governor General to Upadhyaya.

          Then, that  was end of war.

(From writings of Atkinson, Preamble, , Saxsena, Fraser, Princep, Maularam, Balchandra Sharma, Sanwal, English pre mutiny records, Upadhyaya, Dehradun vol., 8; Saklani, Mutiny records Kumaon; Achieves  of  Tehri Kingdom Record etc.)

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti Mumbai, India, bckukreti@gmail.com 21/6/2016

History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -834

*** 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

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 Nepalese/ 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