Gurkha British War: History of Uttarakhand

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The officials were corrupt and treated the people very mercilessly, thus the morale of the people became very low and they were rendered inefficient.

After the Gurkhas had established their hold over Garhwal and Kumaon, their borders came directly in touch with those of the British territory in Gorakhpur and elsewhere. They began to raid territory controlled by the British and this forced Lord Hastings to take the decision to declare war. It was decided to attack Nepal simultaneously from as many points a possible.

As a result, Maj. Gen. Merley was sent with a force of eight thousand men to Bihar with orders to directly march to Kathmandu, while Maj. Gen. Wood was sent at the head of a four thousand strong force to Gorakhpur. These campaigns do not directly have a bearing on the history of Garhwal.

Gen. Gillespie was sent with three thousand five hundred men to enter Garhwal through the Dun valley and dislodge Amar Singh Thapa from Srinagar. He found the Gurkhas firmly entrenched at Fort Kalanga, to the east of Dehradun. After an attempt to storm the fort failed, siege was laid to the fort on 26th October, 1813.

Many unsuccessful assaults were launched. These were gallantly resisted by the Gurkhas. The General himself brought up the reserves but was killed. At last, it was discovered that there was no water in the fort and the garrison was compelled to resort to a spring at some distance. This was cut off and the fire from the batteries resumed the next day, doing great damage to the fort and its gallant defenders. On the night of 30th November,

Balbhadra Thapa, with the surviving seventy men, evacuated the fort and escaped to a neighbouring hill where he was joined by about 300 other Gurkhas who were waiting to find their way into the besieged fort. This regrouped force was confronted by Maj. Ludlow but they escaped to the Jauntgarh fort, where it successfully withstood a siege by a British force.

In the meanwhile, after razing Kalanga to the ground, Col. Carpenter joined the forces under Gen. Martindell and they occupied Nahan. A third Gurkha force led by Amar Singh Thapa opposed Gen. Ochterlony on the banks of the Satluj river. He skillfully forced them to evacuate their strong posts and concentrate at Malaun.

Thus, the present campaign remained inconclusive and this made Lord Hastings more anxious to gain a foothold in the Kumaon hills

In 1815, an expedition to Kumaon was sent under Lt. Col. Gardiner. The hills of Garhwal and Kumaon had been drained of soldiers to supply the urgent calls of the Gurkhas both in the east and the west.

This further complicated matters for the Gurkhas. The British force captured Almora on 27th April and the Gurkhas under Bam Sah evacuated Kumaon.

Amar Singh resisted Gen. Ochterlony at Malaun but his force slowly deserted him and fled into the hills in an attempt to reach Nepal.

When only 200 men remained he gave up the forts of Malaun and Jaithak. The local Garhwalis overran the fort of Lobha and mercilessly killed the Gurkha soldiers there. Thus, when the Gurkha power was broken due to the invasion by the British force, the Garhwalis exacted full payment of the debt of blood and cruelty

Isolated bands were massacred or driven away to die of exposure and starvation in the rugged Mountains.

Everywhere, the people of Garhwal took revenge and meted out to their oppressors a savage punishment for their deeds of cruelty in the past decades of Gurkha rule.

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The Gurkha-British War was a series of conflicts fought between the British East India Company and the Gorkha Kingdom of Nepal from 1814 to 1816. The war was fought over control of the Kumaon and Garhwal regions of India, which were then under Gorkha rule. The British were victorious in the war, and Nepal was forced to cede control of the Kumaon and Garhwal regions to the British.

The Gurkha-British War was a significant event in the history of Uttarakhand. The war led to the end of Gorkha rule in the region, and it also had a major impact on the demographics of Uttarakhand. The war also led to the development of a strong sense of regional identity among the people of Uttarakhand.

The following are the subtopics of the Gurkha-British War:

• Causes of the war
• Course of the war
• Results of the war
• Impact of the war on Uttarakhand
• Legacy of the war

Causes of the war

The Gurkha-British War was caused by a number of factors, including:

• The expansionist policies of the Gorkha Kingdom
• The British desire to control the Kumaon and Garhwal regions
• The growing rivalry between the British and the Gorkhas

The Gorkha Kingdom was a small kingdom in the Himalayas that had been expanding its territory in the early 19th century. The Gorkhas had conquered the Kumaon and Garhwal regions of India in the 1790s, and they were now looking to expand their territory further. The British East India Company was also expanding its territory in India, and the British were concerned about the growing power of the Gorkhas. The British were also worried about the possibility of the Gorkhas becoming allies of the French, who were the British’s rivals in India.

Course of the war

The Gurkha-British War began in November 1814, when the British invaded Nepal. The British forces were led by General Gerard Lake, and the Gorkha forces were led by General Amar Singh Thapa. The war was fought in the Kumaon and Garhwal regions of India, and it was a bloody and costly war. The British were eventually victorious in the war, and they forced the Gorkhas to sign the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816.

Results of the war

The Treaty of Sugauli forced the Gorkhas to cede control of the Kumaon and Garhwal regions to the British. The treaty also forced the Gorkhas to pay a large indemnity to the British. The war also had a major impact on the demographics of Uttarakhand. The war led to the displacement of a large number of people, and it also led to the influx of a large number of British and Indian soldiers into the region.

Impact of the war on Uttarakhand

The Gurkha-British War had a significant impact on the history of Uttarakhand. The war led to the end of Gorkha rule in the region, and it also had a major impact on the demographics of Uttarakhand. The war also led to the development of a strong sense of regional identity among the people of Uttarakhand.

Legacy of the war

The Gurkha-British War is still remembered in Uttarakhand today. The war is commemorated in a number of monuments