WORLD MARVELLED AT BHAKTI THAPA’S SACRIFICE
By Mrs Laxmi Thapa
In the 1ate eighteenth century the South Asian region was being swiftly converted into the colony of the western powers, . The way new territories in India were brought under the British control had provoked even the British public. British Parliament had gone completely against it. Historian HG Wells has written about the British rule in India at great length in his book {History of the World) According to HG Wells at that time the British rulers in India were adopting every possible method to enlarge the empire. Englishmen at home were perplexed when the generals and officials came back to make dark accusations against each other of extortions and cruelties. Upon Clive, Parliament passed a vote of censure. He committed suicide in 1774. In 1788 Warren Hastings, a second great Indian administrator, was impeached.
During this period when the countries in increasing number in South Asia were being brought under the colonial rule, Nepal was able to rise from a scratch to become a formidable Himalayan power within a very short time. Nepal was gathering enough strength to move forward to protect the freedom of the peoples dwelling in this vast region against European domination However, the build up of Nepalese strength brought her on a collision course with the Great Britain. Colonial power Great Britain had good reason to fear that if the Nepalese build up continued for some time, the colonial rule of the Britain could soon come to an end in South Asia much the same way as in the North America a short time before.
Leadership of Bhakti Thapa
Bhakti Thapa, apart from being named the bravest of the braves in the world by the historians for his great courage and valour in the Deothal Battle against the British army, had equally played the most important role in the unification campaign of the Great Nepal. He had proven himself to be the best strategist of his time. Historians have written that the Bhakti Thapa had impressed the Gorkha commanders during the War of Consolidation and joined those who were to be the eventual ruler of Nepal. Kazi Amar Singh Thapa had treaded in the footsteps of Bhakti Thapa. In his first major military operation itself he demonstrated his exceptionally brilliant skill in launching a very successful operation under the most adverse condition that was sure to astonish anyone
Bhakti Thapa joined the unification campaign in 1789 at a time when the advance of the Nepalese force to the west of the Bheri River was completely blocked for more than two years by then powerful kingdom of Jumla. Hamilton states that Jumla had collected an army of twenty-two thousand men to face the Gorkhalis, a force far superior to anything the Gorkhalis could put in the field at that time. In view of the narrow valleys and the very high mountains in the Jumla area, it was not surprising that Jumla with such an army was able to resist the northern Gorkhali army's advance for more than two years. After joining the unification campaign, Bhakti Thapa changed the strategy of the predecessors and led an attack on Jumla from the difficult north route. The result was a swift victory and the life of many people was also saved. A letter sent by the king to Bhakti Thapa highly commends him for the skill displayed in successful accomplishment of the Jumla operation.
Confrontation With British
In the 1790s, the effort to unite the Himalayan region had been greatly intensified. Nepal spared no efforts and resources to accomplish this historic mission. The process of unification had gone ahead at an exceptionally rapid pace. At the height of this unification campaign Bhakti Thapa was the supreme commander and the administrator of the entire territory to the west of the Chepa-Marshangdi. At that time the western boundary of Nepal had extended up to the Jamuna river. Unfortunately, soon after, the unification campaign of the Great Nepal came to a complete halt due to political turmoil in the capital Kathmandu. The next phase of the unification campaign began in early 1800s. Nepal’s western boundary had extended up to Sutlaz river by 1812. Continued expansion of the Great Nepal was seen at that time by the Great Britain as the biggest threat to realization of their dream to convert the whole of the South Asia into their colony. So the Great Britain declared war on Nepal in 1814. British invasion had started even before the war was officially declared. The war continued for three consecutive calendar years.
The War
The British began preparation for the war from the time when F.R. Hastings- Earl of Moira landed in India as Governor General and Commander-in- Chief in 1813. The actual declaration of war against Nepal is recorded as 1 November, 1814, though the war began from middle of October. The decision to declare war had been made six months earlier so the territorial dispute appears to be only a pretext. British force had marched into Nepal across a frontier of more than 1500 km to attack at several points at the same time The eastern British flank was moving north from the Teesta area whereas the farthermost western flank from the Sutlej river area. It was virtually a modern type warfare extended over a period of three calendar years and necessitating to protect the entire region bordering the enemy held territory. The British invasion force, in comparison with Nepalese, had absolute superiority in cavalry, pioneers, and at least the superiority of 10 times in infantry and 100 times in artillery. They also had the advantage of maneuverability in movement of their fighting force.
The Britishers were expecting a blitz-krieg victory. It is said that the Governor General Hastings had planned to win the war in one mighty sweep in one to two months in end 1814 but certainly before the Christmas. He was badly mistaken in his assessment. We Nepalese fought very bravely. In early months of the war the initial British invasion was completely beaten off. The British rule in India was at a risk of falling apart. Unfortunately at that time the Sikhs and Marathas did not join Nepal in liberating the whole of the South Asian Continent from the grip of the European domination. British army had at their disposal virtually unlimited resources from the Nepalese perspective. They continued to press Nepal all across the frontier that stretched over a distance of more than 1500 km. Nepalese resources were being sharply depleted. There was not any chance to be replenished. So the ability of the Nepalese force to defend the territory under their control was steadily declining. They were forced to pull back. There was breakdown in control and command system. Towards the middle of the 1815 Amar Singh Thapa, chief of the Nepalese force fighting in the western front was confined within a small area of the Malaun fort. The fate of Nepal was going to be in the hand of the Governor General Lord Hastings, unashamedly imperialistic and who became famous for having established the British Empire in India more firmly than before. At that time there could not be any room for doubt in his intention either to eliminate Nepal completely and bring it under the British rule or to turn it into a vassal state like so many other states under that category in British India. He could be forced not to take any such decision detrimental to the honour of Nepal only if he perceived that such action could pose serious threat to the continuance of British rule in India. The Deothal Battle could not be anything else but a clear message of threat from Nepalese people to the British ruler warning them not to take lightly the determination of Nepalese people to protect the honour of the country.
Deothal Battle
Towards the sunset of the April 15 th evening Bhakti Thapa and the army units under him arrived at the Malaun fort from their station at Surajgarh without being noticed by the British army units scattered around the Malaun fortress. The subsequent events help to explain that he might have come to persuade Amar Singh Thapa on behalf of all the brave commanders prepared to sacrifice their life for the country to pursue more aggressive methods to deter the enemy from overrunning the motherland. He might have even advised him to pull back from the Maluan to regroup the army units spread all across the Garwal and Kumaun to go to a completely new type of offensive.
The following day in the morning Bhakti Thapa at the age of 74 led a kamikaze type counterattack against the British force entrenched at Deothal. Historians have presented the description of this battle at great length. It was 3.15 a.m. when a force of 400 under Bhakti Thapa marched out of the Malaun fort, to a slow but steady beat of a drum. The British column under Thompson had taken position at Deothal on reverse slopes. The cannons of 6 pounders were properly concealed. There were two Indian battalions, the Grenadiers companies of the Light Battalions and some 1000 Irregulars. The British strength was up to about 3,500 troops and weapons.
Bhakti Thapa and his followers in the counterattack appeared to have vowed to fight to the death. Bhakti Thapa had even handed his infant grandson in the custody of the Amar Singh Thapa just before going to the battlefield. It was a bloody battle. It would not be wrong to visualize that the Khukri charge and the battle cry of the Nepalese fighters might have shaken the enemies with fear. RP Ochterlony, the author of "Sketches Of The Goorka War" has written. A body of Gorkhas advancing to charge bears no resemblance to a European column. Several huge trumpets putting up a harsh but stirring noise, set the multitude in motion who, except some carry shields, grasping each a matchlock in his left hand and a broad sword in his right, rush on, disregarding all regularity, very like a pack of hounds in full cry.
Bhakti Thapa laid down his life in the battlefield. Every one who fought from the Nepalese side was either killed or wounded. The British casualties were also very high. The Britishers have praised their officers and soldiers for their bravery in the battle. According to one account the British casualties of dead and wounded in Deothal battle were 384 as against 390 Nepalese casualties - almost a ratio of one to one, under the most adverse conditions to the Nepalese.
Bravest of the Braves Bhakti Thapa
Needless to say that British rulers were throughly shaken by the bravery of Nepalese in the Deothal Battle. Bhakti Thapa became a legend in the eyes of British. Historian CB Khanduri writes quoting various contemporary British historians " The euphemism of the BRAVEST OF THE BRAVES had been used by Napoleon for Marshal Ney, whose bravery during the retreat from Moscow in 1812 was one of the highest. BRAVE LES BRAVE, said Napoleon of him. British then used this citation for the Gurkhas during and after the Anglo-Nepal War. Such was the bravery shown by Bhakti Thapa that the next legend of the Bravest of the Braves had been created on the day - 16 April, 1815 at Deothal."
(Thapa writes on history)
