Opinion (Spotlight Weekly)

Awakening In Himalayas And Bhakti Thapa

By Mrs. LAXMI THAPA ET AL

The Himalayan belt extending from the Karakoram range to Assam was regardedas the abode of God from time immemorial. For the rest of world, this vast region was desolate and the infinite number of people living here virtually did not exist. People living here remained isolated from the rest of the world. Unfortunately, such isolation did not completely prevent outside invaders from destroying the temples, plundering towns and villages, and massacring innocent people at different periods in the past. In Kathmandu valley, even the most holy temple of Pashupatinath was not spared from destruction when Shams Ud-din Iliya invaded the valley in 1349 AD. The 1743-44 Rohillas attack on Kumaon can be cited as another example when Almora had to see its temples destroyed and property plundered. The outside interference was very easy because this vast region was divided into innumerable small independent states.

The eighteenth century was a period of great political turmoil in the Indian subcontinent. The powerful Mogul empire had come to an end at the very beginning of this century. The colonial powers like England and France were doing their utmost to increase their presence by exploiting the weaknesses of the rulers of the small states recently broken off from the Mogul empire. To the west of the sub-continent was Iran under the rule of Nadir Shah, described in the history as the most hated man of his age who massacred people in uncounted thousands and plundered the country. His successor was not too different from him. It does not appear illogical to regard that at that time the people living in the Himalayan region must be finding themselves very insecure. So it looks perfectly credible to subscribe to the view that the enlightened people living in different parts of the Himalayan region must have sensed the urgency to be united. Because, without being awakened to the realization that the unification of the whole region is a matter of the utmost importance to the people across the Himalayan region, it would not have been possible in a very short period to bring together under a common umbrella people living in a vast region demarcated on the west by the Sutlej and Bias rivers and on the east by the Tista. The outcome of such unification was the creation of Great Nepal.

Campaign For Unification

King Prithvi Narayan Shah the Great dedicated his whole life to fulfil the aspiration of the people living in the Himalayan region to be united. He was a person determined to go to any extent to accomplish this task. Prithvi Narayan Shah was able to unite the eastern part of Nepal during his lifetime. After the unification of Kathmandu valley, further expansion to the east was made slightly easier by comparison with similar expansion later on to the west because the British had not been able by that time to gain a good foothold in the North India. King Prithvi Narayan Shah passed away in 1775. Historian R.K. Shah writes that the state of uncertainty and anxiety characterized the reign of Pratap Singh (1775-1777) and the regency of Queen Rajendra Lakshmi (1777-1785) that followed after the passing away of King Prithvi Narayan Shah.

In 1785 Bahadur Shah became the regent and took over the administration of the country. The regency of Bahadur Shah was at a very critical time. On one hand, the country was deeply committed to fulfill a very difficult mission to unite the far-flung western regions, which indeed was a great challenge. On the other hand, his own position was being made increasingly difficult by his rivals in the court until his dismissal in 1794. Nonetheless, it was the most fruitful period. During the unification campaign within a very short period of about two years, the western border of Great Nepal was extended almost close to the Sutlej river across a distance of about 400 kilometers. The westward expansion of Nepal was extremely rapid. Historians like L.F. Stiller have even blamed Bahadur Shah for not having given enough time to consolidate the newly added territories. However, no one has tried yet to analyze why Nepal was at such a great haste. One possible reason could be that the ultimate ambition of Nepal was to extend the boundary of Great Nepal across the Kashmir valley. Such explanation can be derived from Kennedy's remark, "Had the Nepalese succeeded in reducing Kangra, they would have very shortly after extended their conquest to Kashmir." Another more plausible explanation could be to fill up quickly the vacuum created by the gradual disappearance of even some semblance of authority of rulers at Delhi succeeding the mighty Mogul emperors that had devastating consequences for Punjab and its surrounding areas. An Afghan chief, Ahmad Shah Abdali, after shaking off control of Iran, had burst into the plains of Punjab six times slaying, burning and plundering. The Afghan menace to Punjab continued until 1798. At that time, Sikhs were not yet organized to protect that region from the Afghan invasions. The fate of Lahore by that time was still undecided. The transfer of Lahore to the 19-year-old Ranjit Singh took place only in 1799, According to some historians, Punjab had slipped to becoming prey to bandits and robber chiefs. The British had been busy fighting the Marathas. General Lake was able to capture Delhi many years later in 1803, so the British would not have been able to offer resistance to the Nepalese campaign aimed at unifying that region to protect the people from growing anarchy.

The biggest contribution of Bahadur Shah was that he helped to build a powerful Nepal. He also adopted a policy of reconciliation. He displayed high-quality leadership in mustering the full support of the entire country in giving new momentum to the campaign for the unification of the Himalayan region. We can understand this better if we very carefully read the letters written at that time on behalf of the king addressed to Bhakti Thapa, who was the supreme commander and administrator of the entire territory to the west of the Chepe-Marshyangdi at the height of the operation for unification in 1790s.

Role of Bhakti Thapa

In the 1790s, the effort to unite the Himalayan region had been greatly intensified. Nepal spared no effort 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 administrator of the entire territory to the west of the Chepa-Marshangdi. All the military commanders and garrisons including the kings of protectorates were ordered to follow the instruction of the Bhakti Thapa, who was stationed at Kumaon (at present in India), and go to the places assigned by him. He was given full responsibility to make decisions on foreign relations.

Bhakti Thapa joined the unification campaign in 1789 at a time when the further advance of the Nepalese force to the west was completely blocked for more than two years by the 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, it was not surprising that Jumla was able to resist the northern Gorkhali army's advance for more than two years.

Bhakti Thapa had proven himself the best strategist of his time. Historians have written that 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. He changed the strategy of the predecessors and led an attack on Jumla from the difficult north route. The result was a swift victory and many lives were saved. A letter sent by the king highly commends Bhakti Thapa for the skill displayed in the success of the Jumla operation. Military operations across very high mountains require very great courage and skill. A similar military operation but at bigger scale was launched about 10 years later in 1799 in Europe for a somewhat different purpose. A.V. Suvorov, commander of the Russo-Austrian army fighting against the French in northern Italy became a legendary figure after he succeeded in leading the army across the Alps to strategically important locations in the north.

Bravest of The Braves

It might surprise many of us to learn that Bhakti Thapa, who sacrificed his life at the age of 74 in a counterattack in Deothal battle against the British, became a legend even in the eyes of his enemies. Historian CB Khanduri, quoting various contemporary British historians, writes, "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. The British then used this citation for the Gorkhas 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". Bhakti Thapa not only fought bravely but also had launched with utmost skill the Deothal counterattack against the strongly entrenched enemy possessing far superior arms. The Borodino Battle clearly indicates that it is not easy to score a victory in an offensive battle even where the enemy is comparatively weak.

About three years preceding the Deothal battle, the historic Borodino Battle was fought near Moscow. The mighty half million strong Napoleon army had launched a fierce attack on September 7, 1812 to take over Moscow against the comparatively weak defending Russian army under Kutuzov. From 6am to noon, the fierce fighting seesawed back and forth along the five-kilometer front. By noon the French artillery began to tip the scales, however, the successive French attacks could not overwhelm the Russian resistance. Both sides became exhausted during the afternoon, and the battle subsided into a cannonade, which continued until nightfall. Kutuzov had some other brilliant surprises for Napoleon. At night he withdrew his force and allowed the French army unhindered entry into the deserted Moscow city, which proved to be death trap for the French.

The French force launching the attack in the Borodino Battle was far superior to the defending Russian force although they were badly outmaneuvered and finally beaten off. The Nepalese counterattack on Deothal was against an enemy armed to the teeth and far greater in number. According to one account, the total British strength at Deothal was about 3,500 as against the actual number of Nepalese force involved in the attack at less than a thousand. A recent book by CB Khundari carrying the description of the magnificent attack by the Gorkhas under Bhakti Thapa's adamantine courage explains that the British casualties of dead and wounded in Deothal battle were 384 as against 390 Gorkha casualties - almost a ratio of one to one, under most adverse conditions to the Gorkhas.

In Conclusion

It is evident that Bhakti Thapa never expected to carry the day in the Deothal Battle. Knowing perfectly well that the May 16 would be the last day of his life, he had even handed his grandson, who had lost both his parents, in the custody of the Amar Singh Thapa before departing for the battle. Bhakti Thapa might have embarked on such a suicidal mission to boost the courage of some of the Nepalese soldiers and officers already fatigued by the long drawn-out war, and also to signal others to follow suit so that not even an inch of land would be lost without fierce battle. Perhaps he might be hoping that if the war would be dragged on for a longer period, the British might be forced to agree to a fair settlement to divert their attention to the south where the situation was already becoming untenable.