Battle of Bhaktapur explained

Partof:Unification of Nepal
Conflict:The Battle of Bhaktapur
Date:1769
Place:Bhaktapur
Result:Gorkhali victory
Combatant1:Kingdom of Bhaktapur
Combatant2:Kingdom of Gorkha
Commander1:Ranajit Malla
Jayaprakash Malla
Chautara Bhagiram Pradhananga
Abadhutish Malla
Commander2:Prithvi Narayan Shah
Vamsharaj Pande
Surapratap Shah
Swarup Singh Karki
Strength1:3000-8000
Strength2:20,000
Casualties1:2,001 killed
501 houses set on fire
Casualties2:Unknown

The Battle of Bhaktapur was the final campaign in the Gorkha conquest of Nepal.[1] It took place in Bhaktapur in 1769, and resulted in the victory of the Gorkhali king Prithvi Narayan Shah, giving him control of the entire Kathmandu Valley and adjoining areas.

Shah thus established the Shah dynasty in Nepal, and the rule of Newar Mallas came to an end.[2] The defeated king of Bhaktapur, Ranajit Malla, was sent into exile in India.[3] [4]

The blockade

Bhaktapur (alternative names: Khwopa Desa ख्वप देस, Bhadgaon) was one of the three capital cities in the Malla confederacy of Nepal, the other two being Kathmandu and Lalitpur. The eastern boundary of the kingdom of Bhaktapur extended to a distance of five-six days' journey to the east. The city contained 12,000 households.[5]

The Gorkhalis desired the Kathmandu Valley due to its rich culture, trade, industry and agriculture.[6] In 1736, the Gorkhali king Nara Bhupal Shah launched an attack on Nuwakot, a border town and fort in the northwest of the valley, and was roundly defeated.[7] His son Prithvi Narayan Shah became king in 1742 and resumed the campaign.[8] [9]

As Shah knew he would not be able to take the valley by force, he decided to impose an embargo with a view to starve it. His forces occupied strategic passes in the surrounding hills, and strangled the vibrant trade between Tibet and India that passed through the valley. Blockade runners found with salt or cotton on them were hanged on the road.[10]

In 1744, the Gorkhalis took Nuwakot on the trans-Himalayan trade route.[11] In 1762 and 1763, they overran Makwanpur and Dhulikhel respectively, surrounding the Kathmandu Valley from the west, south and east.[12]

In a bid to cause a famine, Shah prevented any grain from passing into the valley, and blockade runners were hanged from the trees on the roads.[13] The prolonged siege forced the king of Kathmandu to appeal to the British East India Company for help. In August 1767, Captain George Kinloch led a British force towards the valley to rescue its beleaguered inhabitants.[14] He reached within 75 km of Kathmandu and captured the forts at Sindhuli and Hariharpur, but was forced to retreat after supplies ran out and his troops mutinied.[15] [16]

The final battle

Wearing down the Newars with a continuous embargo and propaganda campaign, Shah captured Kirtipur, Kathmandu and Lalitpur in succession. He then marched upon Bhaktapur in 1769. The kings of Kathmandu and Lalitpur, Jaya Prakash Malla and Tej Narasingh Malla, had sought refuge in Bhaktapur after losing their kingdoms. The three kings joined forces to do battle with the Gorkhali army, but they were defeated, again due to betrayal by the nobles.

The soldiers of the treacherous nobles opened the city gates and let the Gorkhalis in. Shah's troops possessed muskets, in addition to swords and bows and arrows. There was fierce fighting in front of the palace, but the invaders finally broke through the gates.[17]

According to the journal kept at the monastery of Jana Baha, Kathmandu, Shah's troops captured Bhaktapur on the night of November 25, 1769. They killed 2,001 people and set 501 houses on fire.[18]

Ranajit Malla was allowed to leave for Varanasi because of his age. Jaya Prakash died from a bullet wound while Tej Narasingh was kept in chains till his death.[19]

The conquest of Bhaktapur marked the end of the Malla dynasty and the rise of the Shah dynasty in Nepal. The Shahs' reign lasted until 2008 when the country became a republic.[20]

Malla's departure

King Ranajit Malla of Bhaktapur was so distressed that he was driven to compose a lament filled with regret at having trusted the Gorkhali king. According to eyewitnesses, Malla wept uncontrollably when he paused at the hilltop of Chandragiri on the valley rim for one last look at his former kingdom. From Chandragiri, the route descends south and exits the valley to continue on to India.[21]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Hamilton, Francis Buchanan . An Account of the Kingdom Of Nepal and of the Territories Annexed to This Dominion by the House of Gorkha. Edinburgh: Longman. 1819. 22 November 2012. Page 186.
  2. Book: Waller, Derek J.. The Pundits: British Exploration Of Tibet And Central Asia . University Press of Kentucky . 2004. 9780813191003. 171 .
  3. Book: Giuseppe, Father . Account of the Kingdom of Nepal . Vernor and Hood . London. 1799. 322 . November 22, 2012 .
  4. News: Malla, Sampada. Rai, Dinesh. amp. Where Have All The Mallas Gone?: The Descendants of the Mallas. 22 November 2012. ECS Nepal. January 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20111218152858/http://www.ecs.com.np/cover_story.php?story_id=55. 18 December 2011. dead.
  5. Book: Giuseppe, Father . Account of the Kingdom of Nepal . Vernor and Hood . London. 1799. 308 . November 7, 2012 .
  6. Book: Raj, Yogesh. Expedition to Nepal Valley: The Journal of Captain Kinloch (August 26-October 17, 1767). Jagadamba Prakashan . Kathmandu . 2012. 7. Introduction. 9789937851800.
  7. Northey, William Brook and Morris, Charles John (1928). The Gurkhas: Nepal-Their Manners, Customs and Country. Asian Educational Services. . Pages 30-31.
  8. Book: Stiller, Ludwig F. . Prithwinarayan Shah in the light of Dibya Upadesh . Catholic Press. 1968. 39.
  9. Book: Singh, Nagendra Kr . Nepal: Refugee to Ruler: A Militant Race of Nepal. APH Publishing. 1997. 9788170248477. 125 . December 6, 2012 .
  10. Book: Giuseppe, Father . Account of the Kingdom of Nepal . Vernor and Hood . London. 1799. 317 . November 23, 2012 .
  11. News: Shrestha. Sanyukta. Nepali history from new perspectives. 23 November 2012. Republica. 27 July 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120805164223/http://theweek.myrepublica.com/details.php?news_id=38665. 5 August 2012. dead.
  12. Book: Raj, Yogesh. Expedition to Nepal Valley: The Journal of Captain Kinloch (August 26-October 17, 1767). Jagadamba Prakashan . Kathmandu . 2012. 5. Introduction. 9789937851800.
  13. Book: Giuseppe, Father . Account of the Kingdom of Nepal . Vernor and Hood . London. 1799. 317 . 14 November 2013 .
  14. Book: Chatterji, Nandalal . Verelst's Rule in India . Indian Press . 1939 . 21 . The First English Expedition to Nepal . 14 November 2013.
  15. Book: Raj, Yogesh. Expedition to Nepal Valley: The Journal of Captain Kinloch (August 26-October 17, 1767). Jagadamba Prakashan . Kathmandu . 2012. 13–14. Introduction. 9789937851800.
  16. News: Shrestha. Sanyukta. Nepali history from new perspectives. 14 November 2013. Republica. 27 July 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20131202234755/http://theweek.myrepublica.com/details.php?news_id=38665. 2 December 2013. dead.
  17. Book: Wright, Daniel . History of Nepal . Asian Educational Services . New Delhi. 1990. 255 . December 7, 2012 .
  18. Book: Shakya, Raja . Jana Baha Dyah ya Shanti Saphu (Ghatanavali) . Premdharma Pithana . Kathmandu. 2005. 99946-56-97-X. 60 .
  19. Book: Giuseppe, Father . Account of the Kingdom of Nepal . Vernor and Hood . London. 1799. 322 . November 23, 2012 .
  20. News: Nepal's Gorkha kingdom falls . https://archive.today/20130411033226/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-06-02/rest-of-world/27770497_1_narayanhity-dipendra-prithvi-narayan-shah . dead . 11 April 2013 . 11 February 2013. . 2 June 2008.
  21. News: Dhungel. Ramesh K. . Anguished Cry of a Defeated Ruler: A Raga Song Composed by Ranajit Malla . 22 February 2013. Contributions to Nepalese Studies . January 2007. Pages 95-102.