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Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah

Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah (Nepali:  ी   महाराजा  धराज
गीवाण युुदध््   व  म शाह देेव) (19 October 1797 – 20 November Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah
1816), also called Girvanyuddha Bikrama Shah, was fourth
King of Nepal from 1799 to 1816.[1] Although he was not the
legitimate heir to the throne his father made him the heir for
being the son of his favourite wife Kantavati Jha.

He was the son of King Rana Bahadur Shah, and ascended the
throne at the age of 1 and 1/2 years when his father
abdicated
to become an ascetic. He ruled under the regency of Queen
Tripurasundari of Nepal and Prime Minister Bhimsen Thapa.
He died at age 19 and was succeeded by his young son
Rajendra Bikram Shah.

Anglo-Nepalese War

Shah in c. 1815
King of Nepal
Reign8 March 1799 – 20
November 1816
Coronation8 March 1799
PredecessorRana Bahadur Shah
SuccessorRajendra Bikram Shah

Born19 October 1797

Basantapur, Nepal
Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah riding Died20 November 1816
a hors e. (aged 19) (smallpox)
Basantapur, Nepal

The Gorkha War (1814–1816), or the Anglo–Nepalese War, SpouseSidhi Lakshmi Devi
was fought between the Kingdom of Nepal and the British East Shah
India Company as a result of border disputes and ambitious Gorakshya Rajya
expansionism of both the belligerent parties. The war ended Lakshmi Devi Shah
with the signing of the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816, which ceded Kritirekha
around a third of Nepal's territory to the British. Most of the IssueNarendra Bikram Shah
ceded territories had been acquired by Nepal by war only in Rajendra Bikram Shah
the last 10 to 20 years from other kingdoms that had never Satyarupa Rajya
been a part of Nepal.
Lakshmi Devi
The British were the invading forces, while the Nepalese Subhagyasundari Rajya
maintained a defensive position. The British attacked in two Lakshmi Devi
successive waves of invasion. It was the most expensive war Regnal name
waged during the governorship of Lord Moira.
Shree Paanch Maharajadhiraj
Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah Dev
Battle of Makwanpur Gadhi Dynasty Shah
Colonel[2] Ranabir Singh Thapa, brother of Bhimsen Thapa, FatherRana Bahadur Shah
was to be the Sector Commander of Makawanpur-Hariharpur MotherKarnavati Jha
axis. He was given a very large fortress and about 4,000 troops
with old rifles and a few pieces of cannons. But the British Religion Hinduism
could not move forward from the border. Colonel Ranabir
Singh Thapa had been trying to lure the enemies to his selected killing area. But Major General Wood
would not venture forward from Bara Gadhi and he eventually fell back to Bettiah.

Battle of Jit Gadhi

With the help of an ousted Palpali king, Major General Wood planned to march on Siuraj, Jit Gadhi and
Nuwakot with a view to bypass the Butwal defenses, flushing out minor opposition on the axis, and
assault Palpa from a less guarded flank. Nepalese Colonel Ujir Singh Thapa had deployed his 1200
troops in many defensive positions including Jit Gadhi, Nuwakot Gadhi and Kathe Gadhi. The troops
under Colonel Ujir Singh Thapa were very disciplined and he himself was a dedicated and able
commander. He was famous for exploiting advantage in men, material, natural resources and well
versed in mountain tactics. The British advance took place on 22nd Poush1871 BS (January 1814 AD) to
Jit Gadh. While they were advancing to this fortress, crossing the Tinau River, the Nepalese troops
opened fire from the fortress. Another of the attackers’ columns was advancing to capture Tansen
Bazar. Here too, Nepalese spoiling attacks forced the General to fall back to Gorakhpur. About 70
Nepalese lost their lives in Nuwakot Gadhi. Meanwhile, more than 300 of the enemy perished.

Battle of Hariharpur Gadhi

No special military action had taken place in Hariharpur Gadhi fortress in the first campaign. Major General
Bannet Marley and Major General George Wood had not been able to advance for an offensive against
Makawanpur and Hariharpur Gadhi fortresses.

Battle of Nalapani
The Battle of Nalapani was the first battle of Anglo-Nepalese War. The battle took place around the
Nalapani fort, near Dehradun, which was placed under siege by the British between 31 October and 30
November 1814. The fort's garrison was commanded by Captain Balbhadra Kunwar, while Major-General
Rollo Gillespie, who had previously fought at the Battle of Java, was in charge of the attacking British
troops. The failure to obey the field orders by his men led Gillespie to be killed on the very first day of the
siege while rallying his men. Despite considerable odds, both in terms of numbers and firepower,
Balbhadra and his 600-strong garrison successfully held out against more than 3,000 British troops for
over a month.
After two costly and unsuccessful attempts to seize the fort by direct attack, the British changed their
approach and sought to force the garrison to surrender by cutting off the fort's external water supply.
Having suffered three days of thirst, on the last day of the siege, Balbhadra, refusing to surrender, led the
70
surviving members of the garrison in a charge against the besieging force. Fighting their way out of the
fort,
the survivors escaped into the nearby hills. The battle set the tone for the rest of the Anglo-Nepalese War,
and a number of later engagements, including one at Jaithak, unfolded in a similar way.
The experience at Nalapani so discomforted the British that Lord Hastings so far varied his plan of
operations as to forego the detachment of a part of this division to occupy Gurhwal.[3] He accordingly
instructed Colonel Mawbey to leave a few men in a strong position for the occupation of the Doon and to
carry his undivided army against Amar Singh's son, Colonel Ranajor Singh Thapa, who was with about
2300 elite of the Gurkha army, at Nahan.[3] It was further intended to reinforce the division considerably;
and the command was handed over to Major-General Martindell.[3] In the meantime Colonel Mawbey had
led back the division through the Keree pass, leaving Colonel Carpenter posted at Kalsee, at the north
western extremity of the Doon.[4] This station commanded the passes of the Jumna on the main line
of
communication between the western and eastern portions of the Gurkha territory, and thus was well
chosen
Battle of Jaithak
for procuring intelligence.[4]
Major General Martindale now joined the force and
took over command. He occupied the town of Nahan
on 27 December, and started his attach on the fort of
Jaithak. The fort had a garrison of 2000 men under the
command of Ranajor Singh Thapa, the son of the
Amar Singh Thapa. The first assault ended in disaster,
with the Nepalese successfully warding off the British
offensive. The second managed to cut off the water
supply to the fort, but could not capture it mainly
because of the exhausted state of the troops andStockaded position of the Nepalese at Jaithak

shortage of ammunition. Martindale lost heart and

ordered a withdrawal. Jaithak was eventually captured
much later in the war, when Ochterlony had taken over the command.[5]
A single day of battle at Jaithak cost the British over three hundred men dead and wounded and cooled
Martindell's ardour for battle. For over a month and a half, he refused to take any further initiative against
the Nepalese army. Thus by mid-February, of the four British commanders the Nepalese army had faced till
that time, Gillespie was dead, Marley had deserted, Wood was harassed into inactivity, and Martindell was
practically incapacitated by over-cautiousness. It set the scene for Octorloney to soon show his mettle and
change the course of the war.

Sugauli Treaty
The Treaty of Sugauli was ratified on 4 March 1816. As per the treaty, Nepal lost Sikkim (including
Darjeeling), the territories of Kumaon and Garhwal, and most of the lands of the Terai. The Mechi River
became the new eastern border and the Mahakali river the western boundary of the kingdom. The British
East India Company would pay 200,000 rupees
annually to compensate for the loss of income from the
Terai region. Kathmandu was also forced to accept a
British Resident.[6] The fear of having a British
Resident in Kathmandu ultimately proved to be
unfounded, as the rulers of Nepal managed to isolate
the Resident to such an extent as to be in virtual house
arrest.

The Terai lands, however, proved difficult for the

British to govern and some of them were returned to
the kingdom later in 1816 and the annual payments
accordingly abolished.[7] However even after theBhimsen Thapa's troops, right, at Segauli, 1816,
conclusion of the Anglo-Nepalese War, the borderwith India Pattern Brown Bess muskets and chupi
issue between the two states was not yet settled. Thebayonets.
boundary between Nepal and Oudh was not finally
adjusted until 1830; and that between Nepal and the
British territories remained as a matter of discussion
between the two Governments for several years
later.[8]

The British never had the intention to destroy either

the existence or the independence of a state which was
usefully interposed between them and the
dependencies of China.[9] Lord Hastings had given up
his plan to dismember Nepal from fear of antagonisingThe Treaty of Sugauli 4 March 1816. It suited
China – whose vassal Nepal in theory was. In 1815,Ochterlony to bring the campaign to a speedy
while British forces were campaigning in far westernconclusion because of the approach of the dreaded
Nepal, a high-ranking Manchu official advanced withaul-fever season but also because a number of his
a large military force from China to Lhasa; and theEuropean troops were suffering from dysentery.
following year, after the Anglo-Nepalese treaty had
been signed, the Chinese army moved south again,
right up to Nepal's frontier. The Nepalese panicked, because memories were still vivid of the Chinese
invasion of 1792, and there was a flurry of urgent diplomatic activity. Hastings sent mollifying assurances
to the imperial authorities, and ordered the British Resident, newly arrived in Kathmandu, to pack his bags
and be ready to leave at once if the Chinese invaded again.[10]

References
1. "Girvan Yuddha Vikram Shah" (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG21258
3). British Museum. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
2. The use of English terminology for their grades of command was common in the Nepalese
army, but the powers of the different ranks did not correspond with those of the British
system. The title of General was assumed by Bhimsen Thapa, as Commander-in-chief, and
enjoyed by himself alone; of Colonels there were three or four only; all principal officers of
the court, commanding more than one battalion. The title of Major was held by the adjutant of
a battalion or independent company; and Captain was the next grade to colonel, implying
the command of a corps. Luftun, or Lieutenant, was the style of the officers commanding
companies under the Captain; and then followed the subaltern ranks of Soobadar, Jemigns.
(Prinsep, p. 86-87)
3. Prinsep, p. 94.
4. Prinsep, p. 95.
5. Navarne, p. 190.
6. India-Board (8 Nov 1816).
7. Oldfield, p. 304-305.
8. Oldfield, p. 306.
9. Anon (1816), p. 428.
10. Pemble, Forgetting and remembering Britain's Gurkha War, p.367.

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