Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sleeping giant. In 1792, Nepal was forced to sign a treaty with
China to stop Chinese forces that resulted in the loss of terriﾭ
tory to, and trading privileges with, Tibet.
To the west, Nepalese troops had claimed territories on the
southern plain, including Kumaon, Kangara, and Butwal. Howﾭ
ever, the southern campaign to acquire these lands had been
long and costly for Nepalese troops. Ultimately, a bitter dispute
between Nepal and the British East India Company over lands
in the Terai erupted into a fullﾭblown war between the two.
The conflict raged from 1814 to 1816, but ultimately the Nepﾭ
alese troops were no match for the British East India Company.
They were outmanned and lacked the modern weapons that
the British could provide to its East India Company troops.
In 1816, Nepal was forced to sign a unilateral treaty with the
British East India Company. However, it was a historicﾭand,
in some ways, gloriousﾭwar for Nepalese troops. True, Nepal
lost part of its territorial claims in the western hills, a few areas
to the east, and some of its very productive southern lands.
Yet, the treaty increased the British Indian presence (includﾭ
ing trade) in Kathmandu, and fierce Nepalese mountain warﾭ
riors were included in the British Indian force. These Gorkha
fighters became famous for their strength and bravery in
the British army's brigade of Gorkhas and the Indian army's
Gorkha regiments.
RANA REGIME (1846-1950)
Following the events of 1816, Nepal once again descended into
political chaos. Eventually, however, an ambitious young man,
Jung Bahadur, emerged as a leader. He had joined the army in
1832 at the age of 16. By 1841, he had become a bodyguard
for the king, and his influence continued to grow. As an opﾭ
portunist, Jung Bahadur was lying in wait; his opportunity
soon arrived. A meeting between Bahadur and Queen Rajenﾭ
dra Laxmi became violent when the queen's supporters turned
against Bahadur. Bahadur, however, slaughtered many of his
