Reflections on the Magars
Vis-à-vis
Prithwi Narayan Shah's Dibya Upadesh
Santa Bahadur Pun[1]
November,
2018 (Mangsir, 2075)
Prologue:
Though
it is truly said[2]
that "History is a record of the
victors", truer still is the saying[3] "A nation, that forgets its past, has no future". The writer
had just joined Bijuli Adda[4] as an Assistant Engineer in
1967 AD when his much older and much-read-and-seen-the-world wiser Personnel
Officer colleague, Prem Subba[5], handed him a small
pocket-sized over-used "you must
read" booklet. That booklet happened to be Prithwi Narayan Shah's Dibya Upadesh[6]
that has enthralled the writer more and more particularly in his present sun-setting
days.
Gorkha
King Narbhupal Shah’s mahili Maharani from Palpa delivered a premature 7
months’ baby, Prithwi Narayan, in 1722 AD. A little later, sahili Maharani from
Malaibam/Parbat also delivered a son, Virendra Kesar, through the normal nine
months’ pregnancy. A controversy, hence, arose within the Gorkha Durbar as to whether
Prithwi Narayan, the child born earlier, or Virendra, the child conceived
earlier should become the Crown Prince. Fortunately, this controversy ended
when the earlier conceived child, Virendra, died in infancy. So when Narbhupal
died in 1742 AD, the young 20 years old Prithwi Narayan Shah became the king of
the tiny impoverished kingdom of Gorkha – one of the Chaubise (24) kingdoms. He
was not only ambitious and visionary but he believed and applied Chanakya’s
principle of governing: sham, dam, danda
and ved. His ambition to conquer the opulent three-citied Nepal (Kathmandu valley) resulted only in 1769
AD after 27 long years of relentless toil and battles. During that period, in
1762 AD he had to face and defeat the troops of Gurgin Khan sent by Mir Kasim,
the Nawab of Bengal, to assist the Sen kingdom of Makwanpur and also the troops
of the Kinloch’s mission sent by the Honourable East India Company in 1767 AD
to assist Jaya Prakash Malla to break his blockade of Kathmandu valley. Despite
his meteoric rise with a kingdom extending from Chepe/Marsyangdi in Gorkha to
Chaudandi/Morang across the Kosi river in the East, Prithwi Narayan Shah
unfortunately could not reap the fruits of his labour and vision. He died
prematurely in 1774 AD at the age of 52 only. The Dibya Upadesh is Prithwi Narayan Shah’s counsel from his death-bed
at Devghat on the bank of Trishuli river in Nuwakot so that the kingdom he
established “…tumra ra hamra santan le ….
yo rajya thami khanan.”
The
writer is mesmerized by the Dibya
Upadesh's inordinate wisdom, still so valid and applicable 240 years later.
Whether they are about the army's soldiers and their officers (dawalath bhayaka le tarbar ma pasi marna
maarna sakai nan), maintaining clean the country's courts (taksar pani chokho chalaunu …. Adalath ka
paisa darbar bhitra na halnu…) or for that matter preventing the country's
money going abroad and bringing it back (yaso
bhaya nagad bidesh jandaina …. praja mota bhaya darbar baliyo rahanchha…),
he had visions based on sound common logic. He observed the arrangements of not
only his ancestor Ram Shah but also of those from the other side of the table,
like the able Kathmandu kings Jayasthiti Malla and Mahindra Malla. Though he
wished to make Biraj Bakheti his Kazi, he bowed to the wishes of his people to
make Kalu Pande Kazi, portraying his character. The writer, hailing from the
village of Nangi in the present Annapurna Gaon Palika set-up of Myagdi, the Magarat
country, was naturally fixated by the many references[7] to Magars in the Dibya Upadesh. Though the debates
continue on whether the expansion of the Gorkha kingdom was unification or
subjugation of the then Chaubise and Baise kingdoms, the Magars’ significant
contribution during that expansion era is indisputable. But history, the record
of the victors, has not been kind to the Magars.
i)
Surathi[8]
Singh Rana:
Professor
Dineshraj Pant[9]
: "….. guru purohit thar ghar
bhaiyad bharadar ra afna dada Surath Singh Rana …..".
Father
Ludwig F Stiller SJ[10] : " ….. priests, teachers, household, family, nobles
and his tutor, Surath Singh Rana
….."
Writer's
Reflection: The writer scrutinized Professor Pant's Dibyopadesh ko Mulpath (the original Dibyodesh document) in his book Shri
5 Prithwinarayan Shahko Dibyodesh and noted the name Surathi Singh Rana. Both
Professor Pant and Stiller have converted Surathi to the more common Surath.
The writer, however, was most puzzled by this Magar dada's name appearing in the very prologue of the Dibya Upadesh when the names of other
respected priests, nobles and even Prithwi Narayan Shah’s own teacher/Guru are
not mentioned at all. Following the practice of the Mughals across the border
in India, the Nepal Durbar till recently also employed dada (male) and dhai-ama
(female wet-nurse) to raise children. Hence, the posts, dada and dhai-ama, are perceived to be low-ranking helping hands
having little or no significance[11] at all. Yet,
surprisingly, the name of Surathi Singh Rana, a mere dada, is recorded in the Dibya
Upadesh of the dying Prithwi Narayan Shah.
Nepalese
historians from Baburam Acharya[12] to Dhundiraj Bhandari[13] have highlighted the
contributions made by Narbhupal Shah’s (reigned
1716-1742 AD) jethi Maharani[14] Chandra Prabha Devi in
building the character of Prithwi Narayan Shah during his young critical
formative years. Narbhupal Shah lost all interests in running the affairs of
his Gorkha kingdom when his army, under the command of Kazis Maheshwar Pant and
Jayant Rana (Gyami), failed to capture Nuwakot in 1737 AD. The King sought
solace in reading the Bhagwad, performing religious rites and in fact becoming
insane in his last two years. During such a vacuous period, Chandra Prabha Devi
and not Prithwi Narayan’s own mother[15] Kaushalyawati (mahili
Maharani) tended to the affairs of the State, teaching at the same time the art
of governing to the young Crown Prince. After Narbhupal’s death in 1742 AD, the
young 20 year old Prithwi Narayan came to the throne. Though Nepalese
historians have duly lauded the role of jethi Maharani, they all fail to
recognize the contribution of Surathi Singh Rana in grooming the young Crown Prince
at this critical juncture. Despite being surrounded by honourable men like the
royal priests, nobles and councilors, the recording for posterity the humble Dada’s name in the Dibya Upadesh is, to the writer, the fulfillment of the dying
Prithwi Narayan Shah’s gratitude to Surathi Singh Rana, his true shadow Guru.
Bhanu Aryal[16]
was Prithwi Narayan Shah’s official Guru at the Durbar when he was the Crown
Prince.
ii)
Magar among the Four Clans of Warrior:
Professor
Dineshraj Pant: “... mera sathma char
jatka sipahi chhan …. Bahun, Khas, Magar,
Thakuri yinma kasko sawar gare chando kaj phatte hola … Bahunko sawar bhaneko
bayel ho, patak lagchha ….Thakuriko sawar....Singha ho, pachhadi daga hunchha
….Magarko sawar …tangan ghoda ho,
dhilo hunchha ….. Khasko sawar taja turki ghoda ho …. Khasko sawar garya chando
hola bhanya jasto lagchha.”
Father
Ludwig F Stiller SJ: “….. I have four
clans of warriors …… Brahmin, Khas, Magar,
Thakuri. Which of these should go to finish the task quickly? ……The Brahmin goes as a bullock … it will be
sin …. Thakuri goes as a lion …. afterwards comes his craft ….. Magar goes as a mountain pony. He will
be slow….. Khas goes as a swift
Arabian steed….. it will be quickly done or so it seems to me."
Writer's
Reflection: This fascinating dialogue on how to conquer Nepal (Kathmandu valley), between Prithwi
Narayan Shah and his maternal uncle, Udyat Sen, the Crown Prince of Palpa, took
place at Gorkha when the latter had come to have darshan of Gorakhnath. An enlightened strategist that he was, the
Palpa Crown Prince told his nephew to envision Nepal as the frog, Gorkha as the
snake and Lamjung as the garud/eagle.
Unless the eyes of the garud are
deceived, the snake cannot eat the frog. And that was exactly what the shrewd
Prithwi Narayan did by concluding a treaty with the king of Lamjung, Ripumardan
Shah. It should be noted here that the Gurungs do not figure in Prithwi
Narayan’s four class of warriors. But later the Gurungs do figure when he
instructs “…enlist Khas, Magars, Gurungs
and Thakuris and only these four jats.” The Brahmins have been singled out
probably in keeping with the advice of his maternal uncle as “patak lagne”.
On
the four clans of warriors in Gorkha, the Khas, as the swift Arabian horse, has
been recommended by Udyat Sen to have the job done quickly but with that wise
reservation "or so it seems to me"!
Regarding the Magars, Udyat Sen, born and bred in the Magarat country of Palpa,
has correctly likened them to the slow "tangan ghoda". Though slow, the Magars are trustworthy as
compared to the fast but unpredictable Khas, “or so it seems to me”.
iii)
Biraj Bakheti as Kazi:
Professor
Dineshraj Pant: “…. Mero man ma ta Biraj Bakheti lai Kazai dina anteko
thiyo. Tara jyada buddhi Kalu Pande kai thaharyo ra Kalu Pande lai Kazai bhaya
ko ho.”
Father
Ludwig F Stiller SJ: “…It was in my mind
to make Biraj Bakheti Kazi. But Kalu
Pande was thought to be wiser and Kalu Pande was made Kazi……”
Writer’s
Reflection: According to the book Nepali
Sena Ligligkot dekhi Bartaman samma BS 1616 – 2071 by Dr. Prem Singh Basnet
(Nepal army’s retired Brigadier General): “…Nuwakot
ko yuddha hare pachhi Prithwinarayan le Biraj
Bakheti lai Kazi dine nirnaye gare. Tara unle bhardar ra janata ko sallaha
magda Kalu Pande lai Kazi dinda ramro hunchha bhanne sujhab ayeko le sohi
anusar unko satta Kalu Pande lai Kazi
banaiyeko thiyo….” Dr. Basnet mentions that when Gorkha under the young
Prithwi Narayan Shah prepared to make the first attack on Nuwakot in 1743 AD,
the army commander was the Magar, Biraj
Thapa. As the Gorkha army was not fully prepared, Biraj Thapa delayed his attack. But Maheshwar Pant immediately reported to the king that Biraj Thapa was delaying because he was
afraid to go to war. The young king sacked Biraj
and put instead Maheshwar as the
army commander. Maheshwar Pant’s Nuwakot attack, like his father’s, failed
miserably. Dr. Basnet then continues to make the above statement that Prithwi
Narayan Shah actually wanted to make Biraj
Bakheti his Kazi. There is some confusion[17] regarding Dr. Basnet’s
statement when his Biraj Thapa becomes Biraj Bakheti. But Bakheti could be a
sub-thar of Thapa like Gyami being
sub-thar of Rana – Jayant Rana/Gyami
Rana. However, the historian Dr. Basnet is in no doubt that Biraj Bakheti is a Magar. Both Dr.
Dilli Raman Regmi[18] and Dr. Tulsi Ram Vaidya[19] mention that it was Vijaya Thapa and not Biraj Thapa whom
Prithwi Narayan made his army commander to make the first attack on Nuwakot.
Vijaya Thapa accompanied Prithwi Narayan Shah during his adventurous trip to
Benaras/India.
iv)
Salyan Kot’s Rana Pujari:
Professor
Dineshraj Pant: “ …. Sallyan Kotki Devi
…. … ratma sopana bhayo …. due hatma khadga liyeko sat ath barsaki kanya ….
timi kaski chhori hau bhani maile bhanda pujahari
Ranako chhori hun bhanin …. duwai khadga mero hatma diyin…. arasi mero mukh
samma lyae yo nila bhanin ra timro manko akanchhya purai diyeko chha bhanin
……ma pani biunjhau ra Bhanu jaisi Kulananda jaisi pujahari Ranalai dakya …..”
Father
Ludwig F Stiller SJ: “ … went to have
darshan of the devi at Sallyan Kot
……. had a dream …. a seven or eight year old maiden … bearing a sword in either
hand …. I asked her who her father was. She answered she was the daughter of
the Rana priest of the temple …. She
placed the swords in my hands and placing an arasi shaped object on my lips
said “Swallow it…whatever you wish for you will receive it.” I awoke…. Called for Bhanu Jyotisi and
Kulananda Jyotisi as well as the Rana
priest….”
Writer’s
Reflection: After the darshan of Sallyan Kotki Devi, Prithwi Narayan Shah
attacked Nuwakot (his second but
including that of his father, third attack) in 1744 AD and as blessed by
the Salyan Devi captured it. This Salyan Kotki Devi in Dhading has another
historical significance[20] to the Shah Kings. Gorkha
king Purna Shah’s queen came to stay at Salyan Kot with Ram Shah in her womb.
Ram Shah was born and raised at Salyan Kot. When his brother, the childless
Gorkha king, Chhatra Shah died, the people of Salyan took him and made him king
– to become one of the most notable Shah kings. However, this temple of Sallyan
Kot with the Rana Magar Pujari does not figure prominently as the other temples[21] serviced by Magar
Pujaris: Thapas of Gorkha’s Manakamana, Ales of Tanahu’s Chhabdibarahi,
Ales of Sunsari’s Budha Subba (actually Budha Baje[22]),
Ranas of Syangja’s Alamthan, Rana/Ales of Lamjung’s Kalika
and Aslami/Pulamis (Bhirkote susare)
of Gorkha’s Gorakhkali. History
researchers have the tendency to conclude that the presence of Magar pujaris in
the Magarat country is but natural. The noted scholar, Dr. Dilli Raman Regmi,
writes[23] that the Magars on both
sides of the Kali Gandak “…were the first tribal people to come into
contact with the emigrant Rajputs and Brahmans since the early 11th
century. The Magars were totally metamorphosed in the Brahmanical society and
held a place in the caste hierarchy below the Khasas…..The Rajput emigrants had not only wrested power from them but also mixed
with them by marrying their women. Prithwi Narayan Shah called himself the
Raja of the Magar country (Magrat).” Another
noted scholar, Dr. Dor Bahadur Bista, adds[24] “… Sankaracharya was able to convince the Nepali king, Shiva Deva, to
have Brahmins appointed with exclusive privileges to act as priests at the
Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu. The fact that the major temples had to be
staffed by Brahmin priests gave them high ritual status at the political level
and they were endowed with land grants which gave them economic independence.” Now why weren’t the countless temples
in the Magarat country ‘metamorphosized’ with
Brahman priests like in the Nepal (Kathmandu)
valley? This necessarily requires thorough, holistic and unbiased researches so
that “tumra santan ra hamro santanle”
know the ultimate truths. In Dibya
Upadesh, Prithwi Narayan Shah refers to conquering ‘Tin Sahar Nepal ra Naulakh Kirat ra Hindupati[25]
ko Rajya’. But if one combs minutely through the Dibya Upadesh, Prithwi Narayan Shah emphatically says ‘Magarat ko Raja mai hun!’ and “…. Yo fulbari ko chhota bada charai jat
chhattisai barnale yo asil Hindustana
ho. Afna kul dharma nachhodnu.” Though Prithwi Narayan does mention asil Hindustan, mark the following
sentence about not abandoning one’s kul
dharma. To get the flavor of that ‘Magarat
ko Raja’ it is worth delving into the Shah Kings’ tutelary deity (kul devta) at the temple of Syangja's Alamdevi and also the temples at
Lamjung's Kalika and Gorkha's Gorakhkali.
Alamdevi: This temple is on Syangja’s Lasargha
ridge just east of Ridi. Lasargha’s Alamdevi is Jainkhan’s fort where Durga
Bhavani’s victory flag furls and in the local (Magar?) language Alam means
victory flag. The Shah kings established Lasargha’s Alamdevi as their Kali. A
celibate Maski Rana Magar is the Pujari of Alamdevi. According to noted
historian Dr. Dilli Raman Regmi[26], who refers to Goraksadisa Champu, Jainkhan’s son
Suryakhan left Lasargha to establish his kingdom at Khilung. After Suryakhan’s
death while the elder son Khancha went east to Bhirkot, the younger Mincha went
to Nuwakot, north of Bhirkot and established their kingdoms. Khancha’s descendents
again migrated southwards to Ishan and Dhor. But Minchha’s youngest son,
Jagatikhan, established his kingdom in Kaski and after defeating the Ghale king
of Kahol became known as Kulmandan Shah, using for the first time the Shah
surname. As per the request of Lamjung people (probably Gurungs who seem to be
fed up with their Ghale king), Kulmandan’s second son, Kalu Shah, became the
king of Lamjung. However, Kalu Shah was killed during hunting most probably by
the displaced Lamjung Ghale king (Sekhant tribe?). This is when Kulmandan’s
youngest son, Yasobrahma, became the Lamjung king. By taking on his side the
Gurungs of Lamjung, Yasobrahma defeated the Ghale king and ruled Lamjung.
Yasobrahma’s second son, Drabya Shah, defeated another Ghale king to become the
founder of Gorkha kingdom (reigned
1559-70 AD), one of the Chaubise kingdoms. Of the more notable Gorkha
kings, Ram Shah, who reigned from 1606 to 1633 AD, is known for his famous 26 Tithis and ‘Nya paunu Gorkha janu.’ Prithwi Narayan Shah, the founder of modern
Nepal, (reigned 1742–74 AD), after
capturing the three cities of Nepal in 1769, moved his capital from Gorkha to
Kathmandu.
With
this historical background, one can not but connect the ruling Shah dynasty
with the Magar Pujaris from Syangja’s Alamdevi
to Lamjung’s Kalika, Gorkha’s Gorakhkali and Dhading’s Salyankot and then on to Kathmandu’s Hanuman Dhoka where on each Dashain six
Magar pujaris bring the Fulpati (belpatra,
ukhuko pat, kerako pat, dadim, fruits etc.) from Gorkha Durbar to
Kathmandu. Having combed the Shah rulers minutely, Dr. DR Regmi, the noted
scholar, wryly commented that the following two practices[27] of the Shah dynasty are
not known in Rajasthan, the home of their so-called Ksatriyas origin in India: i) marrying of first cousins outside their
gotra (which the Magars still do[28]) and ii) sacrificing a pig in the sanctum sanctorium of Lasargha’s
Alamdevi temple in Dasain! To Dr. Regmi’s above two practices of the Shah
dynasty, the writer adds one more practice the Rajasthan Ksatriyas are not
encumbered with: that of the “thread-less” Rana Magar Pujaris – by
Brahmanic standards a polluted low caste ethnic group[29]
- performing religious rites at the sanctum sanctorim of the ruling Shah’s clan
deities!
v)
Gyami Rana:
Professor Dineshraj Pant: “…..Mahamandal ma Gyami Rana thiyo. Tan hamra
bhar ko Gyami hos. Mahamandal chhodi
de ma chheu aija bhani pathaya ra huna ta ma hajur ko hun tara Jaya Prakash
Malla ko nun khai halyen, mari metnyachhu bhani hank pari pathayo….”
Father Ludwig F Stiller SJ: " …..In Mahamandal there was a Gyami Rana. ‘Be one of us….Come with
me.’ Thus the message I sent to him. And he answered that it was true that he
did belong to me. ‘But’ said he 'I have eaten the salt of Jaya Prakash Malla
and I will be true to this until death.'
Writer’s
Reflection: Prithwi Narayan Shah’s reference of Gyami Rana is Kazi Jayant Rana.
Gyami is merely a sub-division of Rana thar.
Narbhupal Shah, Prithwi’s father, had also eyed the wealth[30] and opulence of the Nepal
kingdom whose western border stretched along the Trishuli river with Nuwakot as
the chief western fortress. In AD 1737 Narbhupal sent his Gorkha army under the
command of surprisingly two Kazis, Maheshwar Pant and Jayant Rana to capture
Nuwakot. The attack failed and the entire blame was thrown on Jayant Rana by
the Pande Sardars[31] of Gorkha. Believing
these false charges, an irate Narbhupal stripped Jayant Rana of his Kazi post. When
suspicion of collusion with the enemy fell on him, Jayant Rana joined the
Kathmandu king, Jaya Prakash Malla, who must have happily welcomed such a
senior officer from his opponent. Unhappy with the Nuwakot commander, Kashiram
Thapa, Jaya Prakash Malla had him replaced by Jayant Rana. As Jayant Rana knew
the strength and weakness of the Gorkha army, the shrewd Prithwi Narayan Shah
employed Kautalya’s ‘sham-dam’ art by
attempting to entice him with “Tanh,
hamro ghar ko Gyami hos, Mahamandal chhodi de, Ma chheu aija.” But Jayant,
like the true Magar that he was, replied 'Huna
ta ma hajurai ko hun tara Jaya Pragash Malla ko nun khai halya, mari metanchhu!'
So after the Nuwakot defeat, when Jayant Rana was caught at Belkot, Prithwi
Narayan Shah had him skinned alive. The defeated Magar Jayant probably misunderstood
Prithwi Narayan’s previous call of “you
are one us” for clemency. During the Nuwakot battle, Sankhamani Rana,
Jayant Rana's son, was also killed by Dal Mardan Shah, Prithwi Narayan’s
younger brother from the same mother. Noted historian Baburam Acharya justifies
this flaying alive of Jayant Rana as the prevailing practice among the Chaubise
kingdoms for traitors. Stiller, on the other hand, disagrees with Baburam calling
it a harsh act in an era when warfare had its harsh aspects. Undoubtedly, this skinning
alive of Gyami Rana and cutting-off the noses of Kirtipur defenders are some of
the dark blots in the character of Prithwi Narayan Shah.
vi)
Pandes, Basnyets, Panthas and Magars –
each in turn:
Professor Dineshraj Pant: “….Pande, Basnyet, Panth bhaiyad Mangar lai maratap dinda alopalo palo
gari khana dinu. E mera nun gunka swajha sewak hun….
Father Ludwig F Stiller SJ: "In
giving the kazi's post to the Pandes, Basnyets, Panthas and Magars, give it to them each in turn.
They are the true servants of my salt….."
Writer’s
Reflection: Of Ram Shah’s Chhathar Ghar, Prithwi Narayan Shah has
left out the Aryal, Khanal and Bohara but retained the Pande, Panth and Magar
as “….mera nun gunka swajha sewak ….”
But he has introduced a new Thar, the
Basnets. There is some confusion here between Pant and Stiller. According to
Pant and even Baburam Acharya/Yogi Narharinath[32], the word ‘maratap’ is the remuneration provided
to the families of those who fell in battles – mare bapat ko khanki. Stiller, on the other hand, interprets this ‘maratap’ as the Kazi’s post to be given
turn by turn. On Pant’s interpretation of ‘mare
bapat ko khanki’ turn by turn, it is difficult to understand why Prithwi
Narayan Shah would give such a counsel – mare
bapat palo palo khane! Be that as it may, the Kazi’s post or remuneration,
the Magars along with the Khas has been identified as one of the beneficiaries.
vii)
a) Enlist Khas, Magars, Gurungs and
Thakuris –
Professor Dineshraj Pant: “Pattipattima sipahi pani Khas, Magar, Gurung, Thakuri inai char jat
matrai khichola gari halnu …..ra tarwar parda sahro hunchha ra bairi ta kya
Indrako asan pani dagaichha.”
Father Ludwig F Stiller SJ: “In
their own companies enlist Khas, Magars,
Gurungs and Thakuris and only these four jats……. In time of war the enemy and
heaven itself will tremble.” ….
Writer’s
Reflection: When conversing with his maternal uncle, Udyat Sen, Prithwi Narayan
Shah had told him that he had “char jat
ka Sipahi chhan ….. Bahun, Khas, Magar, Thakuri….” Probably in keeping with
his uncle’s advice “….Bahun ko sawar
bhanya ko Bayel ho Patak lagchha….,” Prithwi Narayan refrained from
recruiting the Bahuns and had the Gurungs replace them.
With the arms looted at Makwanpur in
1762 AD from Mir Kasim’s Gurgin Khan, Prithwi
Narayan Shah duly established four regular Khas Regiments[33] in his army: Shri
Nath 1762 AD (BS 1819 Ashwin 5), Kali
Baksh (BS 1819 Ashwin 5), Barda
Bani (BS 1819 Ashwin 9) and Sabuj
(BS 1819 Ashwin 9). Five months
later on Falgun 10, 1819 BS he
established another Regiment called Gorakh composed entirely of Magars.
However, in BS 1840, when the eccentric and at times lunatic King Ran Bahadur
established another regiment with the same name Gorakh, the two regiments had
to be renamed Purano Gorakh[34] (PG) and Naya Gorakh –
with Purano Gorakh maintaining the Magar ethnicity. But Dr. Prem Singh Basnet (retired
Brigadier General, Nepal Army) differs writing[35] “…BS 1842 Poush 16 Purano Gorakh, a regiment of Magars (established BS
1819) and BS 1842 Bhadra 13 Bhavani Dal, another Magar regiment, were
established.” The other Regiment in the Nepalese army with the Gurung
ethnicity is the Kali Bahadur. During the Nepal-Tibet war of 1854 AD, the
Gurungs in the Kali Baksh regiment displayed exemplary bravery. Hence, with the
recommendation of Prime Minister Jung Bahdur King Surendra Bickram Shah in 1855
AD disbanded the Letar Company and handed over its colours to the newly
established regiment Kali Bahadur where all the Gurungs from Kali Baksh were
transferred.
b)
Gurungs, Magars and Khans very Loyal:
Professor Dineshraj Pant: "Gurung, Magar,
Khanjada, bhaiyad, bhardar, mir umrao, tharghar puranapurana janchi ghunda
gaundama rakhnu."
Father Ludwig F Stiller SJ: ”Gurungs, Magars and Khans are very loyal. Their nobles, chieftains and
headmen and the very old families should be tested and placed close to the
king.”
Writer’s
Reflection: Father Stiller, in his translation, has interpreted the ‘ghunda gaunda’ as the palace periphery –
close to the king. The writer, on the
other hand, initially interpreted this to mean tested families of Gurungs,
Magars and Khans be posted at important forts and saddles of the newly acquired
territories. This was because the Magars and Gurungs are found scattered in the
east although the home base of both these two races are to the west of
Kathmandu. However, the immediate next sentence in the Dibya Upadesh: "Purba-paschhimka khas-bahunlai Darbarma
paith huna (pasnu) nadinu kyana bhanaula: bahida manchhyale darbarma bethiti
garauchhan", appears to support Father Stiller’s interpretation.
This "Purba-paschhimka khas-bahunlai Darbarma paith huna nadinu” upadesh
has been a sensitive much discussed subject. During the Panchayat regime, the
Dibya Upadesh handouts published by Shri
5 ko Sarkar, Sikchhya Mantralaya, Puratatwa Bibhag has the following
footnote to this statement: “Afna rajya
dekhi bahira Purba ra Paschhim ma raheka Khas ra Brahman.” The noted
scholar Baburam Acharya, however, has his own interpretation. Acharya says that
Prithwi Narayan Shah, busy with his Gorkha kingdom expansion, had his son,
Crown Prince Pratap Singh Shah, tutored by Pandit Bajranath Poudel[36] from the West and looked
after by the bodyguard, Sardar Swarup Singh Karki of the East. Later, Prithwi
Narayan Shah realized that the Crown Prince was tutored and raised in the wrong
manner and hence made that statement about the Khas-Bahun of east and west. The
other noted scholar, Mahesh Chandra Regmi, merely limited himself with since "outsiders violate traditions.” Some,
however, explain that Prithwi Narayan Shah himself asked why and gave the
answer: “bahida manchhyale darbarma
bethiti garauchhan." Many believe the Shah Kings followed this Upadesh
to the letter but the Eton/Harvard educated King Birendra Shah broke[37] this tradition only to
face the tragic consequences.
viii)
In Courts, tested Thakuris as Ditthas
and tested Magars as bichari:
Professor
Dineshraj Pant: “Adalath ma pani Thakuri
janchi didtha rakhnu, Magar janchi Bichari thapnu, kachahari pichhe ek ek
Pandit rakhi niyasastra bamojim Adalath chalaunu.
Ludwig F Stiller SJ: “In the courts put tested Thakuri as judges
and tested Magars as clerks. In each court put a man skilled in the law.”
Writer’s
Reflection: According to Dr. DR
Regmi while the Didthas ‘rendered
function of judicial authority”, the Bicharis
“sat in judgement over cases.” Stiller has interpreted the ‘Pandit’ as a person skilled in law and
in the writer’s opinion this is not incorrect. Many would, however, interpret Pandit as the Brahman. In Baburam
Acharya/Yogi Narharinath edited Dibya Upadesh, pariskarkarta Srikrishna Acharya
explained this Upadesh thus: Yintaka
Nepalma raheka Thakuri tatha Magarharu atyanta nai sidhasadha, imandar tatha
kartabyaprayan jatika rupma parichit raheka thiye. Yiniharu lobhlalachma kunai
halatma pani fasdainan ra yiniharu bata anyay pani huna sakdaina bhanne
janadharana rahiayeko thiyo. But this explanation surprisingly continued on
with: Huna pani yintakasamma Thakuri
tatha Magarharu ahileka jasta lobhi
tatha lalachi pani thiyenan. Was such explanation really necessary? One
may ask, with due apology, what about “ahile
taka ka ganaune Adalath” totally devoid of Thakuris and Magars? The writer believes this is an appendix
of Srikrisha Acharya and not those of Baburam or the Yogi Narharinath!
ix)
Turks, Magars and Mughals might attack
Nepal – I am a Magar king:
Professor
Dineshraj Pant: “Nepal ko kitab herda
Turkana Mangarat Muglana hunya rahechha ra Turkana aghi bhaigayechha. Magarat
ko Raja mai hun…..”
Father Ludwig F Stiller SJ: “In the history of Nepal I say that the
Turks, the Magars and the Mughals might
attack Nepal. The Turkish attack had come. But I am a Magar king.…”
Writer’s
Reflection: Stiller, despite finding Prithwi Narayan’s statement confusing,
believes that Prithwi Narayan Shah meant that the Turkish invasion by
Shamsuddin Ilyas has come and gone, Prithwi Narayan himself carried out the
Magar invasion and the Mughal invasion was that of Mir Kasim. Though Prithwi
Narayan in his life time acquired large chunks of territories extending from
Gorkha to Chaudandi/Morang east of Kosi river, these were territories of the
Makwanpur[38]
Sen kings who prided themselves as Hindupati Rajas. Besides his own Gorkha
kingdom, Prithwi Narayan was yet to become the Raja of Magarat kingdoms that
were still in powerful hands. These tasks were still to be undertaken by his
strong-willed daughter-in-law Rajendra Laxmi and his father-like son Bahadur
Shah who ultimately subdued the Magarat kingdoms many of which like Kaski and
Lamjung were, ironically, ruled by their own Shah relatives!
Epilogue:
The
writer, a Magar from the Magarat country, is bound to see Prithwi Narayan
Shah’s Dibya Upadesh through the tinted eyes of a Magar and hence bound to
suffer from the human failings thereto. He makes no claim that what he has
written is his final words. Take the case of the Gorkha attack on Nuwakot in
1737 AD during Narphupal’s time. After the Gorkha army led by Kazis Maheshwar
Panth and Jayant Rana (Gyami Rana) were thoroughly beaten by the Nepal (Kathmandu) army, Maheshwar Panth’s fine
eloquence and communicating ability put the following blame entirely on the
Magars in his “binti to the saharai
risani’ Maharaja Narbhupal[39] “manjur pardo bhayo”:
Shri 5 Maharaja Narbhupal
Shahka hajurma gai darsan garna janda saharai risani bhayo Kazi Maheshwar Panth
kehi binti garda bhaya kasto binti bhanya hazurka kamma bado chittalai kam
gardainan. Kazi bhanya ka ta hami po hun ra hamra thau ma e Kazi huna aya bhani
ris gari admildo kam matra garchhan. E
Magar sathi li hajurko kam pani hola bhanya jasto mandina. Ma pani jas
paunya chhaina bhani binti garya ra binti manjur pardo bhayo.
Lacking
severely the flowery languages of the Panths, Kazi Jayant Rana, the typical
Spartan Magar that he was, tersely “binti
garya ….ra hami Shri 5 Maharajko
kumaudo garya rahyachhau bhanya hami
yahan nabasi rahula bhani tadki kohi Nepal aya kohi yatratatra lagya.
Bolna sakne ko pitho pani
bikchha, na bolne ko chamal pani bikdaina. Thus, Jayant Rana and other Magars landed up to eat the
salt of Jaya Prakash Malla, the Kathmandu king, only to be skinned alive seven
years later in 1744 AD by Narbhupal’s own son, Prithwi Narayan Shah. The
ethnically majority Magars in the Magarat country were one of the principal
ally of the Gorkha Shah kings from the time of Drabya Shah (1559-70 AD). Ram
Shah (1606-33 AD) in his famous 26 Thitis had included in his 11th
Thiti “….Pande, Panth, Aryal, Khanal, Rana (Magar), Bohara timiharu Chha Thar bhayau….”. When Gorkha
king Prithwipati’s eldest son, Birbhadra, died as a Crown Prince, the next
brother, Dal Shah, nearly succeeded his father. It was Prince Chandrarup Shah
with Biraj Thapa (Magar), Goreshwar
Pant and Bhimraj Pande who restored[40] the rightful heir,
Narbhupal (Prithwi Narayan’s father), to the Gorkha throne. The rivalry, to get
the ears of the King, among the Chha
Thar, was intense. During Prithwi Narayan’s time with the rise of the
Basnets, the clashes[41] were between the Pandes
and Basnets and also between the Panths and Magars. The astute Prithwi Narayan
Shah bonded the Pande-Basnet through marriage, the Pande’s daughter married to
Basnet’s son. Unfortunately, he failed to bond the Panths and Magars resulting
in tragic consequences for the Magars until they were decimated from the upper
echelon! In hindsight, it can be said that Maheshwar Panth was instrumental in
the flaying alive of Jayant Rana. Similarly, during the regency of Queen
Rajendra Laxmi, Pratap Shah’s widow, Kazi Sriharsha Panth was instrumental[42] in circulating false
rumours about Kazi Sarvajit Rana being the paramour of the Queen Rajendra Laxmi[43]. This resulted in
Sarvajit Rana losing his head when Bahadur Shah and Daljit Shah conspired to
get rid of both the Queen and Sarvajit.
The
erudite scholar, Mahesh Chandra Regmi, has very lucidly put on record[44]:
“Approximately 49 men
attained the position of Kajis during the period from 1768 to 1814….. The
Basnyat family alone provided at least eleven among the 49 Kajis….The Pandes…
supplied at least nine among the 49 Kajis….The nine Thapa Kajis….It should be
noted that Thapa is a family name of both Chhetris and Magars….. At least seven
among the 49 Kajis of this period were Magars of the Rana and Thapa clans while
one, Narsing, was a Gurung. Several Magars were appointed as Kajis during Queen
Rajendra Laxmi's regency (1777-'85) including Bandhu Rana, his brother,
Sarvajit Rana and Devadatta Thapa. The turbulent period following Ran Bahadur's
assassination marked the virtual end of Magar-Gurung representation at the Kaji
level. Narsing Gurung was beheaded while the four Rana Magar Kajis were removed
from their posts…..”
In
1854, after Jung Bahadur’s take-over, the following are the caste distribution[45] of Senior Personnel:
Khas/Chhetri – 61 (with 26 Kunwars,
up from 3 in 1841, 10 Basnets, 3 Thapas and 1 Pande), Thakuris – 4
(down from 17 in 1841 AD) and Magars – 3.
Furthermore, Mahesh Chandra Regmi, unlike other Nepalese historians, had the
intellectual fiber to record his following factual but unpleasant findings:
“….. the Gorkhali
political elite comprised a tiny minority……Most of its members came from Gorkha
and consisted of individuals and families who had accompanied Prithwi Narayan
Shah when he transferred his capital from Gorkha to Kathmandu……. Prithwi Narayan Shah instructed his
successors "not to let any Khas or Brahman from the east and west enter
into the Palace" since "outsiders violate traditions."…. The
Gorkhali political leadership was dominated by two groups, the Shah royal
dynasty belonging to the Thakuri caste and Chhetris…… The political leadership,
in essence, was thus a Shah-Chhetri coalition which retained state power in its
hands in order to wring economic
surpluses from the peasantry and share the proceeds.
With
the assassination[46] of Ran Bahadur Shah in
May 1806 and the rise of the Khas, Bhimsen Thapa, this Shah-Chhetri political
equation tilted much towards the Khas/Chhetris. This was an era of ambitious
Regents ruling in the name of infants and demented Shah Kings. After the
dramatic 1846 Kot massacre, Jung Bahadur Kunwar, a Khas/Chhetri, usurped all
political power for his single Kunwar family to rule Nepal for another 104
years. In fact, after Rana Bahadur’s assassination in 1806 to the downfall of
Mohun SJB Rana in 1951, an era spanning 145 years, Nepal was completely ruled
by the Khas/Chhetris who were not under the Chhathar
Ghar category of King Ram Shah. In keeping with the proverb “Jiske hath me lathi, uske Bhains”, it
was but natural for the Khas/Chhetris to wring out the economic surpluses from
the poor peasantry. Yet, so succinctly addressed by another Nepalese proverb “Dhan khane Chari, dosh paune Musa”, the descendents
of Prithwi Narayan Shah were, unfortunately, at the receiving end, paying the
price dearly.
Prithwi
Narayan Shah believed “Praja mota bhaye
darbar baliyo rahanchha” and the following epic inclusive vision stresses
his belief of “strength in diversity”:
Mera sana dukh le arjya ko
muluk hoina,
Sabai
jatko fulbari ho sabai lai chetana bhaya,
Yo
fulbari ko chota bada Charai Jat Chattis Varna le yo asil Hindustan ho,
Afna
kuladharma na chhodnu,
Unfortunately,
with the introduction of the 1854 Mulki Ain by Jung Bahadur and the Brahman
Pandes crowned with the mantle of Shree
Chha Dharma Adhikari, the strength in Nepal’s diversity of 36 Varnas as envisioned by Prithwi
Narayan Shah were roughly trodden over by the Char Jat. The Shree Chha ruled the roost sweeping
aside Prithwi Narayan’s “chetana bhaya, afna kula dharma na chhodnu!” As for the animist/Hinduised Magars, Kaji
Abhiman Singh Rana, who was the first to smell Jung Bahadur’s plot, became the
first victim to be felled at the 1846 Kot massacre. By hanging another Magar,
Lakhan Thapa, in 1875, Jung Bahadur and his brother Dhir Shumshere’s family[47] buried the Magars so
deeply that they have still failed to rise in the last 150 years! The Dibya Upadesh is the veritable record of
the sacrifices and contributions of the Magars[48] during the critical
expansion period in the creation of modern Nepal. But history, being the record
of the victors, has been unkind to the Magars! One only hopes that as stated by
Prithwi Narayan Shah’s Dibya Upadesh “…tumra
santan le hamra santan lai sunaun ra yo Rajya (char jat chhattis varna ko) thami
khanan!”
The End
[1] The writer is grateful to Hari Prasad Sodariji, compiler of this Dibya
Upadesh book, for kindly giving him an opportunity to pen this article for his
book. He is also grateful to the many other scholars and friends who provided
their invaluable inputs in particular the following persons: Professor Dineshraj Pant (who loaned him his
books), Dr. Prem Singh Basnet (retired Brigadier-General Nepal Army), retired
Nepal army Lt-General Amar Pant, ex-Ministers Balaram Gharti Magar and MS Thapa,
retired-AIG Dr. Govinda Prasad Thapa, Dr. Min Sirismagar, ex-MP Suresh Ale, retired-Colonel
Sundar Pratap Rana etc.
[2] Actually, Winston Churchill had remarked in
the 1930s at the House of Commons that history would find Prime Minister
Baldwin wrong “because I shall write that
history.”
[3] This is also attributed to Winston Churchill
and is particularly applicable to the post-1951 Nepal era. Nepal’s difficult
years and her glorious past are all swept under the carpet and one is
familiarized only with such names like Tribhuvan (University), Mahendra
(Rajmarga), BP Koirala (Rajmarga, Cancer/Eye Hospitals/Institute), Manmohan
Adhikari/GP Koirala/Sushil Koirala (Hospitals) etc. giving the young Nepalese
and foreigners the sad impression that Nepal had no history prior to 1951 – but
a mere result of 1947 when the colonial British left the Indian subcontinent!
[4] Nepal Electricity Corporation. Bijuli Adda
was the term used for the Electricity Utility Office since Prime Minister
Chandra Shumshere inaugurated the 500 Kw Pharping hydroelectric station in
1911. This Bijuli Adda was bifurcated into Electricity Department and Nepal Electricity
Corporation in 1962 AD to be amalgamated again into Nepal Electricity Authority
(NEA) in 1985 AD and presently in the process of bifurcation – Small is
Beautiful!
[5] Prem Subba is the younger brother of Randhir
Subba, former Minister, Vice-Chancellor of Tribhuvan University and ambassador
to China during the critical Mao Tse Tung era.
[6] On Dibya
Upadesh, the noted scholar, Dr. Dilli Raman Regmi, asserted “Baburam Acharyya writes (LPN, III, pp 629
ff) that as Prithvinarayana reached Noakot he was already a tired man….. The
Acharyya however goes on to say that Prithvinarayana undertook to dictate his
Divyopadesa at this time ……The writing
was unknown before 1954 or so.
This was brought to light by a descendant of the old Bosnet family and
published. According to the editor’s note, the whole is in the handwriting of
Abhiman Singh who had written verbatim as Prithvinarayana uttered the words….. But one cannot vouchsafe for its being in
reality the pronouncement of Prithvinarayana.” While historians will continue
to question the authenticity of “the
pronouncement of Prithvinarayana”, the Dibya Upadesh is still a record,
filled with jewels of wisdom, of the struggles by the Gorkha kingdom in the
founding of Modern Nepal.
[7] Prithwi Narayan Shah’s short Dibya Upadesh has the word Magar and
Magar related personalities (Surathi Singh, Biraj Bakheti, Sallyan Devi's Rana
priest, Gyami Rana etc.) mentioned 14 times!
[8] The
original Dibya Upadesh, that
Professor Dineshraj Pant calls Mulpath,
has Surathi and not Surath.
[9] Pant, Professor Dineshraj. Shri 5 Prithwi Narayan Shah ko Dipyopadesh
ra Sanchhipta Jiwani. 2073 BS. Manjari Publication, Putali Sadak,
Kathmandu. All quotes of Dibya Upadesh
in Nepali, unless otherwise mentioned, are those of Professor Pant from his
above mentioned book.
[10] Ludwig, Father F Stiller SJ. Prithwi Narayan Shah in the Light of Dibya
Upadesh. 1968 AD. Himalaya Book Centre, Bag Bazar, Kathmandu. All quotes of Dibya Upadesh in English, unless otherwise mentioned, are those of
Father LF Stiller SJ from his above mentioned book.
[11] In the Imperial Mughal court, some wet-nurses
of Mughal emperors did become significant. Akbar’s wet-nurse, Maham Anaga, was
a powerful figure and so was her eldest son, Adham Khan, Akbar’s
foster-brother. Adham Khan was so cruel and uncontrollable that in 1561 he
killed the Mughal Prime Minister, Atagha Khan. Following that murder, Akbar, in
his fit of rage, knocked Atagha out and threw him out from the second-floor
palace window to his death. Later filled with remorse, Akbar did penance and
built a magnificent tomb for his foster-brother above the Qutb complex and the
walls of Lal Kot in South Delhi. The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty,
Delhi, 1857; William Dalrymple, 2006. Viking/Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd,
New Delhi.
[12] Acharya, Baburam. Nepal ko Sanchhipta Brittant Khanda 1. 2022 BS. Pramod Shumshere
and Nir Bickram ‘Pyasi’. Kathmandu.
[13] Bhandari, Professor Dhundiraj. Nepal ko Aitihasik Bibechana. 2015 BS.
Krishna Kumari. Varanasi.
[14] While jethi Maharani, Chandra Prabha Devi,
was the Khanchi ruler’s daughter, Prithwi Narayan Shah’s biological mother, mahili
Maharani Kaushalyawati, was the daughter of King Gandharva Sen of Palpa. These
two queens were distantly related and hence Prithwi Narayan was jethi
Maharani’s apple of her eyes as she had no issue. Narbhupal’s third Queen was
from Malaibam/Parbat and from Tanahu the fourth Queen who suffered the fate of
Sati with Narbhupal.
[15]
While jethi Maharani had no issues, mahili Maharani bore three sons (Prithwi Narayan, Dal Mardan, Prithvipati)
and one daughter (Padma Kumari). The sahili
Queen from Malebam/Parbat bore two sons (Virendra
Kesar and Sur Pratap) while the fourth Queen from Tanahu had two sons (Mahoddham Kirti and Daljit) and one
daughter. Narbhupal had 5 illegitimate sons and 2 daughters. Source: Dr. Dilli
Raman Regmi’s Modern Nepal. 2007.
Rupa&Co. Delhi.
[17] Ex-MP Suresh Ale informed the writer that his
enquiries at the Nepal Magar Association confirmed that Bakheti is a Magar thar thus supporting Dr. Prem Basnet
that Biraj Bakheti is a Magar. Professor Dineshraj Pant, Dr. Triratna Manandhar
and even Lt-General Amar Pant, who hails from Gorkha, could neither confirm nor
refute that Biraj Bakheti was a Magar. BK Rana’s book Gorkha Magarharu. 2054 BS. Rajmaiya Rana Magar. Kathmandu does not
have Biraj Bakheti’s name in the list of the then important Gorkha Magars.
[19]
Vaidya, Dr. Tulasi Ram. Prithvinarayan
Shah, The Founder of Modern Nepal. 1993. Educational Publishing House.
Kathmandu
[20]
Gurung, Dr. Jagman. Gandaki Prasaban
Chhetra ko Sanskritik Sampada. 2067 BS. Paschimanchal Bikash Manch.
Kathmandu.
[21] Sirismagar, Dr. Min. Magar Pujari raheka prasiddha Devsthalharu. 2068 BS. Magar Addhyen
Kendra. Kathmandu.
[22] When the writer met the Ale
Pujari in 2069 BS he was told that the name-change from Budha Baje to Budha Subba
occurred in the early 2020s during the Panchyat regime. The Ale Pujari said
that old Tharus, who come to worship there, still call it Budha Baje.
[23]
Regmi, Dr. Dilli Raman. Modern
Nepal Volume I & II. First published 1961. 2007. Rupa & Co. Delhi
[24]
Bista, Dr. Dor Bahadur. Fatalism
and Development. Orient Longman Limited. 1991. Hyderabad, India.
[25] The
kings of Makwanpur and Bijayapur had taken this Hindupati title – Father LF
Stiller SJ in Prithwi Narayan Shah in the
Light of Dibya Upadesh. 1968. Himalaya Book Centre. Kathmandu
[27] Such a singularly striking practice is also
found at Mustang’s Muktinath where the worship of Lord Vishnu at the innermost
sanctum of sanctorium is performed by Jhuma, a Buddhist nun. It is believed
this practice was instituted by the Jumla Malla king who, after reading about
the presence of Vishnu’s idol in Vedas, trekked all the way to Mustang to
discover it. The Brahmans perform worship only at the outer periphery of the
sanctorium – a practice instituted only around 1960s through King Mahendra’s hokum pramanggi. When India’s Prime
Minister Narendra Modi came to worship at Muktinath on May 12, 2018, he brought
his own Indian priest. One only hopes that Prime Minister Modi followed the
ageless local Nepalese tradition of Vishnu’s worship at the innermost sanctum
of sanctorium through Jhuma, the Buddhist nun, and not his Indian priest!
[28] While the Magars marry only their Mama’s
daughter, the Gurungs, according to Dr. Harka Gurung, “Mama ko chori roji roji, phupu ko chori khoji khoji!”
[29] Ibid footnote 23. Dor Bahadur Bista also
makes the following comment in that book: “It
is interesting that much earlier than Jung Bahadur, some Magars took the title
of Rana. Today no-one takes seriously the suggestion that the Rana Magars are
of Rajput origin because they did not succeed in securing power and wealth as
was done by Jung Bahadur, his brothers and their descendants.” This Rana
surname also exists among the Tharus of western Nepal. As suggested by Dor
Bahadur Bista, present-day-researchers should delve into it.
[30] Not dissimilar to the wealth of India, eyed by Muslim
marauders to be conquered and ruled by the Moghuls from the north. Later, the
weakened Moghuls themselves became a prey to such marauders like Nadir Shah (1739
AD) who looted Jehangir’s Peacock Throne and Ghulam Qadir (1788 AD) who blinded
the Moghul, Shah Alam II.
[31] Bhandari, Professor Dhundiraj. Nepalko Aitihasik Bibechana. 2015 BS.
Krishnakumari. Baranasi. The blame should have been from the Panths’ side and
not Pandes. But the Panths and Pandes could have colluded!
[32] Editors Baburam Acharya, Yogi Narharinath. Badamaharajdhiraj Shri 5 Prithwinarayan Shah
ko Dibya Upadesh.2075. Fine Print
Books. Kathmandu.
[34] Purano Gorakh Gan – Nepalko Udgam Sthalbata Bartaman Samma
Publisher Purano Gorakh Gan, Sunkoshi Chhapakhana Pvt. Ltd Maitidevi Kathmandu
BS 2059 (AD 2002).
[35]
Basnet, Dr. Prem Singh. Nepali Sena (Ligligkot dekhi Bartaman Samma), BS
2071, Brother Books Prakashan Pvt. Ltd. Kathmandu
[36] Both Swarup Singh Karki and Pandit Bajranath
Poudel were powerful during the reign of King Pratap Shah and even in Queen
Rajendra Laxmi’s regency. However, after the death of Pratap Singh in 1778 AD,
there was a deep feud between Rajendra Laxmi and Bahadur Shah for Regency in
the name of the infant King Rana Bahadur. So when Bahadur Shah became the
Regent, while Kazi Swarup Singh Karki was beheaded in Kaski, Pandit Bajranath
was de-casted, having his head shaved off and banished to Muglan/Kashi. Later
when Queen Rajendra Laxmi again became the Regent, Pandit Bajranath was
appointed Nepal’s Political Agent for the East India Company by sacking Gajaraj
Mishra who was perceived as being pro-Bahadur Shah.
[37] Incidentally, the two ADCs of Crown Prince
Dipendra, who reportedly shot his own father King Birendra, were a Karki and
Bohara, one apparently from the east and the other from the west.
[38] Prithwi Narayan Shah suffered no bad
conscience in annexing the kingdom of his first wife’s father - Makwanpur!
Prior to that, when his Makwanpur queen wrote him a letter questioning what she
had defaulted to be staying at her father’s palace, Prithwi Narayan sent his
brother to bring her to Gorkha. After conquering the three-citied Nepal, he
also refused to share the booties with his brothers who had helped him. They,
thus, went their ways to surface only later on during the regency of Queen
Rajendra Laxmi and Bahadur Shah.
[39] Pant, Professor Dineshraj. Gorkha ko Itihas (Chautho Bhag). 2050
BS. Shri 5 Ko Sarkar Suchana tatha Sanchar Mantralaya, Kathmandu.
[40] Pant, Professor Dineshraj. Gorkha ko Itihas (Chautho Bhag). 2050
BS. Dineshraj Pant. Kathmandu – When Crown Prince Birbhadra died, his wife was
pregnant with Narbhupal and she was in Tanahu with her parents. Birbhadra had
confided this only to his brother, Chandrarup. When the infant Narbhupal was
secretly brought back to Gorkha, he was hidden in the house of Biraj Thapa, a
Magar. Later on when Narbhupal became the Gorkha king, Biraj Thapa is supposed
to have proudly showed the humble cot in his house where the infant Narbhupal
slept.
[41] Vaidya, Dr. Tulasi Ram. Prithvinarayan Shah The Founder of Modern Nepal. 1993 AD.
Educational Publishing House, Kathmandu.
[42] Acharya, Baburam. Nepal ko Sanschhipta Brittant (Khanda 1). 2022 BS. Promod Shumshere
and Nir Bickram “Pyasi”. Kathmandu – During the first Regency of Queen Rajendra
Laxmi, Bahadur Shah wanted to attack Tanahu and expand the Gorkha kingdom
towards the west. As the Queen was not for it, the feud started between them.
With the support of Kazi Sarvajit Rana, the Queen imprisoned Bahadur Shah. This
cost Sarbajit Rana his head when Bahadur Shah, with the help of Chautara Daljit
Shah, took over the Regency by imprisoning Rajendra Laxmi.
[43] Queen Rajendra Laxmi, keen to protect her
infant son, Rana Bahadur, the rightful heir of the Nepal throne “…was a dynamic personality…..handled the
swords and guns like an officer…..She rode horses and marched at the head of a
procession of soldiers bidding them farewell to go to the battlefield. She had
raised a corps of women volunteers arming them to the teeth (for her
protection) …… But this was done to the chagrin of the traditionalist nobility
who took offence at her manly habits…. (and thus worked) to bring about her
downfall. Daljit Shah, the Chief of Chautara, was the leader of this group.” Regmi, Dr. Dilli Raman. Modern Nepal Volume I & II. First
published 1961. 2007. Rupa & Co. Delhi
[44] Regmi, Dr. Mahesh Chandra. Kings and Political Leaders of the Gorkha
Empire 1768 – 1814; 1995, Orient Longman Limited, Hyderbad, India.
[45] Whelpton, John. Kings, Soldiers and Priests: Nepalese Politics 1830-1857. 1991.
Ajay Kumar Jain, Mahohar Publications. New Delhi.
[46] Rana
Bahadur Shah was killed by his half-brother Sher Bahadur Shahi who in turn was
killed by Bal Narsingh Kunwar, Jung Bahadur’s father. Bhimsen Thapa took this
opportunity to usurp power by resorting to an unprecedented carnage: beheading the old Raja of Palpa, Chautara
Vidur Shah, Kazi Tribhuvan Pradhan, Kazi Narsingh Gurung at Bhandarkhal; 17
children of Palpa Raja killed in the garden in the city; 13 children of Vidur
Shah, Sher Bahadur and Tribhuvan massacred on the other side of Bishnumati
bridge and as there were no woman Sati during the cremation of Swami Rana
Bahadur, 8 days later Bhimsen Thapa had the Helambhu banished Maharani brought
and burnt along with her 4 female servants. The Swamis’ mistress from Benaras
came and 15 days later she also was sent to Sati. Altogether 93 persons, young
old and innocent were massacred. Four decades later, Jung Bahadur’s 15th
September 1846 Kot Massacre (where 32 high ranking Bharadars with a few low
ranking as well – but all male and mature – were massacred) pales in front of
Bhimsen Thapa’s 1806 carnage of innocent women and children also. Regmi, Dr. Dilli
Raman. Modern Nepal Vol I & II.
1861. Rupa & Co. New Delhi.
[47]
Deprived of the loss of Jagir within their own kingdom, it was but natural for
the Magars/Gurungs to follow in the footsteps of the Nalapani hero, Bal Bhadra
Kunwar who, dissatisfied with Bhimsen Thapa, opted rather to serve the Punjab’s
Ranjit Singh – only to die fighting the Afghans at Yusufijei/Afghanistan in
1823. The Magars/Gurungs enlisted either in Ranjit Singh’s Khalsa army at
Lahore (hence the term ‘Lahure’) or the East India Company’s Nasseree/Sirmoor/Kumaon
battalions – the three exclusive Gurkha regiments raised in 1815. Despite
helping the East India Company during the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny, Jung Bahadur did
not allow the Magars/Gurungs to join the 3 Gurkha Regiments the British had
raised. (See Jung’s Letter 4 to his brother Bam Bahadur from Europe – Paris, 24th
August 1850 in John Whelpton’s Kings,
Soldiers and Priests). It was ironically his own favourite brother Dhir
Shumshere’s sons who, after assassinating their own uncle Ranuddip in 1885,
bartered the Gurkha Recruitment with the British for recognition of their
Shumshere government in Nepal. This opened the flood-gates of Gurkha
recruitment – before the 1914-18 First World War, the Imperial British India
had already raised 10 Gurkha Regiments (7 Regiments of Magars/Gurungs, 2
Regiments of Rais/Limbus and 1 Regiment of Khas)! During the First World War,
Britain raised 11 Gurkha Regiments each with three Battalions and during the
Second World War there were 52 Gurkha Battalions which were, after the war,
rapidly demobilized to 27 Battalions – 19 Battalions for the Indian Gorkhas and
8 Battalions for the British Gurkhas.
[48] During the critical expansion period of
Regent Queen Rajendra Laxmi, she relied heavily on the Magars. During her
reign, besides Kazi Sarvajit Rana, who lost his head, the other key Magars were
Kazi Devdatta Thapa and Sardars Pratiman Rana and Bandu Rana.
