Part 1: Battle of Nuwakot (1744 AD) Flashcards
Background
*King Ram Shah extended the territory of Gorkha in the east by winning over Dhading. As a result, the border of the kingdom of Gorkha touched the border of Nuwakot.
*Nuwakot was under the kingdom of Kantipur. The border of two kingdoms i.e. Gorkha and Kantipur met at the Trishuli river. Nuwakot exists at approximately 26 km west of the Kathmandu valley.
*The town of Nuwakot exists at the ridges that run southwest from the Dhaibung hill, which has a height of about 3 km from the foothill. The highest peak of Nuwakot is Mahamandal. Reliogious places like Kalika and Malika are situated there. The Trishuli river lies at the distance of 2km west from the town of Nuwakot and the Tadi river lies in the east.
*The approaches from the town of Nuwakot from both sides of the rivers are very steep and vertically sloped upwards. The route to Nuwakot from the side of Gorkha during the earlier times was to cross over the bridge that existed on the Trishuli river and then an upwards climb through the steep slopes of the hill. In the medieval period, the main villages were built as Gadhi (fort).
*The villages were protected by erecting high walls making deep ditches or defensive structures around them. Nuwakot was converted into a strong Gadhi.
*Nuwakot was the western gate to the Kathmandu valley (ruled by Jaya Prakash Malla) and had a great strategic importance for the security of the kingdom of Kantipur.
*King Nar Bhupal Shah of Gorkha wanted to capture Nuwakot.
Geo-Strategic Importance of Nuwakot
- Nuwakot was the western gate of Kathmandu valley, so it was one of the trade routes to Tibet. Kantipur had no option but to keep the fort of Nuwakot open for trade routes. For Gorkhali troops, to advance towards the east, possession of Nuwakot was essential.
- Gorkha could attack against the kingdom of Kantipur only after capturing Nuwakot.
- The security of the kingdom of Kanti[ur was related to the fort of Nuwakot.
- Nuwakot was strategically and economically important for Kantipur. PN Shah’s unification campaign could not move ahead without capturing Nuwakot.
What were the causes of attack over Nuwakot?
The Gorkhali troops made three attempts to capture Nuwakot. King Ram Shah attempted to capture Nuwakot conducting the first attack on Nuwakot under the command of Jayanta Rana and Maheshwor Pant. The other two attacks were conducted by king PN Shah after the death of his father and the reasons were:
- To fulfill the King’s aim of capturing the Kathmandu Valley:
King PN Shah was returning from Makwanpur and saw the valley from Chandragiri and wanted to become the king of Kathmandu valley. In order to capture the valley, it was a must to capture Nuwakot. - To fulfill the aim of PN Shah’s father:
His father had an unsuccessful attempt to attack Nuwakot. After the failure of this attack, he left all the state affairs and it was seen very closely by PN Shah. - To punish those who betrays i.e. Jayanta Rana:
During the first attempt to attack Nuwakot, all the blame of the failure was given to Jayanta Rana because it was believed that he had given the information about the Gorkhali attack on Nuwakot. Therefore, he was removed from the command of the forces. He went to Jaya Prakash Malla seeking asylum who appointed him as the commander of Nuwakot. PN Shah wanted to punish Jayanta Rana for his betrayal. It is said that his skin was shaded after the capture of Nuwakot.
IMMEDIATE CAUSES:
1. From the Economic point of View
a. Nuwakot was the entry route to Kerung where the Newar merchants had a big trade mark.
b. All the businessmen trading at Kerung had to go through the customs office of Nuwakot.
c. Nuwakot controlled the whole transactions of business of the West and Kerung.
d. Kantipur had enjoyed a lot of economic benefit from Nuwakot.
e. PN Shah thought that if this is controlled, it will help increase the economic condition of Gorkha and cut many incomes sources of the valley.
f. Open up the possibility of Gorkha trafficking in Tibetan gold and silver if the Kerung link could be secured.
- From the Agricultural Point of View
a. Nuwakot was very productive owing to its warm climate from the agricultural point of view.
b. Many of the tropical foods were supplied form there.
c. Rice was the main crop cultivated in the area with the irrigation of Trishuli. PN Shah thought that if it was controlled, it would be the storehouse for his soldiers.
- From the Military Point of View
a. Nuwakot was the Western Gate to the valley and to capture Kathmandu valley, it was a must to capture Nuwakot in the military point of view.
b. It had a strong defensive system with 9 forts.
c. It was designed in such a way that if any of the fort was attacked, all the army from the other forts would come to defend that fort in very little time.
d. As constructed on hilly terrain, it had a very strategic importance for the security of the Kathmandu valley.
e. Nuwakot’s capture could prevent any of the Chaubisey states from sending troops for the direct assistance of the kings of the valley.
The First Attack Against Nuwakot
*In 1739, Narbhupal Shah entered into a peace treaty with the King of Lamjung thereby making the eastern flank safe. Then, Gorkha moved towards east without any threat coming to it form the west.
*In 1739, the Gorkhali forces under the command of Maheshowr Pant and Jayanta Rana were sent to invade Nuwakot but the Gorkhali forces met with a strong resistance from the forces of Kantipur and suffered a defeat.
*The king of Gorkha put the whole blame of the defeat the defeat of the Gorkhali forces on Jayanta Rana. Jayanta Rana was removed from the command, so he went in the shelter of King Jaya Prakash Malla of Kantipur.
*Jaya Prakash Malla deputed him to defend Nuwakot. This helped Kathmandu to formulate an effective defense policy and take measures against the attack from Gorkhali forces as Jayanta Rana had inside knowledge of the war techniques, organization, strength and weaknesses of the Gorkhali forces.
The Second Attack Against Nuwakot
- After the death of King Nar Bhupal Shah, PN Shah immediately began to prepare for the invasion of Nuwakot.
- He had given the command of invading Gorkhali forces to Biraj Thapa in order to win over the loyalty and goodwill of the dissatisfied Magars (cause of Jayanta Rana).
- The Gorkhali forces led by Biraj Thapa remained camped at Khimchet. He did not want to repeat the mistake committed by Jayanta Rana.
- Bhardars, who were supporters of Maheshwor Pant, complained that Biraj Thapa, because of his cowardliness, was prolonging the time of attack. They intigated the king by exhorting that it was quite possible to mount an attack immediately against Nuwakot and capture it.
- The young king was also very impatient to mount an attack against Nuwakot and win over it. So, he was swayed by their instigation.
- Consequently, another group of Gorkha soldiers led by Maheshwor Pant was sent to invade Nuwakot.
- The Gorkhali forces led by Maheshwor Pant reached the Trishuli river, crossed it and began to climb up the steep slope of the hill.
- On the other side, the combined forces of the Kathmandu valley states were assembled at Nuwakot to defend it. They chalked out a plan to let the Gorkhali forces to cross over the bridge of the Trishuli river and climb up the steep slope of the hill, so that they could suddenly mount an attack against the invading force from above the hill and beat the Gorkhali soldiers.
- The advancing Gorkhalis were not aware of such plan of the defending forces. Moreover, the strength and fighting capability of the defending forces were far superior to that of the attacking forces.
- The defending forces also had the means and techniques of using gun powder.
- The forces led by Biraj Thapa did not join the advancing forces and remained at Khimchet. As a result, the strength of the Gorkhali forces remained weak because of the personal animosity and discoordination between the commanders.
- While the Gorkhali forces were climbing up the steep slope of the hill and proceeding towards Nuwakot, the combined forces of the Malla kings fiercely attacked them and gave them a crushing defeat.
- The Gorkhali forces fled back and crossed the Trishuli bridge. They destroyed the bridge setting fire on it in order to ward off the possible attack against them by the pursuing defenders.
- This defeat greatly shocked King PN Shah. He realized the need of more preparation for the war in respect of manpower and war materials in order to defeat the defending forces of Nuwakot.
Reasons for the defeat of the Second Attack against Nuwakot
- Division in their strength.
- Insufficient preparations.
- Repetition of the past mistake.
- Lack of information about the strength and logistics of the enemy.
- Personal animosity and discoordination between the commanders.
- Hasty decision to attack without preparation.
- Wrong suggestions of Bhardars.
- Lack of sufficient arms and ammunitions.
What were the preparations done by Prithivi Narayan Shah for the Third Battle of Nuwakot?
Two times defeat in the battle of Nuwakot opened the eyes of King PN Shah. He paid full attention in the preparations for the third attack on Nuwakot.
The preparations were as follows:
1. Procurement of war materials.
2. Increase in the military strength, training and organization.
3. Creating conflict among the Kings of the Valley.
4. Surprise and deception.
5. Intelligence collection.
6. Friendly relation with the neighbors.
7. Maintaining secrecy.
8. Mobilization of local resources.
9. Selection of suitable season for the attack.
- Procurement of War Materials
a. PN Shah had realized that the lack of sufficient arms and ammunitions was one of the major causes of defeat that is why he went to Banaras to collect sufficient arms and ammunitions. He not only bought arms and ammunitions but also brought skilled men to make rifles and train the Gorkhali soldiers.
b. Sheikh, Mohammed, Tarki were some skilled personnel that he brought from Banaras.
c. He availed himself the help of these artisans to manufacture gunpowder, arrows, shafts, khundas, khukuris and perform maintenance of these arms.
d. He established manufacturing units for these activities. He collected old khundas, khukuris, swords, spears etc. from the houses of Bhardars, palace and common people and converted them into new arms.
Increase in the Military Strength, Training and Organization
a. Proper training in the art of warfare in order to build up an efficient and effective fighting army.
b. Provide military training to all the able bodied and physically fit youths. He did not discriminate against any caste while raising the army.
c. He included able-bodied persons in the army belonging to four castes and thirty-six tribes (Char Barna Chhatis Jat). Even blacksmiths, cobblers, sweepers, tailors etc. were enlisted in his army giving them works according to their ability and profession.
d. He had mobilized the whole population of Gorkha in furthering his noble aim of unifying the country.
e. All Gorkhali youths aged 16 to 30 were given compulsory military training.
f. He used to pay visit to every household and ask about their well-being.
g. He gave commanders and Bhardars, in respect of works, duties to be performed by them during a battle in order to make them more capable and proficient.
h. His written instructions were related with particularly in the areas such as construction of Gadhi, garrisoning of the force, and construction of defensive structures, ditches etc.
i. All brothers, Bhardars and commanders were provided with appropriate training to conduct any kind of warfare.
- Creating Conflict Amongst the Kings of the Valley
a. He wanted to exploit the bad relations between the Kathmandu valley.
b. He exploited the confrontation between King of Kantipur and his brother.
c. Also the relation between the Kings of Kantipur and Lalitpur was not good because of the asylum given to the brother of Jaya Prakash Malla.
d. The King of Bhaktapur was his Meeth’s father and he was given assurance to remain neutral when Nuwakot is attacked.
e. PN Shah deputed Kalu Pandey to arrange for crucial treaty with Lamjung.
f. He kept a representative at the court of Kaski and supported Kaski in a dispute with Lamjung as Lamjung alliance in particular was a source of danger to the Gorkhali.
- Surprise and Deception
a. Selection of the attack time in September (last phase of the rainy season), because less expectation of attack during rainy season.
b. Attempted to camouflage his move to keep the impending attack over Nuwakot a secret.
c. The Gorkhali soldiers, disguised as farmers, reached at the bank of the Trishuli river. When they reached at Khimchet, they pretended as they were digging a canal from the Trishuli river to irrigate water to their field.
d. The soldiers also used to conduct military exercises secretly and without making any noise.
e. The crossing point Subhaghat was not seen from the main habitat of Nuwakot.
f. Perform tantrik rituals (Kilo Gadne) in the center of Nuwakot (Mahamandal) to demoralize the enemy.
g. Mounting attack from unexpected directions.
- Intelligence Collection
a. PN Shah was really cunning, and he used many spies for gathering of information regarding the enemy state. The spies ranged from peasants, priests to influential people in the courts.
b. This helped PN Shah to understand the enemy better and plan his moves in consideration to the enemy and his neighboring states like Lamjung, Kaski and Tanahun.
- Friendly Relation with Neighbors
a. It was necessary to maintain harmonious relation with neighboring states before attacking Nuwakot or advancing towards Kathmandu valley.
b. With the help of Kazi Kalu Pande, PN Shah and king of Lamjung, Rudra Mardan Shah conducted friendship treaty of not attacking each other’s state. (Tanahun and Kaski were the followers of Lamjung)
c. By tactfulness and diplomacy, Gorkha established friendly relations with neighboring states and, thus, could proceed to make final arrangements for the military operations in order to move towards the east.
