Kishen Kant Bose’s Mission to Bhutan – 1815
Gorkha after the conquest of Nepal
expanded aggressively and took over many neighboring States such as Palpah,
Patan and others. This Gurkha expansion came as a blow to the British’s policy
of expanding towards the Himalayan Region. It also blocked the British trade
route to Tibet through Nepal. East India Company tried her best to establish
resident at Nepal failed. The East India Company perceived that the war was
inevitable with Nepal one day or the other. The Company employed David Scot to
collect information about Nepal. Scot was further asked to communicate with
Sikkim, Tibet and Bhutan that these countries remained neutral during the
Anglo–Nepalese war.
His Excellency [the Governor-General] further desires that you
will be pleased to endeavor to open a channel of communication with the
administration of Lassa, in order to afford the means of conveying to the
authorities there such an intimation of the origin and objects of our
proceedings towards the Nepalese, and the encouragement which it is proposed to
afford to the Raja of Sikkim, as shall enable them to appreciate the justice
and moderation of our conduct. A similar communication might also be conveyed
to the Deb Raja.[1]
In the meantime, rumors were
spread that Gurkha instigated Bhutanese to join them to attack Sikkim to rise
against the Company. In addition, there were reports that the Bhutanese troops
encamped at Dalimkote. For instance, in 1814 N Macleod, the Commissioner of
Cooch Behar informed the Bengal Government that the Bhutanese were making
hostile preparations. He speculated that the Gorkha had sent its agent to
Bhutan to instigate the Bhutanese against the Company. He advised the Bengal
Government to keep enough arms and ammunitions in Cooch Behar to protect any
attack from Bhutan. Lord Hastings also requested the Desi of Bhutan to refuse a
passage through Bhutan to the Gorkha and to employ every means of his power to
oppose Gorkha. In 1815, Macleod also wrote to the Government of Bengal that the
Raja of Cooch Behar was in secret communication with the Bhutanese seeking
their aid to shake off his dependence upon the Company. He further said that
the Raja of Cooch Behar had sought aid of large military force by offering the
Bhutanese the land of Maraghat.[2]
Scot was therefore given the task
to find out the truth of the news. David Scot won the heart of Bhutanese leader
to receive the British envoy Kishenkant Bose in 1815 at the court of the Desi
of Bhutan. Kishenkant Bose started his
journey from Goalpara through Sidli to Chirang and reached Punakha. It was
found out that Bhutanese were not hostile to the Company. Kishenkant Bose reported that although there
was not much military alliance between Gorkha and Bhutan, Bhutanese were friendlier
to the Gorkha than to the Company.
Bose observed that Bhutan was
friendly to Gorkha. This was because Bhutan and Gurkha had priest – patron
relations from the time of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the founder of Bhutan. It
was not a military alliance between the two countries.
Bose also wrote in his report that the Desi of
Bhutan suspected that Raja of Cooch Behar had taken possession of the Maraghat
with the assistance of the Company. He made every effort to convince the
Bhutanese but the Bhutanese were not fully convinced. He suggested the transfer
of the Maraghat to the Bhutanese was essential to prevent Bhutan from joining
with Gorkha against Company.[3] Kishenkant
Bose was accompanied by Rammonhan Ray.[4] Scot
himself gathered information through certain Bhutanese merchants discovered
that there were no military preparations being made. But Singh was in the
opinion that there was some truth in the rumour that they considered to arrange
some sort of alliance with during the war.
At this time, the 30th Desi was
Sonam Drugyal (1815-1819). In November 1815, David Scott received a letter from
Desi of Bhutan saying that he was happy to receive the envoy and his friend.
Desi also took opportunity to clarify the Bhutanese stand on the Anglo-Nepalese
war of 1814 and gave assurance once again that Bhutan would not attend the
Nepalese request against the British interest.
Comments
Post a Comment