Gorkhas are the people from Nepal and other North Indian states who are known for their distinctive facial features and short & stout physical structure. Also spelled as Gurkhas or Ghurka, the word Gorkha has been derived from the Prakrit language 'go rakkha' meaning a cow protector. Their religious & spiritual leader Guru Gorakhnath gave this name 'Gorkha' to his followers.
History of Gorkhas in Uttarakhand
According to the folklore, Bappa Rawal, a Rajput prince, while on his hunting excursion, came across a warrior sage Guru Gorakhnath who was in deep meditation. Bappa Rawal stayed behind and took care of him in the jungle and the Guru impressed with the devotion of the Bappa gifted him a Kukri knife, an arched blade kept by the Gorkhas till present day. Instructed by Guru Gorakhnath, Bappa and his Gorkha army tried and stopped the early Islamic invasion in the 8th century in India. After defeating several of his opponents and conquering numerous territories towards the west of India, Bappa retired. Later, in the 15th century, the descendents of Bappa Rawal moved eastwards and subjugated a small region in present day Nepal which was named 'Gorkha' as a tribute to their guru. The Gorkha region of present day Nepal is the same region. Slowly and steadily, the Gorkha dynasty took over the entire area of modern Nepal. Now, they had a strong army and even a stronger foothold. Under the rule of Ran Bahadur, the Gorkhas attacked Kumaon and occupied Almora, which was the capital town of the Chand rulers. The Gorkhas attacked Garhwal too and built a massive fort near the present Lansdowne.
Gorkhas in Almora
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| Undated coin from Gorkha rule |
Almora, a quaint town, finds mention in the epic Mahabharata. The earliest written account about Almora by a Chinese traveler dates back to the 7th century. The region of Kumaon was under the control of Katyuri dynasty and Almora at that time, was a small insignificant village. It gained importance during the 15th century under the rule of Chand dynasty who laid the foundation of the town and named it 'Alam Nagar'. Presence of hundreds of natural springs and its picturesque beauty fascinated the Chand rulers so much so that they transferred their capital to Almora and ruled the region for about 300 years. But the Gorkhas of Nepal attacked the region in 1790 and captured it. Almora is situated on a horse-shoe shaped ridge and the Gorkhas built a fort each on both the eastern end and the western end of the ridge. They also occupied Garhwal and built a strong fortress in Langurgarhi but due to Chinese attack in Nepal, they withdrew their troops from there. The Raja of Garhwal had to pay them an annual tribute but they again attacked the region in 1803 and took it under their siege.
Although, Gorkhas are known for their valor and heroism but their rule in Garhwal and Kumaon regions had devastating effects on the common man. The society was already weakened by a terrible famine (1794-95) and an earthquake in 1803. On top of that the Gorkhas introduced unnecessary taxes on the poor people and the ones who were unable to pay the taxes were either sold at public places or deported to Nepal & were made slaves. They looted the houses of the common man and destroyed their property. They were solely interested in the booty and embezzlement of the land. Their system of justice was uncanny & bizarre and they killed innocent people without any dime and reason. Even their mode of punishment was brutal and atrocious. People wanted their rule to end and Garhwali king Sudarshan Shah who was thrown out of his kingdom persuaded the British to attach the region and end Gorkha tyranny. Finally in 1815, as a result of Anglo-Gurkha war, the British succeeded in driving out the Gorkhas from Almora.
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