Comments on: Malaun Visited – 193 years later

By: Rajneesh

Rajneesh — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:45:29 +0000

@21 Hello Bina didi, seva dhog, Nice to see you in this blog, missed your post. I am your neighbour / relative in Doon. When are you visiting doon next?

By: shelley and kavita

shelley and kavita — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:30:38 +0000

kavita is the daughter ofshakuntala bist now khandka
i want to know if anyone can throw light on the marriage of her grandmother to the king of kapurtala?

By: BEENA MODHA

BEENA MODHA — Mon, 18 May 2009 11:38:01 +0000

would like to thank dear Jyoti for letting everyone have a view of Malaun Fort.Let me introduce myself,my maiden name is THAKUR,I am cousin of Manohar Bisht,who is mentioned in the article above who accompanied Jyoti and husband as a guide to the fort.I have a very happy memory of Malaun as I used to spend my school holidays there with my mum sister and brothers along with Manohar Daji’s family,as my mum Saraswati Bisht was born and brought up in Malaun, the house still exists next to Malaun fort.My Mama ji retired MLA, of Malaun has donated a lot of money to build the temple near the fort along with the help of Manohar Daji’s family.His dad was a colonel in Malaun Regiment.Hope if anyone visits Malaun fort is certainly blessed by the Devi.I visited Malaun just after Jyoti’s visit so Imissed her,I would like to have her Tel. No to be able to get in touch with her.I to mention I am from Dehra Dun and currently live in U.k.

Bye for now
Beena Modha

By: MALAUN DAY SPECIAL: 24th April Malaun day, celebrated as the Raising Day of the 1st Gorkha Rifles « The Himalayan Beacon

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:57:03 +0000

[...] in Solan, Himachal Pradesh. To read more of the 1815 Anglo-Gorkha Battle of Malaun, please read http://beacononline.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/malaun-visited-193-years-later/. Pre-1815 Gorkha [...]

By: JTMagar

JTMagar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:13:21 +0000

Dear PJ
I am so happy with your query.
Bal Bhadra Thapa was the commander of the Gorkha Sena which fought against the British in the Battle of Nalapani/Kalunga October 1814, about 8 months before the Battle of Malaun.
The story has already mean inserted on Beacon earlier by somebody else. But if you would like a first-hand site visit account by me with pics,(like the Malaun one) I shall certainly put it together.

Nalapani is the name of a village in Dehradun.
Kalunga was the name of the Gorkha outpost in Nalapani, where the battle took place.
Therefore sometimes it is written Battle of Nalapani amd sometimes Battle of Kalunga.

BalBhadra is sometimes called BalBhadra Kanwar or sometimes Thapa. The Chhetri-Bahun factions of Dehradun prefer and insist on the former surname.

But, The esteemed Archaelogical Survey of India and govt of India approved historical division have already acknowledged him as Bal Bhadra Thapa, hence I always refer to him as such.

It is a fact that I have come across in in my study of history, when a magar or somepther jaati does well in war, Nepali history writers have turned him to a Chhetri.

I am not living in the medieval ages that caste/tribe matter BUT YES I do believe in truth. The age old evils of Nepalese caste hierarchical systems (as dictated by the dominant members of the Shah’s court) have created a lot of distortions and twisting of narration of historical events and people. Including the king himself.
Which today I am finding out by cross-referencing.

The Gorkha society that i believe in ought not to resort to lies, and I expect cooperation from all Bahuns-chhetris-Magars-Tamangs-Rais-Limbus-etc, etc on this. I will be coming out with a lot of historical secrets in the future, but first you all have to get familiar slowly with Gorkha history.

How does it matter?
Yes it does, so that we are able to develop pure Gorkha habits of honesty, purity, selflessness, discipline of mind and action.

Sad to say, the new Gorkhaland society in the making has also inherited some baggage thinking from old Nepal with inherent fears and insecurities too surfacing in many ways which I can see very clearly.

By: PJ

PJ — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:12:38 +0000

JTM didi,
Could you please give us some info on Bal Bhadra as well?

By: JThapaMagar

JThapaMagar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:17:17 +0000

But it seems nobody guided you to the 14 Gorkha villages of Dharamshala all around the town centre. Next time anyone goes to Bhagsu, Dharamshala and are interested in knowing the Bhagsu Gorkhas, do let me know. I have listed the villages somewhere in Save the Gorkhas too. A lot of people go to Mcleodganj, the home of His Holiness but miss out on the Gorkhas who were the first settlers there and developed Dharamshala town.

By: raja lama

raja lama — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:35:19 +0000

I spent 1 month for our craft documentation in dharamsala…
..mcleodgang,kangra…nice place…

By: raja lama

raja lama — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:31:34 +0000

oh my god…
..got to see JTM’s snap…
…my god…

By: Uday Sunder Shrestha

Uday Sunder Shrestha — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:06:57 +0000

Hi
This is Uday from Kathmandu – editor of SPACES, a bi-monthly magazine on ‘Art, Architecture & Design’. Good write up……do send me a personal email in

By: PJ

PJ — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:36:18 +0000

Great Post didi! wow, your posts are always a treat!

By: JTM

JTM — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:36:13 +0000

In Bhagsu, the youngers visit the elders with presents of rum bottle and sweets, for tika and blessings. Tika is curd and rice, alongwith with blessings in the form of Jaura stalks tucked behind the ears and marigold flowers in the hands. Elders give money to the youngers. Then the youngers give dhog to the elders saying ‘Dhog dinchu’. Elders bless with the words ‘Bhagyamaani hunu”Thul thulo hunu”Aama baba ko naam rakhnu’. More are added depending on the blessing vocubalary of the elder. My late great grandmother always also added ‘ Hazaarpati hunu’.

By: JTM

JTM — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:22:58 +0000

If I manage to go, definitely.

By: Yonze

Yonze — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:09:37 +0000

JYOTI NANA
CAN YOU UPDATE NEW PICS CELEBRATING DASAIN TIWARS OF HP GORKHAS AFTER THE FESTIVAL. IT WOULD REALLY BE NICE.

By: JTM

JTM — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:51:11 +0000

Thanks Yonze
Everyone should get inspired by Sardar Bhakte Thapa. He is a legend. He was 73 old when he performed his great feat. I have put in their pictures in the sky behind Malaun fort. As I believe that anywhere a man dies the way he does, a part of his soul is always there. I have also revealed myself for the 2nd time. I was also there sitting in the front in the pic of a Gorkha family from Bhagsu posted earlier. As Sarabanam once called me Buri mau.

By: aardee

aardee — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:48:08 +0000

Jyoti great stuff…you must get it translated in Nepali too & then please send the article for publishing also in the GORKHA PARISHANG’s Annual Magazine…that is given out to the 1.5crore Gorkhas so we all know and learn about our past.

Great going!

By: Yonze

Yonze — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:33:54 +0000

JYOTI NANA,
Thank you for the nics pics and revitalizing the mood for our movement here. Thanks, you always bring new lights which we are unaware of. You know these shots help build us courage and energy to move forward in future. ‘Bravest of the Brave‘ and the motto ‘Better to die than live a coward” ……. that was wonderful, we’ll keep it up to our heart and soul.

By: JTM

JTM — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:19:52 +0000

Thank you Shital and Thank you Raja. I will be sharing more pics with you’ll in the future. These places and history have to always remain in the heart of very Gorkha or Gorkha friend. It should be the first ABC of the Gorkha identity. I hope people have noticed the headgear of the Gorkhas.

By: RAJA

RAJA — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:06:42 +0000

Excellent pics and more over the place is beautiful…..thanks for sharing it to all

By: Shital Pradhan

Shital Pradhan — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:28:03 +0000

Jyoti didi…it was a wonderful story.

By: JTM

JTM — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:50:25 +0000

Thank you Barun and Insomniacreturns. The ‘Bhakti Bunker’ is actually away from the fort ahead at the hill side. It is carved into the black boulders with overhanging boughs and trees. As i mention it is totally handhewn. There are so many fascinating secrets on ground about the Gorkhas. I mentioned longtime back that my ggggreatgrand dad’s youngest brother had also been killed here in the battle. Everytime i go to a Gorkha site I get such a sense of dejavu. Thanks again. You two inspire me to share more pics of my Gorkha travels on this blog. THis fort is also mentioned in the Gurkha Castles site i mentiones in Save the Gorkhas. THese forts have to be preserved. I look forward to Darj leaders to bear all this in mind when they think of Preserving Gorkha identity and heritage. They are our legacy and authencity of our existence on Indian soil NOT as foreigners or migrants. That is why i concentrate a lot on heritage.

Bhakti Thapa is also known as Bhakte Thapa.

By: insomniacreturns

insomniacreturns — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:49:55 +0000

Mesmerizing story..
You are enlightening as always..

By: barunroy

barunroy — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 06:39:58 +0000

Dear Jyotididi,

Thank you very much for the wonderful article and the fantastic photos. Malaun Fort was always in my dreams, I can see it today for real.

Regs
Barun