Limbuwan Gorkha War
Encyclopedia
The Limbuwan Gorkha war was a series of battles fought between the king of Gorkha
and the rulers of various principalities of Limbuwan
from 1771 to 1774 AD. The war came to an end in 1774 with the Limbuwan Gorkha treaty which recognised Limbu people
s' right to Kipat land in Limbuwan and full autonomy.
After the conquest of Majh Kirant (Kirant Rai kingdoms) by the Gorkhas, they invaded Limbuwan on two fronts. One front was in Chainpur (present-day Sankhuwasabha District
) and the second front was in Bijaypur (present-day Dharan
, Sunsari District). Bijaypur was the capital of the Morang Kingdom of Limbuwan.
. When the Limbu kings learned this, they brought their forces and fought a decisive battle on the banks of the Arun and Sowa rivers (in present day Sankhuwasabha district
). The generals of the Limbu army were General Sanbotrey, General Tesakpa, General Kangkarey and Commander General Kangso. They made their fortifications on the banks of the Sowa River and fought bravely against the invading Gorkhas. During the first battle, eight or nine Gorkha soldiers fell at each volley of the Limbu archers. The Limbu army drove their enemies back from their land and, despite the Gorkha king sending frequent reinforcements, the Limbu army kept fighting for three years. The Limbu army drove their enemy back to a distance of about nine days and killed many Gorkha soldiers by guerrilla warfare in the eastern hills. During this first battle of Chainpur, the battlefield was the area between Chainpur and Dumja.
General Kangso, the Limbu forces’ commander was inspired by the Kirant
Limbu God of War, Nehangma. He came out yelling “I will cut him into pieces immediately”, then drew his sword and put a red colour on it, picked up his shield and went to the fighting place prepared for combat. But Raghu Rana, the Gorkha force's commander had ordered his soldiers to hide weapons and ammunition on the side of the road where the battle was to be held.
On the morning of 25th day of the month of Baisakh of Bikram Sambat 1831, corresponding to first week of May of 1774 AD on the Gregorian calendar
, all the soldiers of both sides stood on the upper and lower sides of the fighting ground situated on the southern side of the Chainpur town. The combat between the Limbu General Kangso and Gorkhali General Raghu Rana started. The soldiers stood watching, while the generals fought till afternoon. In the afternoon, Kangso finally smote Raghu Rana in such a way that he died. Watching the defeat of their general, the Gorkha force immediately picked up the weapons they had hidden and attacked the Limbu General Kangso and soldiers. Kangso died in the battlefield and the Limbu armies fought the Gorkhali army on the way to Tambar River and by closing their way towards the river killed all of them. The Limbu forces then buried the bodies of Raghurana and Kangso on the upper and lower sides of the fighting ground and erected stone monuments over their graves.
palace. The Sikkimese King Tenzin Namgyal, having alliances with the Limbu Kings, declared war against the Gorkhas. By this time, the Gorkhas declared ceasefire with the Limbus and the battle of Chainpur came to an end. In the mean time, Gorkhali representatives were negotiating peace terms with the Limbu ministers in Bijaypur, capital of Morang kingdom of Limbuwan.
, Sunsari district) was the capital town of lowland Limbuwan kingdom of Morang. It was ruled by King Buddhikarna Khebang. King Buddhikarna Khebang was the descendent of the ruler King Muray Hang Khebang of Phedap Kingdom and King Muray Hang’s descendents were made the hereditary prime ministers of Morang Kingdom starting 1584 AD.
Bijaypur was a very renowned town and thus it was not easy to conquer for the Gorkhali king, so he sought help from the British. But King Buddhikarna Khebang of Morang was already in close contact with the British
, Sikkim
, Bhutan
and Tibet
. When King Buddhikarna came to know that the neighbouring kingdom of King Karna Sen was annexed to the Gorkhas, he was determined to bring help from the British. King Karna Sen, his family and his minister Agam Singh Rai fled and came to take refuge at Bijaypur palace.
King Buddhikarna gave charge of his state affairs to his Chief Minister ShriShun Raya Chemjong and went to Calcutta to ask for military help. In 1773 AD, the governor general Warren Hastings
was in Murshidabad
at the time, so Buddhikarna went and sought help. It was agreed that British soldiers would help protect the Morang kingdom from the invading Gorkhas. With this assurance King Buddhikarna wrote a letter to King Prithivi Narayan not to invade Morong because he had British help on his side. But soon Raja Buddhikarna realised that the Gorkhali king had also written a letter to the British against him and realised he would not get any help from the British. He then went to Tibet to ask for help from the Chinese Emperor.
During King Buddhikarna Khebang’s absence in Bijaypur, the Gorkha king sent his army to Bijaypur town to capture it. The Chief Minister Shrishun Chemjong and ministers of the time Shrikum Phung and Srijung peacefully surrendered themselves to the Gorkha king on the condition that they would be given full autonomy in Limbuwan.
Thus, in August 1774, the Gorkha King Prithivi Narayan Shah’s representatives Abhiman Singh Basnet, Parath Bhandari, Kirti Singh Khawas and Bali Baniya met the ministers of Morang state and agreed to come to good terms with the Gorkha kingdom and accept the Gorkhali king as maharaja and that in return the kingdom of Gorkha would retain the right of self-government of Limbu rulers in their kingdoms.
The Limbu ministers then said, ”Although the salt had melted and it is impossible to extract it from water, yet the water has become tasteful. You, the Gorkhas, are like water and we the Kirant Limbu people, are like salt. You Gorkhas people want us to melt in you, but you will not remain as before. When we mix or amalgamate with you, then you Gorkhas will be more exalted than before. But, if you betray us by taking our right of Kipat land, then what oath will you take for not violating this agreement?” The Gorkha bhardars, on behalf of Gorkha raja took a handful of salt water in their hands and swore that the Gorkha raja would never betray them by forfeiting the Kipat land (self-governing autonomous land). If the Gorkha King did so, his descendents would melt like salt and disappear from the world. The Gorkha bhardars, then questioned the Kirant Limbu ministers, saying if they will betray the Gorkha raja by violating "noon pani" agreement what oath would they take for never violating such agreement. The Kirant Limbu ministers took a handful of salt water and swore that they would never go against the Gorkhali king. If they did so then their descendents would also melt like salt and disappear from the world.
After making such agreement on salt water (sacred and important elements), the Gorkha bhardars on behalf of Gorkha raja, gave the following treaty paper or Lal Mohor to the Limbu ministers of Bijaypur.
Translation of the agreement between the Limbu ministers of Morang kingdom and King Prithivi Narayan Shah of Gorkha Kingdom in 1774 AD:
When the allies of the Morong kingdom heard the news of agreement between Gorkha and Morong kingdoms, the Limbu rulers of Mewa kingdom, Phedap kingdom, Maiwa kingdom and Tambar kingdom also came to Bijaypur to join the alliance with the Gorkha king under the same terms and conditions of the treaty. Rulers of the above regions, Papo Hang, Thegim Hang and Nembang Hang, under the leadership of Chemjong Hang (Shrishun Rai) decided to join the Gorkha king on the same conditions.
Thus the Limbuwan Gorkha War came to an end in 1774 with all the principalities of Limbuwan joining the Gorkha kingdom, except the kingdom of Yangwarok (the kingdom of Yangwarok consisted of parts of present-day Taplejung
and Panchthar
) and kingdom of Ilam
(present-day Ilam district), ruled by King Hangsu Phuba of Lingdom family.
In 1775, King Yong Ya Hang of Yangwarok was not satisfied with the condition of self-government proposed by the Gorkha king and instead went to the Sikkim palace and incited the King of Sikkim to declare war against the Gorkhas. He raised his Limbu army and joined it with the Sikkimese army. The Bhutia
Sikkimese army general Tipu Taka attacked Chainpur and drove back a small Gorkha force from the Siddhipur fort. Reinforcement of the Gorkha force arrived with full war equipment and they drove the Sikkimese back to the Tambar River where a decisive battle was fought. The Sikkimese army retreated to their country and the Gorkhas pursued them as far as Ilam. The Limbu king of Ilam Hangsu Phuba surrendered to the Gorkha king conditionally. The Gorkha king later gave him full autonomy and kipat in his region with the Lal Mohor on 1869 BS (1813 AD).
Although the Bhutia Sikkimese army was pushed back to Sikkim, the Limbu forces of King Yong Ya Hang and the Sikkimese Lepcha
army attacked Morong under General Chyok Thupp and defeated the Gorkhas in 17 battlefields. So the Sikkimese Lepcha general Chyok Thup Barphongpa was called “Satrajit” by the Gorkhas and “Athing” by the Lepchas.
After that the Bhutia battalion under General Tipu Taka came back and joined the Lepcha and the Limbu forces of Lepcha general Chyok Thup and Limbu general Sunuhang. The Gorkha king sent a huge reinforcement to drive the Sikkimese army from Morong, but in a big battle near the Rangeli town, the Gorkhas were badly defeated and the Gorkha officers appealed for peace. The Gorkha-Sikkim treaty was signed in Bijaypur.
and Chainpur.
The Limbu rulers who had joined the Gorkhas following the Gorkha-Limbuwan treaty of 1774 were fighting alongside the Gorkhas. When they saw other Limbus fighting from the Sikkimese side, they challenged them. A big battle took place among the Limbus themselves at the Nigrum battlefield. After the Gorkha-side Limbus were reinforced with other Magar Gorkha soldiers, the Limbus siding with Sikkim were defeated and they fled.
Besides Chainpur, pockets of Gorkha soldiers were fighting in Yangwarok of Limbuwan. The Sikkimese won the battle of Yangwarok and the Gorkha soldiers were either slain or taken prisoner in Yangwarok fort. Besides Chainpur and Yangwarok, a big battle also took place at Phu of Morang, and under general Chhyok Thup the Sikkimese defeated the Gorkhas.
Meanwhile, General Depchhang Rinzin commanded Bhutia soldiers and crossed the Arun River and attacked Dingla fort and Phai fort (in present-day Bhojpur district) and occupied them.
Finally, the Gorkha king sent a huge battalion of reinforcement and attacked the Sikkimese army at Dingla and Phali forts and chased them back to Sidhipur fort in Chainpur. In the battle of Chainpur, the Sikkimese general Depchhang Rinzing was hit by a bullet and was killed. With their general dead, the Sikkimese force fled from the battlefield and withdrew to Sikkim. Thus, the Sikkim-Gorkha War in the Limbuwan region ended in 1776.
This also brought the last of the Limbu principality Yangwarok kingdom of Limbuwan into the Gorkha kingdom. The annexation of all the Limbu kingdoms of Limbuwan was completed through the treaty in 1774 AD and by the war in 1776 AD.
Gurkha
Gurkha are people from Nepal who take their name from the Gorkha District. Gurkhas are best known for their history in the Indian Army's Gorkha regiments, the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas and the Nepalese Army. Gurkha units are closely associated with the kukri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife...
and the rulers of various principalities of Limbuwan
Limbuwan
Limbuwan is an area of the Himalaya historically made up of 10 Limbu kingdoms, all now part of Nepal. Limbuwan means "abode of the Limbus" or "Land of the Limbus". Limbus themselves call Limbuwan "Yakthung Laaje" or "the country of the Yakthungs"...
from 1771 to 1774 AD. The war came to an end in 1774 with the Limbuwan Gorkha treaty which recognised Limbu people
Limbu people
The Yakthung or Limbu tribes and clans belong to the Kirati nation or to the Kirat confederation.They are indigenous to the hill and mountainous regions of east Nepal between the Arun and Mechi rivers to as far as Southern Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim....
s' right to Kipat land in Limbuwan and full autonomy.
After the conquest of Majh Kirant (Kirant Rai kingdoms) by the Gorkhas, they invaded Limbuwan on two fronts. One front was in Chainpur (present-day Sankhuwasabha District
Sankhuwasabha District
Sankhuwasabha District of 159,203.Indigenous ethnics Yakkhas, Rais, Limbus, and other hill castes and ethnic groups Sankhuwasabha District of 159,203.Indigenous ethnics Yakkhas, Rais, Limbus, and other hill castes (e.g. Chhetri, Bahuns) and ethnic groups Sankhuwasabha District of...
) and the second front was in Bijaypur (present-day Dharan
Dharan, Nepal
Dharan is a major city in eastern Nepal, in the Sunsari District, situated on foothills of Mahabharat Range with southern tip touching the edge of the Terai at an altitude of 1148 ft . It serves as a trading post between the hilly region and the plains of Terai region. It was once the...
, Sunsari District). Bijaypur was the capital of the Morang Kingdom of Limbuwan.
First battle
In 1771 AD, the Gorkhas, with the view of attacking the land of the Limbus, crossed the Arun RiverArun River (Nepal)
The Arun River is a trans-boundary river and is part of the Kosi or Sapt Koshi river system in Nepal. It originates in Tibet Autonomous Region of People's Republic of China where it is called Bum-chu.-Name:...
. When the Limbu kings learned this, they brought their forces and fought a decisive battle on the banks of the Arun and Sowa rivers (in present day Sankhuwasabha district
Sankhuwasabha District
Sankhuwasabha District of 159,203.Indigenous ethnics Yakkhas, Rais, Limbus, and other hill castes and ethnic groups Sankhuwasabha District of 159,203.Indigenous ethnics Yakkhas, Rais, Limbus, and other hill castes (e.g. Chhetri, Bahuns) and ethnic groups Sankhuwasabha District of...
). The generals of the Limbu army were General Sanbotrey, General Tesakpa, General Kangkarey and Commander General Kangso. They made their fortifications on the banks of the Sowa River and fought bravely against the invading Gorkhas. During the first battle, eight or nine Gorkha soldiers fell at each volley of the Limbu archers. The Limbu army drove their enemies back from their land and, despite the Gorkha king sending frequent reinforcements, the Limbu army kept fighting for three years. The Limbu army drove their enemy back to a distance of about nine days and killed many Gorkha soldiers by guerrilla warfare in the eastern hills. During this first battle of Chainpur, the battlefield was the area between Chainpur and Dumja.
Second battle
In 1774 AD, Gorkha forces again came to the banks of the Arun River to fight with the Limbu forces. Raghu Rana, the commander of the Gorkha force, asked the Limbu commander to fix a day for a combat between the commanders only. He proposed that the rest of the soldiers should leave their weapons at their base and attend the duel of their two commanders as spectators only. They agreed that the winner would win the battle and control of the armies.General Kangso, the Limbu forces’ commander was inspired by the Kirant
Kirant
Kirat or Kirati are indigenous ethnic groups of the Himalayas extending eastward from Nepal into India, Burma and beyond. They migrated to their present locations via Assam, Burma, Tibet and Yunnan in ancient times...
Limbu God of War, Nehangma. He came out yelling “I will cut him into pieces immediately”, then drew his sword and put a red colour on it, picked up his shield and went to the fighting place prepared for combat. But Raghu Rana, the Gorkha force's commander had ordered his soldiers to hide weapons and ammunition on the side of the road where the battle was to be held.
On the morning of 25th day of the month of Baisakh of Bikram Sambat 1831, corresponding to first week of May of 1774 AD on the Gregorian calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
, all the soldiers of both sides stood on the upper and lower sides of the fighting ground situated on the southern side of the Chainpur town. The combat between the Limbu General Kangso and Gorkhali General Raghu Rana started. The soldiers stood watching, while the generals fought till afternoon. In the afternoon, Kangso finally smote Raghu Rana in such a way that he died. Watching the defeat of their general, the Gorkha force immediately picked up the weapons they had hidden and attacked the Limbu General Kangso and soldiers. Kangso died in the battlefield and the Limbu armies fought the Gorkhali army on the way to Tambar River and by closing their way towards the river killed all of them. The Limbu forces then buried the bodies of Raghurana and Kangso on the upper and lower sides of the fighting ground and erected stone monuments over their graves.
Third battle
After the annihilation of the Gorkhali army during the second battle of Limbuwan in Chainpur, King Prithivi Narayan Shah sent an army under the command of General Ram Bhadra Thapa Magar. This time the Limbu officers were General Manjit Rey, General Motreye and General Birjit Rey. When the Limbu forces heard about the arrival of the Gorkha forces at Chainpur, they made traps by digging trenches along the path leading to the town of Chainpur and set up ambushes along the traps. The Gorkhali forces made their way to Chainpur again and were killed in an ambush and guerrilla warfare. The news of the battle of Chainpur reached the SikkimSikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
palace. The Sikkimese King Tenzin Namgyal, having alliances with the Limbu Kings, declared war against the Gorkhas. By this time, the Gorkhas declared ceasefire with the Limbus and the battle of Chainpur came to an end. In the mean time, Gorkhali representatives were negotiating peace terms with the Limbu ministers in Bijaypur, capital of Morang kingdom of Limbuwan.
Battle of Bijaypur
Bijaypur (near present-day DharanDharan, Nepal
Dharan is a major city in eastern Nepal, in the Sunsari District, situated on foothills of Mahabharat Range with southern tip touching the edge of the Terai at an altitude of 1148 ft . It serves as a trading post between the hilly region and the plains of Terai region. It was once the...
, Sunsari district) was the capital town of lowland Limbuwan kingdom of Morang. It was ruled by King Buddhikarna Khebang. King Buddhikarna Khebang was the descendent of the ruler King Muray Hang Khebang of Phedap Kingdom and King Muray Hang’s descendents were made the hereditary prime ministers of Morang Kingdom starting 1584 AD.
Bijaypur was a very renowned town and thus it was not easy to conquer for the Gorkhali king, so he sought help from the British. But King Buddhikarna Khebang of Morang was already in close contact with the British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
, Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
and Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. When King Buddhikarna came to know that the neighbouring kingdom of King Karna Sen was annexed to the Gorkhas, he was determined to bring help from the British. King Karna Sen, his family and his minister Agam Singh Rai fled and came to take refuge at Bijaypur palace.
King Buddhikarna gave charge of his state affairs to his Chief Minister ShriShun Raya Chemjong and went to Calcutta to ask for military help. In 1773 AD, the governor general Warren Hastings
Warren Hastings
Warren Hastings PC was the first Governor-General of India, from 1773 to 1785. He was famously accused of corruption in an impeachment in 1787, but was acquitted in 1795. He was made a Privy Councillor in 1814.-Early life:...
was in Murshidabad
Murshidabad
Murshidabad is a city in Murshidabad district of West Bengal state in India. The city of Murshidabad is located on the southern bank of the Bhagirathi, a distributary of the Ganges River. It was the capital of undivided Bengal during the Mughal rule. Nawabs of Bengal used to rule Bengal from this...
at the time, so Buddhikarna went and sought help. It was agreed that British soldiers would help protect the Morang kingdom from the invading Gorkhas. With this assurance King Buddhikarna wrote a letter to King Prithivi Narayan not to invade Morong because he had British help on his side. But soon Raja Buddhikarna realised that the Gorkhali king had also written a letter to the British against him and realised he would not get any help from the British. He then went to Tibet to ask for help from the Chinese Emperor.
During King Buddhikarna Khebang’s absence in Bijaypur, the Gorkha king sent his army to Bijaypur town to capture it. The Chief Minister Shrishun Chemjong and ministers of the time Shrikum Phung and Srijung peacefully surrendered themselves to the Gorkha king on the condition that they would be given full autonomy in Limbuwan.
Thus, in August 1774, the Gorkha King Prithivi Narayan Shah’s representatives Abhiman Singh Basnet, Parath Bhandari, Kirti Singh Khawas and Bali Baniya met the ministers of Morang state and agreed to come to good terms with the Gorkha kingdom and accept the Gorkhali king as maharaja and that in return the kingdom of Gorkha would retain the right of self-government of Limbu rulers in their kingdoms.
Gorkha-Limbuwan Treaty of 1774 AD
The Gorkha Bhardars, Abhiman Singh Basnet, Parath Bhandari, Kirti Singh Khawas and Bali Bania on behalf of Gorkha king Prithivi Narayan Shah agreed to take an oath and swear on “noon pani” (salt water) promising that Gorkha king would never confiscate Limbus’ Kipat land (self-autonomous land) nor destroy them. If their Kipat land was confiscated and destroyed, then the god, upon whom Gorkha raja had swore upon and put faith on, would destroy him, his descendents and his kingdom. With this swearing ceremony, a big copper cauldron was brought in front of Gorkha and Limbu representatives and one pathi (eight pounds) of salt was put into it. Limbu ministers then poured water into it and stirred properly to mix the salt with water. Then the ministers asked the Gorkha bhardars to extract salt out of the water. They answered that salt had mixed and had become impossible to extract out from the water.The Limbu ministers then said, ”Although the salt had melted and it is impossible to extract it from water, yet the water has become tasteful. You, the Gorkhas, are like water and we the Kirant Limbu people, are like salt. You Gorkhas people want us to melt in you, but you will not remain as before. When we mix or amalgamate with you, then you Gorkhas will be more exalted than before. But, if you betray us by taking our right of Kipat land, then what oath will you take for not violating this agreement?” The Gorkha bhardars, on behalf of Gorkha raja took a handful of salt water in their hands and swore that the Gorkha raja would never betray them by forfeiting the Kipat land (self-governing autonomous land). If the Gorkha King did so, his descendents would melt like salt and disappear from the world. The Gorkha bhardars, then questioned the Kirant Limbu ministers, saying if they will betray the Gorkha raja by violating "noon pani" agreement what oath would they take for never violating such agreement. The Kirant Limbu ministers took a handful of salt water and swore that they would never go against the Gorkhali king. If they did so then their descendents would also melt like salt and disappear from the world.
After making such agreement on salt water (sacred and important elements), the Gorkha bhardars on behalf of Gorkha raja, gave the following treaty paper or Lal Mohor to the Limbu ministers of Bijaypur.
Translation of the agreement between the Limbu ministers of Morang kingdom and King Prithivi Narayan Shah of Gorkha Kingdom in 1774 AD:
When the allies of the Morong kingdom heard the news of agreement between Gorkha and Morong kingdoms, the Limbu rulers of Mewa kingdom, Phedap kingdom, Maiwa kingdom and Tambar kingdom also came to Bijaypur to join the alliance with the Gorkha king under the same terms and conditions of the treaty. Rulers of the above regions, Papo Hang, Thegim Hang and Nembang Hang, under the leadership of Chemjong Hang (Shrishun Rai) decided to join the Gorkha king on the same conditions.
Thus the Limbuwan Gorkha War came to an end in 1774 with all the principalities of Limbuwan joining the Gorkha kingdom, except the kingdom of Yangwarok (the kingdom of Yangwarok consisted of parts of present-day Taplejung
Taplejung
Taplejung is the headquarters of Taplejung District in the Mechi Zone of Nepal. It is located at 27°21'0N 87°40'0E with an altitude of 1441 metres ....
and Panchthar
Panchthar
Panchthar is the headquarters of Panchthar District in the Mechi Zone of northern Nepal....
) and kingdom of Ilam
Ilam District
Ilam district of 282,806. It is about 600 km from Kathmandu. The highest point is Sandakpur with an elevation of 3000m. Ilam attracts many researchers who come to study rare birds and the Red Panda...
(present-day Ilam district), ruled by King Hangsu Phuba of Lingdom family.
In 1775, King Yong Ya Hang of Yangwarok was not satisfied with the condition of self-government proposed by the Gorkha king and instead went to the Sikkim palace and incited the King of Sikkim to declare war against the Gorkhas. He raised his Limbu army and joined it with the Sikkimese army. The Bhutia
Bhutia
The Bhutia are ethnic Tibetans who speak Sikkimese, a Tibetan dialect fairly mutually intelligible to standard Tibetan. In 2001, the Bhutia numbered around 70,300...
Sikkimese army general Tipu Taka attacked Chainpur and drove back a small Gorkha force from the Siddhipur fort. Reinforcement of the Gorkha force arrived with full war equipment and they drove the Sikkimese back to the Tambar River where a decisive battle was fought. The Sikkimese army retreated to their country and the Gorkhas pursued them as far as Ilam. The Limbu king of Ilam Hangsu Phuba surrendered to the Gorkha king conditionally. The Gorkha king later gave him full autonomy and kipat in his region with the Lal Mohor on 1869 BS (1813 AD).
Although the Bhutia Sikkimese army was pushed back to Sikkim, the Limbu forces of King Yong Ya Hang and the Sikkimese Lepcha
Lepcha people
The Lepcha or Róng people , also called Róngkup , Mútuncí Róngkup Rumkup , and Rongpa , are the aboriginal people of Sikkim, who number between 30,000 and 50,000...
army attacked Morong under General Chyok Thupp and defeated the Gorkhas in 17 battlefields. So the Sikkimese Lepcha general Chyok Thup Barphongpa was called “Satrajit” by the Gorkhas and “Athing” by the Lepchas.
After that the Bhutia battalion under General Tipu Taka came back and joined the Lepcha and the Limbu forces of Lepcha general Chyok Thup and Limbu general Sunuhang. The Gorkha king sent a huge reinforcement to drive the Sikkimese army from Morong, but in a big battle near the Rangeli town, the Gorkhas were badly defeated and the Gorkha officers appealed for peace. The Gorkha-Sikkim treaty was signed in Bijaypur.
Gorkha-Sikkim War in Limbuwan 1775 AD
In 1775 AD, the treaty was signed between Gorkha and Sikkim, but in the same year King Pratap Singh Shah, son of Prithivi Narayan Shah, invaded Sikkim through Taple Jong and Ilam. Under the leadership of Purna Alley Magar, they took over western Sikkim. The Sikkimese forces retaliated and pushed the Gorkha forces back. After this invasion, the Sikkimese generals Depchaang Rinzing and Chhangzat Chyok Thup became determined to drive away the Gorkhas from Sikkim and even from Limbuwan. They pushed the Gorkha soldiers back to Arun RiverArun River (Nepal)
The Arun River is a trans-boundary river and is part of the Kosi or Sapt Koshi river system in Nepal. It originates in Tibet Autonomous Region of People's Republic of China where it is called Bum-chu.-Name:...
and Chainpur.
The Limbu rulers who had joined the Gorkhas following the Gorkha-Limbuwan treaty of 1774 were fighting alongside the Gorkhas. When they saw other Limbus fighting from the Sikkimese side, they challenged them. A big battle took place among the Limbus themselves at the Nigrum battlefield. After the Gorkha-side Limbus were reinforced with other Magar Gorkha soldiers, the Limbus siding with Sikkim were defeated and they fled.
Besides Chainpur, pockets of Gorkha soldiers were fighting in Yangwarok of Limbuwan. The Sikkimese won the battle of Yangwarok and the Gorkha soldiers were either slain or taken prisoner in Yangwarok fort. Besides Chainpur and Yangwarok, a big battle also took place at Phu of Morang, and under general Chhyok Thup the Sikkimese defeated the Gorkhas.
Meanwhile, General Depchhang Rinzin commanded Bhutia soldiers and crossed the Arun River and attacked Dingla fort and Phai fort (in present-day Bhojpur district) and occupied them.
Finally, the Gorkha king sent a huge battalion of reinforcement and attacked the Sikkimese army at Dingla and Phali forts and chased them back to Sidhipur fort in Chainpur. In the battle of Chainpur, the Sikkimese general Depchhang Rinzing was hit by a bullet and was killed. With their general dead, the Sikkimese force fled from the battlefield and withdrew to Sikkim. Thus, the Sikkim-Gorkha War in the Limbuwan region ended in 1776.
This also brought the last of the Limbu principality Yangwarok kingdom of Limbuwan into the Gorkha kingdom. The annexation of all the Limbu kingdoms of Limbuwan was completed through the treaty in 1774 AD and by the war in 1776 AD.