Kalu Pandey : The Great Warrior of Nepal

Kalu Pandey

 Kalu Pandey: Life

Kazi Kalu Pandey alias Bamshidhar Pade (1713 AD-1757 AD). (Commander of Gorkhali Army during Nepal’s expansion campaign). He was a skilled Nepali politician and army chief who was appointed Qazi of the Gurkha state. He was born in 1713 AD in Gorkha. His real name was Banshidhar Pandey. He was the son of Ganesh Pandey, a Gurkha minister and friend of Dravya Shah.

His three sons:
-Dewan Qazisahab Vamsharaj Pandey,
-Sardar Ransur Pandey and
-Mulkaji Sahib Damodar Pandey (Nepal’s first Prime Minister).

He was the son of Kazi Bhimraj Pandey who was a minister during the reign of King Prithvipati Shah of Gorkha. Kalu Pandey was made Commander-in-Chief of the Gorkhali Army after Biraj Thapa Magar and his first major battle was the Battle of Kirtipur.

Despite his initial concern that the king of the valley was well-prepared and that there were no Gorkhalis, Pandey had to go to war at the urging of Prithvinarayan Shah. Naikap (a hill on the western edge of the valley) from where, having established a base, they attacked Kirtipur.
Kazi Kalu Pandey died in the first battle of Kirtipur in 1757 AD.

Contribution in Unification of Nepal

Prithvinarayan needed a qazi, or prime minister in today’s language, to rule. He had dared to give a loan to Biraj Bakheti. He said that Kalu Pandey, who was pleased with him due to his treaty with Lamjung, was liked by the worldly people and he thought that it would be better to make Kalu Pandey the Qazi of the state which is under 22-24.

Another issue is that the family servants of the court should not lose their jobs for generations. Prithvinarayan has said that the responsibility of foreign relations should not be left to the children of Kalu Pandey in today’s language. It can be seen from the fact that Prithvinarayan was pleased with Kalu Pandey’s family and his own laity.

He, who was martyred in the battle of Kirtipur in 1814 BS, had repeatedly worked for the expansion of the Gorkha kingdom. Although He was a worthy general of Prithvinarayan, there were others like him in the Gurkha kingdom who were more or less powerful than Pandey. The Gurkha state has expanded due to the wisdom and strength of all of them.

Although he had a large hand in the expansion of the Gurkha kingdom under the direct or indirect supervision of Prithvinarayan, the plan for the expansion of the kingdom was not originally his, in classical terms he was a commander or a worker. Surya Bikram Gyawali wrote ‘Bir Bal Bhadra’ (1997 BS) and ‘Amar Singh Thapa’ (2000 BS) and started the work of praising such soldiers. Later, some praised the Gurung caste, some praised the Pandey caste, some praised the Basnet caste and some praised the Thapa caste.

The battle of Kirtipur and the conquest of Kirtipur is a great link in the expansion of the Gorkha kingdom. Some have described the incident as a major link in the unification of the Nepali state, while others have described it as the culmination of Prithvinarayan’s ruthlessness. Praising the reputation of Kalu Pandey, who was defeated in the battle of Kirtipur, he said that the government had healed the wounds inflicted by the second prime minister more than 250 years ago.

Therefore, the incumbent Prime Minister, who cut off Prithvinarayan’s birthday leave, praised Kalu Pandey, who sacrificed his life in the battle of Kirtipur, and raised the question of why his statue should be honored.

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