Balbhadra Kunwar : The Bravest Warrior in History of Nepal

Balbhadra Kunwar

Balbhadra Kunwar was born in Magh 17 1845 BS.  He was born in Kathmandu. Balbhadra Kumar’s father is Chandrabir Kumar and his mother is Ambika Devi. Ambika Debi Badakaji was the daughter of Amar Singh Thapaki. That is, Bal Bhadra Kumar was the grandson of Amar Singh Thapa. Babu Chandra Vir was a soldier in the Nepal Army. Balbhadra Kunwar also joined the Nepal Army. And became a subedar at the age of seventeen. He had reached Kumaon during his military service.

Balbhadra Kunwar : The War Hero

During the Nepal-British War from 1871 to 1873, Badakaji Amar Singh Thapa sent him to lead the Nepal Army at Nalapani fort for the security of Dehradun in western Nepal. Badakaji Amar Singh Thapa led the Nepal Army for the security of the Malau fort. At the time of the war, Bal Bhadra’s cousin was only twenty-five years old.

There was a Nepali army of 600 men and women led by Balbhadra Kunwar. There were weapons like khukuri, khuda, sword, slingshot, stuffed gun and some taps. The British army was led by Gillespie. They came with more than three thousand troops with modern weapons. The British army laid siege to the fort. Nepali armies also fought with Birta. Hundreds of British soldiers, including General Gillespie, were killed in the battle. The British withdrew after the army.

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A few days later, the British army led by General Mabika again came to attack Nalapani with a force and closed the water source leading to Nalapani fort and launched a fierce attack. He called on the Nepal Army to surrender. But the Nepal Army refused to surrender. Nepalis fought with Birta without even drinking water. Many British soldiers were killed. They also got Birgati. This war lasted for thirty-five days.

The Nepal Army decided to leave the fort after additional troops from Kathmandu did not come for help and there was no food or water in the fort. Historians say that in the end, the seventy survivors, including a woman and a child, fought the Balbhadra Kunwar with the help of the Nepalese army.

Postage stamp issued in the name of Bal Bhadra

After the war, the British erected a war memorial praising the strength and bravery of the Nepalis. The inscription on the monument reads: “Memorial in memory of our heroic enemy Bal Bhadra and his heroic Gokhale. It is considered to be the only exemplary monument in the world where an army commemorates the amazing heroism of its enemy army. Khalanga Fort in Nalapani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India has a glorious history of Nepal and Nepalese.

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