^Uttarakhand 57
The lightening campaign of Gurkhas
From 1778 onwards, Ran Bahadur Singh was the Raja of
Nepal and it was during his reign that the aggressive policy of
the state was pursued vigorously. Knowing the distracted con-
ditions of Kumaon, the Nepal Durbar in 1789 resolved on a
invasion of Kumaon. Early in the following year, two forces
were sent into Kumaon, with the result that after some
skirmishes, the country was conquered and Almora was entered
by the victorious. Ironically, the loading spirit behind Gurkha
invasion was again Harak Deo Joshi, who for some years had
acted as a king maker and dictator in the hills, and now, in
despair of any settled government, is said to have thrown his lot
with the Nepalese, and assisted them in the invasion of Kumaon
and then Garhwal.
The short statured but daughty fighters who were fierce
fighters pierced straight across the invincible Himalayan barrier
of Uttarkhand and made a headlong thrust into the kingdom of
Kumaon, Garhwal, Sirrnaur and Kangra. The Garhwalis appear
to have formed a well laid plan of aggression with great deter-
mination. Pradyumna Shah tried to ward them off paying an
annual tribute of Rs. 25000/- which the Gorkhas initially
accepted but later on revoked it and besieged Srinagar.
Maularam, the court-poet of the Pauwars has thus described the
•siege of Srinagar—
Daughty fighters as Gorkhas were
Guns roared across the hills
They fired thunder and fire
The fall of Sringar was imminent.
Pradyumna Shah fled to Saharanpur and the Gorkhas in their
goose chase succeeded in annexing Dehradun in 1804. But
Pradyumna Shah did not sit idle and continued to counter
Gurkhas with the help of Britishers who ultimately drove them
away from Dehradun and subsequently from Garhwal after a
series of campaigns which culminated with the signing of the
treaty of Sigauli in 1814—15. As per the terms of treaty Kali
river was fixed as the western limit of Nepal and the Britishers
annexed the entire Uttarakhand except Tehri Garhwal which lies
east of Alaknanda and Mandakini. Sudarshan Shah (1814—50)