Kunwar family

The Kunwars of Nepal claim descent from a Rajput man named Ram Singh, who was said to belong to Kshatriya Varna. He was considered to have settled in Bhirkot, Nepal in 1404 A.D.[3] The chronicler Daniel Wright has published a genealogy of the Kunwar family. The genealogy begins with Tattā Rāṇā as the Raja (King) of Chittaurgarh.[4] His nephew, Fakht Siṃha Rāṇā, had a son named Rāma Siṃha Rāṇā who came to hills with four followers after the siege of Chittaurgarh.[4][note 1] He and his four followers joined the services of a hill Raja for ten or twelve months. The Raja learned the art of fencing from Rāma Siṃha and made him a personal tutor. He wanted to retain Rāma Siṃha in his country. Thus, the hill Raja asked for the daughter of Raja (King) of Bīnātī, a Bagāle Kṣetrī and married her to Rāma Siṃha.[4] They had six sons over 10 –12 years, one of whom was given the title of Kum̐vara Khaḍkā for bravery displayed in the battle against Raja of Satān Koṭ.[4] The title passed down to his descendants. Rāma Siṃha suddenly met his younger brother who requested him to return to Chittaur for once and Rāma Siṃha died on the way there.[7] The hill Raja made Rāma Siṃha's son, Rāut Kunwar, was a nobleman (Sardār) and commander of the army.[7] Ahirāma Kunwar, the son of Rāut Kunwar, was invited by the King of Kaski and was ennobled with a birta or jagir of Dhuage Saghu village.[7] The King of Kaski asked the hand of Ahirāma's daughter, who was a great beauty, through only Kalas Puja to which Ahirāma replied to give his daughter only through a legal marriage.[7] The king brought his troops and tried to take over the village by force.[7] Ahirāma was supported by the village inhabitants belonging to the Parājulī Thāpā caste and a war was broke out.[7] On the same day, Ahirāma took his immediate family including three sons, Ram Krishna Kunwar ,Jaya Krishna Kunwar and Amar Singh Kunwar, to the King of Gorkha, Prithvi Narayan Shah, where the lands of Kunwar-Khola were given to them as birta.[8]

John Whelpton opines that the legend of the Kunwar family's origins, which says their progenitor to have entered hill and married a daughter of Bagale Kshetri, might have linked their family to the Bagale Thapa, a clan of Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa.[9]

This family was a minor section of the Khas-Chhetri aristocratic families of Gorkha under King Prithvi Narayan Shah.[1] Kunwar was historically a Chhetri[10] and a Khadka clan.[11] The Kunwar family genealogy also states the title of 'Kunwar Khadka' taken by the ancestors of the Kunwar family.[4] The Kunwars did not claim superior caste status than other nobility of Gorkha before the premiership of Jung Bahadur Kunwar.[10] After his premiership, Kunwars through a royal order took up the title of Rana and claimed themselves as Rajput family of Chittor in India.[12] According to writer Purushottama Śamaśera Ja Ba Rāṇā, the Kunwar family belonged to the House of "Gehlauta Chhettriya" which was one of the 36 Raj Bamshis (royal caste).[13] The cadet branch of the Kunwars, the Rana dynasty, claimed to be Rajputs of western Indian origin, rather than the native Khas Kshatriyas despite they spoke Khas language and attempted to disassociate from their Khas past.[14] According to some historians, Nepalese ruling families have claimed Indian Rajput descent for political purposes.[15]

Kaji Bal Narsingh Kunwar, a prominent member of Ramkrishna branch of Kunwars

Ram Krishna had only one son named Ranajit Kunwar.[16] Ranajit Kunwar was a Subah (governor) of the Jumla province in the Kingdom of Nepal.[26][27] The people of Jumla had rebelled against Ranajit Kunwar in 1849 V.S.[28] Ranajit participated in the famed battle of Khadbuda on Magh 20, 1860 V.S. (January 1804) where the Gorkhalis under Amar Singh Thapa defeated King Pradyumna Shah of Garhwal under his Gujjar commander Ram Dayal Singh who led 12,000 soldiers of Ramghads, Pundirs, Gujjars and Rajputs.[29] Ranajit had three sons: Bal Narsingh Kunwar, Balram Kunwar and Rewant Kunwar.[16] Bal Narsingh was initially a follower of the renounced King Rana Bahadur Shah and Kaji Bhimsen Thapa, and followed the King in his exile to Banaras on 1 May 1800.[30] On the night of 25 April 1806, King Rana Bahadur was murdered by his step-brother Sher Bahadur in desperation after which Bal Narsingh immediately killed the King's assassin.[31][32][33] He was a close ally of the influential minister Bhimsen Thapa,[31] who initiated a great massacre at the Bhandarkhal garden following the chaos from the King's murder.[34][35][36] Following closeness to Mukhtiyar Bhimsen, he became the son-in-law of Bhimsen's brother Kaji Nain Singh Thapa of Thapa dynasty.[37] The close relatives and supporters of the Thapa faction replaced the old courtiers and administrators.[34] The Kunwar family (of Bal Narsingh) came to power being relatives of powerful Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa.[2] Sons of Bal Narsingh were related to the Pande dynasty by their maternal grandmother Rana Kumari Pande who was the daughter of Mulkaji Ranajit Pande.[37] Bal Narsingh retired as Kaji in 1838 AD. Balram Kunwar, the middle brother of Bal Narsingh, spent ten years as a captain. Rewanta Kunwar, the youngest brother of Bal Narsingh, was Kaji until 1830 AD.[16] Rewant was appointed as the mission head to resolve grievances of the people of Kumaon.[38] Rewanta was involved in the Anglo-Nepalese war as reinforcement and took a position in Jayantgadh with cousin Balbhadra Kunwar.[39]

Jang Bahadur Kunwar, the son of Bal Narsingh, consolidated the position of Prime Minister of Nepal after having initiated the Kot massacre (Kot Parva) and the Bhandarkhal Parva (massacre).[37] This fraction became known as the Rana dynasty after styling themselves as Kunwar Ranaji after having claimed descent from Ranas of Mewar on May 15, 1848[40] and ultimately became royal after declaration of Jang as Maharaja (Great King) of Kaski and Lamjung on August 6, 1856,.[41]

Jaya Krishna Kunwar had a son named Chandrabir Kunwar.[42] Chandra Bir was the Subah (governor) of one-third of the Garhwal province in the Kingdom of Nepal.[42] He replaced Hasti Dal Shah as the Subba of Garhwal. Chandrabir was a resident of Bhanwarkot.[42] He married the sister of Kaji Ranajor Thapa[43] and was a son-in-law of Bada Amar Singh Thapa[44][45] He had three sons: Bira Bhadra Kunwar, Bir Bhadra Kunwar and Balbhadra Kunwar. Birabhadra Kunwar was the Sardar until 1818 AD, when he was appointed Captain and remained in office until 1838 AD.[16] A royal order by the government of Bhimsen Thapa was issued in 1887 Vikram Samvat Chaitra Badi 6, to Captain Birabhadra to resolve the irrigation dispute in Mahottari[46] Another was issued in 1887 Vikram Samvat Chaitra Badi 8, to collect taxes at the fixed rate and refund the excess collection.[47] Similarly, Birabhadra had ample instructions directed to him for running the administration of Saptari and Mahottari around 1887 V.S.[47]

Captain Balbhadra Kunwar, commander of Nalapani fort in the distinguished Battle of Nalapani

Balbhadra Kunwar fought as a significant commander in the Anglo-Nepalese War and rose to heroics. When Major-General Rollo Gillespie's division penetrated Nepal's frontier to initiate Anglo-Nepalese war,[48] Captain[note 2] Balbhadra Kunwar was tasked with the fortification of the region as the Nepalese had anticipated that Dehra Dun would be the first place of assault.[50] He withdrew from Dehradun and moved his force of about 600,[48] including dependants, to the small fort of Nalapani, Khalanga. A letter was sent by the British to Balbhadra, summoning him to surrender the fort to which Balbhadra responded by tearing it up. The letter was delivered to him at midnight, he observed that "it was not customary to receive or answer letters at such unreasonable hours".[51] The first British attack on Nalapani took place on October 31, the day before the official declaration of war.[52][53] Maj-Gen. Rollo Gillespie died on that day[54] and the British ceased the battle.[55] The second attack resumed on November 25, and for three days the fort was bombarded until at noon on November 27, a large section of the northern wall finally gave away.[56][57] However, the day ended with the British assault force withdrawing after having spent two hours pinned outside the wall, exposed to heavy fire from the garrison, and having suffered significant losses.[58][57] After two failed attempts to capture the fort by straightforward attacks, the British resorted to attrition tactics. On November 28, instead of launching another infantry assault, the fort was encircled from all sides and placed under siege which prevented the Nepalese reinforcements from entering the fort.[59] Mawbey then instructed his scouts to locate and cut off the fort's external water source.[59][60] The water situation was made worse for the defenders when about a hundred earthen vessels stocked with water, stored in a portico, were destroyed in the bombardment.[61] Thus, after days of thirst and continuous bombardment, the Nepalese were forced to evacuate the fort on November 30.[60] Balbhadra refused to surrender and, with about 70 of his surviving men, he was able to fight his way through the besieging force for the hills.[60] General Gillespie had been killed and Balbhadra and his 600 men had held the might of the British and their Indian troops for a month.[62]

In Nepal, the story of the battle at Nalapani has gained legendary status and has become an important part of the nation's historical narrative, while Balbhadra himself has become one of the national heroes of Nepal.[63] In the years following of the battle, the British constructed a small obelisk that was dedicated with the inscription "Our brave adversary Bul Buddur and his gallant men".[note 3][64]Full inscription is as follows:

This is inscribed as a tribute of respect to our gallant adversary Bulbudder and his brave Goorkhas who were afterwards, while in the service of Runjitsingh, shot dead by the Afghan artillery to the last man.[3]