Damodar Pande

The Gorkha troops entered Tibet through Kuti (Nyalam Town) and reached as far as Tashilhunpo (about 410 km.

When the Qianlong Emperor of China heard the news of the invasion of Tibet by Nepal, he sent a large troop of the Chinese army under the command of General Chanchu.

In the talks Tibet was held responsible for the quarrel and were required to give compensation to Nepal for the losses incurred in the war.

As soon as this news was heard by the Qianlong Emperor, he sent a strong troop of 70,000 soldiers under the leadership of Fuk'anggan to defend Tibet.

Heavy damage was inflicted on both sides and the Chinese army pushed the Gurkhas back to the inner hills close to the Nepali capital.

The anxious Bahadur Shah asked for 10 howitzer mountain guns from the British East India Company.

Captain William Kirkpatrick arrived in Kathmandu,[9] but he put conditions of business treaty for delivery of the weapons.

Wary of the British interest, weapons were not received and the war situation became critical for Bahadur Shah.

After a series of successful battles, the Qing army suffered a major setback when they tried to cross a monsoon-flooded Betrawati, close to a Gorkhali palace in Nuwakot.

A stalemate ensued, and with their resources low and looming uncertainty regarding how long they would be able to hold on in addition to the need to continue their expansion drive on the western frontier, the Gorkhalis signed a treaty on the terms dictated by the Qing that required, among other obligations, Nepal to send tributes to the Qing emperor every five years.

[10] There were serious fightings around all the three forts and heavy repulse from Nepalese forces compelled Chinese troops to retreat to Betrawati river.

[10] The action of the Chinese General demotivated the troops and increase rapid desertion and retreat through other routes.

[10] Many Chinese troops died falling from hills into river and others from the bullets and arrows from Nepalese side.

[8] The Chinese General Tung Thyang lost all hopes of attacking the Nepalese forces and decided to conclude a treaty with Nepal through his letter.

He left the throne to his one and half year old son Girvan Yuddha Shah and fled to Banaras along with his followers like Bhimsen Thapa, Dalbhanjan Pande and his wife, the queen Raj Rajeshwari Devi.

He set a significant precedent for later Nepalese history, which has seen a recurring struggle for effective power between king and prime minister.

[15][16] Damodar Pande always tried to protect king Girvan Yuddha Shah and keep Rana Bahadur off of Nepal.

[15] Kirtiman Singh Basnyat was Mulkazi (Chief Kazi) and a favorite of the Regent Subarna Prabha Devi.

[19][21] After Rajrajeshowri took over the regency, she was pressured by Knox to pay the annual pension of 82,000 rupees to the ex-King as per the obligations of the treaty,[22] which paid off the vast debt that Rana Bahadur Shah had accumulated in Varanasi due to his spendthrift habits.

Sensing an imminent hostility, Knox aligned himself with Subarnaprabha and attempted to interfere with the internal politics of Nepal.

[26] Getting a wind of this matter, Rajrajeshowri dissolved the government and elected new ministers, with Damodar Pande as the Chief (Mul) Kaji in February 1803, while the Resident Knox, finding himself persona non grata and the objectives of his mission frustrated, voluntarily left Kathmandu to reside in Makwanpur citing a cholera epidemic.

[26] Such open display of anti-British feelings and humiliation prompted the Governor General of the time Richard Wellesley to recall Knox to India and unilaterally suspend the diplomatic ties.

[22][28][29][27] The suspension of diplomatic ties also gave the Governor General a pretext to allow the ex-King Rana Bahadur to return to Nepal unconditionally.

[30] Damodar Pande and his men were arrested at Thankot where they were waiting to greet the ex-King with state honors and take him into isolation.

[31] He exiled Rajrajeshhwori to Helambu, where she became a Buddhist nun, on the charge of siding with Damodar Pande and colluding with the British.

Among them was Prithvi Pal Sen, the king of Palpa, who was tricked into imprisonment, while his kingdom forcefully annexed.

March 13, Damodar Pande was then beheaded along with his two eldest son Ranakeshar and Gajkeshar, after he was imprisoned in Bhadrakali.

The celebration of consolidation of Tibet after the Gurkha Campaign (Nepal) 1792
King Rana Bahadur Shah , the King of Nepal from 1777 to 1799.
King Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah (1797–1816)
Map of Kathmandu Valley made by Charles Crawford (a member of Captain Knox's entourage) in 1802–03.
Portrait of Bhimsen Thapa in military uniform.