Battle of Pauwa Gadhi against Captain Kinloch

King Jayaprakash Malla of Kantipur was in search of foreign military help against the Gorkhali military campaign. So he decided to seek urgent military assistance from East India Company’s Consular General of Betiya, Mr. Goulding, in March 1767. King Prithvi Narayan Shah for his part sent a message to the British asking them not to help the Malla King. But the company ignored the message and a threatening letter was sent to King Prithvi Narayan Shah to fall back to Gorkha and not to block the trade routes to Kathmandu Valley.

First attack

Captain Kinloch, a veteran of many campaigns, was the Commander of about 2,400 well armed and equipped men. He planned to advance form Patna (India) to Panauti (Kabhrepalanchok). Kinloch marched from Patna on 17th August 1767. But when they were marching form Dhungrebas to Sindhuali Gadhi, the Nepalese troops launched ferocious surprise attacks from both front and rear. Captain Kinloch managed to escape with about 1600 men. Kinloch fell back to Janakpur with his surviving troops.

econd offensive

He planned to launch another offensive via the Bagmati rive and the target was Hariharpur Gadhi. He reorganized and regrouped his surviving 700 troops. His second military expedition started towards Hariharpur Gadhi on 20th September 1967. But the adverse weather conditions and the swelling river stalledhis advance.

Prithvi Narayan Shah deployed Kaji Ram Krishna Kunwar with reinforcements at Hariharpur Gadhi. When Kinloch received the news he became uneasy. He was physically restricted by the flooded Bagmati and mentally harassed by the Nepalese Army tactics. With low morale among the troops, Kinloch reluctantly retreated to India in disgrace after a small battle.

External links

* http://www.infoclub.com.np/nepal/history/
* http://www.nepalarmy.mil.np/organisation/images/history.pdf