HISTORY OF RAJBANSHI IN NEPAL

HISTORY OF RAJBANSHI IN NEPAL

Map: Sher Shah's Empire (around 1500)

Map: Hindustan in 1812 by Arrowsmith and Lewis

EARLY HISTORY (1498 A.D)

The early history of Cooch Behar has to be sought in the history of Assam. In early times the territory was known as Pragjyotisha, which is mentioned in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. It appears that the western part of the original territory of Pragjyotisha came to be known as Kamarupa in later times. Kamarupa remained under the suzerainty of the Guptas and Palas for some time. According to tradition Kamarupa was conquered by Muslim Army in A.D.1498, but they could not keep the kingdom for long. After the expulsion of the Muslim army the Kamta kingdom was engulfed in anarchy. During that period, rise of Koch king started.

The king Viswasimha assumed the title of Kamteshwar. He died in about 1533 and was succeeded by his second son Naranarayan, who was also known as Mallanarayan, after a civil war with Nar Singh who fled to Morung and then to Bhutan. Narnarayan died in 1584 and was succeeded by his son Lakshminarayan who died in 1627. Lakshminarayan was succeeded by his son Birnarayan. In his later years, he had appointed one of his sons Mahinarayan to be Nazir- deo. Birnarayan died in 1632 and was succeeded by his son Prannarayan who reigned till 1666. He constructed or repaired the temple of Baneshwar. Modnarayan succeeded his father. From his reign the influence of Bhutan on Cooch Behar started. He died in 1680 without a male heir. In that situation Vasudevnarayan, the third son of Prannarayan was placed on the throne. He was killed in a skirmish. Then, Mahindranarayan, the great- grandson of Prannarayan was placed on throne. With the death of Mahindranarayan, Rupnarayan came into the power. After a reign of 21 years he died in 1714. His son, Upendranarayan remained till 1763. The boy Devendranarayan was installed as king under the guardianship of Nazir Lalitnarayan. In 1765 Dhairyendranarayan, the son of Kharganarayan (brother of Upendranarayan) was placed on throne. The influence of the Bhutias had increased so much that an office of Bhutan was permanently stationed at Cooch Behar with an army. In later years he was kept in confinement by the Bhutan. His son Dharendranarayan was installed on throne. The East Company was watching with concern the growing power of Bhutias close to their borders. The appeal for help by Nazir was admitted by the company. On April 5, 1773, the treaty between the young Maharaja Dharendranarayan and the East India Company was finalized. Thereafter a peace was concluded between Bhutan and East India Company on April 25, 1774, in consequences of which Dhairyendranarayan was released from captivity. Dharendranarayan died in 1775 and thereafter Dhairyendranarayan took over second time. He died in 1780, leaving his only heir Harendranarayan. Narendranarayan succeeded him after his death. In 1859 a topographical survey of Cooch Behar was made by J.G.Pemberton. Nripendranarayan (one year old) succeeded to the throne of his father in 1863. During his minority the charge of the administration was placed in the hands of a commissioner appointed by the Governor. From that reign the administration of Cooch Behar entered in Modern phase. The first Commissioner was Colonel J.C.Haughton.

The modernization of the administration started by the Commissioners was continued by the Maharaja after assumption of power. On March 6, 1878, Maharaja Nripendranarayan was married to Smt. Sunity Devi, daughter of Keshab Chandra Sen, the Brahma reformer. In 1887 the construction of new palace was completed. Maharaja Nripendranarayan died in 1911 and was succeeded by his eldest son Rajarajendranarayan. He died in 1913 and was succeeded by his brother Jitendranarayan. He married Smt. Indira Devi, daughter of Gaekwad of Baroda. He died in 1921and succeeded by his minor son Jagaddipendranarayan. He was the last Maharaja of the Cooch Behar. The Instrument of Accession was signed and as a result Cooch Behar was transferred to India. The transfer of the Administration to the government of India took place on the 12th day of September 1949, from which date Cooch Behar was ruled as a Chief Commissioner’s Province by Chief Commissioner appointed by the government of India. By an order under section 290A of the Government of India ACT, 1935, Cooch Behar was transferred and merged with the province of West Bengal on 1st January 1950. Since then Cooch Behar is being administered as a district of West Bengal.

History reveals that the ancient territory of Kamrup played a role in the development of the present region of Cooch Behar district in West Bengal. The Allahabad Pillar Inscription of the famous Gupta Emperor Samudragupta mentions about the existence of the Kamrup territory in the 4^th century AD. During the 15^th century AD, the western part of Kamrup came under the sway of the ‘Khen’ dynasty to usher a new kingdom there known as ‘Kamta’. The present Cooch Behar owes its origin from this ‘Kamta’ land. The ‘Khen’ dynasty is noted for the kings of Niladhvaja, the founder of the dynasty, his son Chakradhvaja and grandson Nilambar (1473-98/99 AD). It is stated by some that the ‘Koch’ dynasty followed the lineage of Nilambar. But the most widely accepted view holds that king Maharaja Viswa Singha was responsible for establishment of an independent ‘Koch’ kingdom in 1510 AD or 1530 AD.

In the beginning, the capital of this kingdom was not static and became stable only when the same was shifted to Cooch Behar. The territory of Cooch Behar was known as ‘Kamta’ even during the period of Maharaja Viswa Singha and his son Maharaja Nara-Narayan. The Mughal forces grabbed certain portion of the ‘Kamta’ kingdom in the middle of the 17^th century AD. Later on the accounts of Badshanama, Shah-Jaha-nama, Tarikh-I-Assam and the Alamgirnama ascribed this territory as Cooch Behar. It is, therefore, very much apparent that the ‘Koch’ kingdom was known as ‘Kamta’ even during the middle of the 17the century AD when the Koch kings like Maharaja Viswa Singh, Maharaja Nara Narayan and Maharaja Pran Narayan used the title ‘Kamteswar’ for themselves. The valor of the ‘Koch’ kings is known best by the prides of Maharaja Nara Narayan. He has issued his own coins.

The kings who ruled Cooch Behar till its union with Indian territory and its declaration as a district headquarter of the Province of West Bengal in 1950 are known as Maharaja Viswa Singha, Maharaja Nara Narayan, Maharaja Lakshmi Narayan, Maharaja Bir Narayan, Maharaja Pran Narayan, Maharaja Basudev Narayan, Maharaja Mahindra Narayan, Maharaja Roop Narayan, Maharaja Upendra Narayan, Maharaja Devendra Narayan, Maharaja Dhairjendra Narayan, Maharaja Rajendra Narayan,Maharaja Dharendra Narayan, Maharaja Harendra Narayan, Maharaja Shivendra Narayan, Maharaja Narendra Narayan, Maharaja Nripendra Narayan, Maharaja Rajrajendra Narayan, Maharaja Jitendra Narayan and Maharaja Jagadipendra Narayan.

The history of Cooch Behar dates back to the period of the Pala-Senas (i.e., Circa 11^th – 12^th century AD) These include sculptures, coins of the Sultanate and the Mughal Periods, temples, mosques of the mediaeval and late mediaeval period. Of the ancient remains, mention may be made of the Rajpat of Gossanimari, Siva Temple of Baneswar and the Palace of Cooch Behar. It is traditionally believed that the huge mound of Rajpat of the Gossanimari village at a distance of 13 kilometer to the west of Dinhata Police Station marks the site of the ancient capital of ‘Kamtapur’ of the ‘Khen’ kings.

The word Rajpat has been derived probably from the Bengali ‘Rajbari’ or ‘Rajbati’ or ‘Rajprasad’. The ‘Khen’ king Nilambar of this Kamtapur Kingdom was defeated in a battle by sultan Hussain Shah of Bengal in 1498 AD. The pomp and glory of Rajpat are now all in ruins under the deposit of huge earth flanked by bare greenaries all around. It is believed that the anicent palatial complex of Kamtapur including the early Kamteswari temple are all lying buried in this mound. This mound is at present protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.

EARLY HISTORY: MUGHAL INTEFERENCE, MUGHAL-KOCH CONFLICTS (1587-1680)

The Kamata kingdom split at a time when the Mughals under Akbar were aggressively expanding their empire. The state soon became a dependency of the Mughal empire, and steadily lost territory to the empire.

Lakshmi Narayan (1587–1621), Nara Narayan's son, was the first ruler of the Koch Bihar portion of the Kamata kingdom. He was an ineffectual ruler. After losing much territory to the Mughal commander Ali Kuli Khan, he accepted Mughal sovereignty and assistance in defending against his neighbours. The next Mughal emperor, Jahangir, again attacked Bihar and captured territory including Tripura and Manipur. Lakshmi Narayan went to Delhi and won guarantees for the much-reduced state. On his return, he established his capital at the Atharokotha village.Lakshmi Narayan was a patron of scholars and the arts. He partially restored the Shiva Temple of Jalpesh, but did not complete construction of the temple during his lifetime. Influenced by Madhavdeva, a famous preacher, he made Ekasarana dharma the imperial/state religion.

Bir Narayan (1621–1626), Lakshmi Narayan's son and successor, was a pleasure-loving ruler who failed to exert his authority to levy taxes on the king of Bhutan. In his peaceful reign, he sponsored schools for the aristocracy and supported intellectuals. His successor Pran Narayan (1626–1665) ruled in peace until 1657, when a struggle for succession in the Mughal empire began between Aurangzeb and his brothers. Pran Narayan invaded Bengal, seizing Ghoraghat, the centre of Mughal power in 1658, and in 1661 capturing Dhaka, the capital. However, by this time Aurangzeb had consolidated his power, and sent his armies to invade Bihar and Assam. Pran Narayan retreated to the mountains and waged a guerrilla war for three years, finally making a pact with the Mughal Nawab Shaista Khan in 1664. During his rule, the Behar kingdom expanded to Tajhat Baharband Pargana in the south, Basakpur near Khutaghat of Goalapara district in the east and Bhatgaon within Morang in the west.Thus Koch Bihar maintained its sovereignty [ incidentally the entire North Bengal] against Islamic invasions.

Maharaja Pran Narayan rebuilt the temples of Baneswar, Shandeswar and the Kamteswari temple of Gosanimari. He sent for architects from Delhi to complete the Jalpesh temple, but the work was not completed in his lifetime. He constructed broad highways and bridges, and many beautiful buildings in his capital. He was a patron of the arts.

Madan Narayan or Mod Narayan (1665–1680) succeeded Pran Narayan after a short struggle with his brothers. For some time, the power behind the throne was Mahi Narayan, who had been Nazir (summoner) for his father. After a fierce struggle, Madan Narayan gained control and Mahi Narayan fled to Bhutan. Madan Narayan began a survey of his lands and a register of landholdings. He completed the construction of the Jalpesh Shiva temple, providing lands for the temple's maintenance. The Koch Bihar state of his time comprised the entirety of present-day Jalpaiguri division and large parts of Maldah division of present-day West Bengal.Divisions of West Bengal.It also included the entire Rangpur division and large parts of the Rajshahi division of current Bangladesh.Divisions of Bangladesh He assisted the Mughals in a war with the Ahom kingdom in 1666.This strategy helped him keep two competing forces at bay from threatening his holdings.

In time, the original Koche people divided into different groups based upon religion. As a result, there are now three main social divisions among the Rajbanshi. These are the Hindu Rajbanshi, the Muslim Rajbanshi, and the Koch. The Rajbanshi of Nepal are primarily of the Hindu Rajbanshi group (Gautam 1994:177)

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Koche lived within a vast kingdom that was founded by their very powerful leader, Hajo. This kingdom eventually stretched from the eastern half of the Morang district to include the western half of Assam, in India. Hajo’s grandson, Bisu, established his capital and named it Koch Behar, which can still be found in northeastern India today. It was during Bisu’s reign that the title of Rajbanshi was given to him by the Brahmins of the area. This title later became the name of the people and their language (Gautum 1994:176-177). Over a period of time, the British gained control over the Koche Kingdom and, in 1774, annexed to Nepal the areas of Jhapa and Morang (Bista 2000:146).

Cooch Behar

If you think the Baarle-Nassau border is complicated, that ain't nothing compared to the Cooch Behar border between Nepal,Bangladesh and India.

There are 102 Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh, and 71 Bangladesh enclaves inside of India. There are 28 counter-enclaves and even one counter-counter-enclave (yes, the only "enclave within an enclave within an enclave" in the world).

How did Cooch Behar became so complicated? The blame went to two local kings, the Raja of Cooch Behar and his rival, the Faujdar of Rangpur, who used land and villages as stakes in card and chess games.

The Economist has a fascinating article on "the land that maps forgot":

The people who actually live in enclaves (and counter-enclaves) in a certain sense “don't see” the borders. They speak the same language, eat the same food and live life without regard to the politicians in Dhaka, Kolkata and Delhi. Many of them cross the border regularly (the bribe is US$6 a trip from the Bangladeshi side).

A few years ago, away from Cooch Behar, on the eastern border with India, I met a man who lived smack on the border between Tripura state and Bangladesh. His living room was in Bangladesh, his toilet in India. He had been a local politician in India, and was now working as a farmer in Bangladesh. As is typical in such places, he sent his daughters to school in Bangladesh, and his sons to India, where schools, he thought, were much better. To his mind, the fence dividing the two countries was of little value. But, he conceded, “at least my cows don't run away anymore.”

Nepal-India

Buddha N. Shrestha, Shifting Borders of Nepal

-Explaination on shifting borders

Boundary Delimitation

Prithvi Narayan Shah the Great had started to unify 56 small kingdoms and principalities into the strong Himalayan State of Nepal in 1769. His successors completed the unification campaign and the territory of Nepal was extended from Tista to Kangra as Greater Nepal by 1806. In those days, the British, who had entered into India with the intention of doing business there, were ruling India. Probably not liking the rise of Nepal, they began to turn their eyes towards Nepal. The British East India Company government was looking for any opportunity to expand trade to Tibet. But, since the border of the then Kingdom of Nepal had extended west to east covering the northern frontier of British India, Indian businessmen did not have direct access to Tibet. All easy access transit points to enter into Tibet from India were within the borders of Nepal. The British did not see any way to fulfill their wish to establish trade with Tibet through Nepal, except through military force. So they raised the issue of the boundary dispute of the Seuraj and Butawal areas of Nepal as a pretext for war. The East India Company sought to threaten Nepal with war.

The British sent a letter to Nepal in March 1814, ordering them to abandon their occupation of the territory of Seuraj and Butawal. If Nepal did not send back a satisfactory reply within 25 days, they would take these places by force. However, Nepal did not respond, and Lord Hastings officially declared war against Nepal on 1 November 1814. Then a dreadful war between the Gorkhali and the British army took place. Many fighters on both sides lost their lives during the war. In the meantime, the British proposed a treaty and the Nepalese government was also ready to negotiate peace terms. Finally, a treaty of peace and friendship was drafted and sent to Nepal by the East India Company on 2 December 1815. Nepal signed the treaty on 4 March 1816 at Sugauli. The Anglo-Nepal War was now over.

This treaty became known as the “Treaty of Sugauli” (1816). It was mentioned in the articles of the treaty that Nepal would have to give up the claim on all the territories that had become a matter of dispute before that war, accept the authority of the Company Government over the Tarai (plain area) across the Tista River in the east, and to Satlaj and Kangra in the west.¹¹ This treaty largely shrunk the border of Nepal to the Mechi River in the east and the Mahakali River in the west. The foothills of the Siwalik Range represented the southern border of Nepal with India. As a result, one-third of Nepal’s territory was chipped off.

In fact, the Treaty of Sugauli favoured the East India Company, while Nepal suffered a heavy loss of territory. Nepal was highly dissatisfied to lose a large chunk of land from Mechi to Tista, where there was no war. So, to pacify Nepal and as an indemnity, the Supplementary Boundary Treaty was made on 11 December 1816 which restored to Nepal the Tarai lowlands from Koshi to the Rapti River. Following the signing of the Boundary Treaty on 15 November 1860, as a reward for putting down the Sepoy Mutiny in India, British India returned the ceded western Tarai lowlands of Nepal from the Rapti to Mahakali as new territory (Naya Muluk).

The Treaty of Sugauli (1816) and Supplementary Treaty (1816) provide the bases for the delineation and demarcation of the eastern, western and a portion of the southern border of Nepal, even though the Boundary Treaty (1860) implied the southwestern portion, as the restoration of Banke, Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur districts as new territory. And this became the boundary of present-day Nepal. It could be said that Nepal’s southern boundary line expanded and shifted four times within a period of fifty-one years.

After the restoration of the lowlands, the southern border of Nepal with India now runs through fertile plains, jungles, rivers and settlements as well. In the east there are the Mechi River and the watershed of the Singhalila Range with hills and hillocks comprising the border. In the west, the Mahakali River runs along the border between Nepal and India. It is interesting to mention that even after the Sugauli Treaty, there were disputes and differences at various places. But following the signing of the Supplementary Boundary Treaty, it was envisaged that such disputes would be settled with mutual understanding on the basis of exchanges of territory of equal size. It further says, as it is impossible to establish desirable limits between the two states without a survey, it would be expedient that commissioners be appointed on both sides for the purpose of arranging in concert a well defined boundary on the basis of the preceding terms, and of establishing a straight line in the frontier, with a view to distinctly separate the respective territories of the British government to the south and of Nepal to the north. In case any indentations occur that threaten to destroy the even tenor of the line, the commissioners should affect an exchange of lands so interfering on principles of clear reciprocity.¹²

Additionally, there were also provisions to exchange any portion that jot in or out of the straight line on the principle of clarity and mutuality. They agreed that if the land of any individual fell across the boundary line, the issue would be put before the governments of the two countries to solve the dispute. The commissioners were also given the authority to make agreements and to make exchanges of such land to allow the landowners to remain within their previous territory. It was also agreed to carry out surveys to establish border markers, and to exchange documents showing borderlines approved by both the governments.

Boundary Demarcation

The border demarcation work between Nepal and India was started in the spirit of the Treaty of Sugauli. Surveying and demarcation of the border with the erection of pillars had been started just after the monsoon season of 1816. The boundary line between the two countries was surveyed and demarcated from 1816 to 1860; from 1882 to 1885; in 1906; and from 1940 to 1941. This process divided it into nine different sectors with the erection of 913 boundary pillars.

During demarcation, Nepal and the East India Company government had disputes at several places over the border. For example, it was not clear whether the borderline should be the top ridge or the southern or the northern foothills of the Chure Range. In this regard, disputes had erupted in the area from Dunduwa Range of Dang to Arra Nala and Taal Bagoda in 1817. Similarly, there was a dispute about the ownership of Antu Danda of Ilam in 1825. There was also a dispute in 1838 over whether the Mechi River originated from the northeast or the northwest.¹³ There was also a “mine- and-yours” controversy regarding the border areas adjoining with Tirhut and Sarun districts of India. In 1840, there were claims and counter-claims about the ownership of several villages and settlements of the Ramnagar area.¹⁴

The above-mentioned examples illustrate that there were disputes about the border just after the Treaty of Sugauli, which showed Nepal’s disenchantment with the treaty. Disputes in several areas had been settled, but in so many other places the disputes and conflicts lingered.

During demarcation from 1816 to 1906, border pillars had been placed at a distance of one to 2.5 kilometres according to the terrain. Strip maps were prepared in connection to the border demarcation. Some segments of the borderline zigzagged, some formed triangle-shaped sharp lines, while others bent at acute angle. But no sufficient boundary markers were erected on these winding/bending lines and river courses. So the actual line of demarcation was obscure in some segments. A no-man’s land with a ten-yard width (Das Gaja) on both sides was not maintained in those areas. This was the cause of future disputes and conflicts in some spots.

Over time, portions of Charkoshe Jhadi (a dense forest) along the Tarai plain border strip were cleared to provide settlements for the hill people. Besides, some border rivers changed course during the monsoon flood season, eroding the boundary pillars. This further obscured the border, increasing the probability of the encroachment of the adjoining densely populated frontier of India. At that time, there was population pressure in Indian settlements, especially in Bihar. So the adjoining Indian inhabitants started to migrate into the Nepalese frontier for their livelihood. These were some of the causes of the shifting border of southern Nepal.

In due time, the government of Nepal became aware of Indian migration into Nepalese territory, and formed an inspection team consisting of personnel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs and Land Survey Department. They inspected the border pillars, and supervised the conditions of the no-man’s land during the dry seasons of 1965 to 1967. Finally, they submitted a report to the government mentioning that there was no clear demarcation in many portions of the border. Hundreds of boundary pillars went missing, and a considerable number of pillars and monuments were in a pitiable state, having been destroyed, dismantled or smashed. Additionally, many places in the no-man’s land had been cultivated.

The Nepalese government realized that conditions in its lowland territory, consisting of the southern belt and a portion of the eastern and western segments, were in a deplorable condition. As this may cause future problems, Nepal moved diplomatically and held talks with India to formulate Nepal-India joint border inspection mechanisms to keep the border clear and intact. Talks went on for almost a decade, and only after long consultation and conversation did the two sides finally agree on 25 February 1981 to work jointly to clear and maintain their joint border. As a result, the Nepal-India Joint Technical Level Boundary Committee was formed in November 1981.

Since then, various minor issues have been resolved, subsidiary/additional pillars have been erected, and strip-maps of the resolved areas have been drawn. But the joint committee could not settle major issues of encroachment or disputed portions. In fact, the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) worked for 26 years and completed 97 percent of the boundary. The remaining 3 percent of the border in various spots was beyond their capacity. This unsettled portion of the border consists of the Kalapani-Limpiyadhura encroachment (17 km), Susta (24 km) and various other spots (15 km). There are encroachments, cross-holding occupation, disputes, conflicts, claims and counter-claims in 71 spots having approximately 606 square kilometers. The prominent areas have been identified as Kalapani-Limpiyadhura, Susta, the Mechi riverine area, Tanakpur, Sandakpur, Pashupatinagar, Hile, Thori, etc. The largest single chunk of encroachment is Kalapani-Limpiyadhura (370 km2) of the Darchula district and the smallest portion is Fatak (240 m2) in Pashupatinagar of the Ilam district. It could be said that the boundary treaty and the statement of delimitation are not clear. This has created doubt and suspicion about the mitigation of the boundary issue.

The JTC could not settle major issues of encroachment or disputed portions as there are unresolved issues in more than 71 places. The main issues regarding the disputed boundary with India are border encroachments, disputes on mostly cross-holding occupations, and divergent opinions on basic materials such as maps and old documents for demarcation. The other reason is the slackness in joint survey field teams and a lack of equal participation. Bernardo Michael commented, “Even today, the presence of boundary disputes between India and Nepal, clearly show that this project of drawing modern boundaries will always be an unfinished one, because human actions can never be fully constrained by lines drawn on a map.”¹⁵

12 Charles Umpherston Aitchison, A Collection of Treaties Vol. VIV (Calcutta, India, 1929), 65.

15 Michael, The Tarai, 8.

When we look at the historical background of the boundary of Nepal, it was Prithvi Narayan Shah the Great who initiated the unification of various small kingdoms and principalities of the Himalayan region in 1745. After his conquest of the Kathmandu Valley, he unified other smaller countries south of the valley to keep out of the influence and control of the British. After his kingdom spread out from north to south, he made Kantipur the capital of his expanded country, and called it “Nepal” instead of Gorkha. As a result, Prithvi Narayan Shah formally established Nepal as a Himalayan State and thus, Nepal was born on 17 November 1769.1

After the death of Prithvi Narayan Shah, his descendants Bahadur Shah and Rajendra Laxmi continued the unification movement, extending Nepal’s border from the Tista River in the east to Kangra in the west in 1806. Similarly, Nepal was extended up to the confluence of the Gandak and Ganges rivers to the south; and to Shigatshe and Tashilhunpo Gomba (monastery) across the Himalayas to the north, which now falls in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) of China. That was called the “Greater Nepal.”2

In the course of time, British India began not to like Nepal as a unified and integrated country. So there were some conflicts in the territory between Nepal and British India. As a result, there was the Anglo-Gurkha War (1814-1816). In essence, the Anglo-Gurkha War was primarily a struggle over how to

disentangle these complex relationships and the underlying visions of territory the two states adhered to. And it is this colonial encounter and the subsequent defeat of Gorkha that resulted in the territorial delineation of most of Nepal’s Tarai as we know it today.3 Because of time, situation, environment and activities of the past, the borderline has shifted to the Mechi River in the east, the Mahakali River in the west, the watershed of the Himalayan Range in the north, and to the plains of the Tarai in the south. This is the history of the territory of present-day Nepal.

2 Fannindra Nepal, Nepal: Tista to Sutlej (Kathmandu: Nepal Nationalistic Front, 1998), 224.
3 Bernardo Michael, The Tarai: A Part of Moghlan or Gorkha? Perspective from the Time of the Anglo-Gorkha War (1814-1816), Paper presented at the Conference ‘Nepal Tarai: Contest and Possibilities’ (Kathmandu, Nepal, March 2005): 2.
Citation: Buddha N. Shrestha (2013) ‘Shifting Borders of Nepal’ , SRC

The Koch race first came prominently into notice about the close of the fifteenth or the beginning of the sixteenth century, when Hajo established the Koch Kingdom upon the downfall of the more ancient Hindu Kingdom of Kamrup.’(W.W.Hunter, Statistical Account of Bengal, Vol, 10, p, 255). The Koch tribe first came to prominence by the close of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century when they established the powerful Koch kingdom.B.H.Hodgson wrote that when Viswa Singha, the grandson of Hajo, and the founder of the Koch kingdom. The people of the Coach Behar state were mainly Koch. The advanced section of the community was known as 'Rajbansi'.During the reign of Viswa Singha, Brahmanism was introduced and the people including the king and his officers embraced the new religion. They abandoned the name 'Koch' on their conversion to Hinduism and took the name 'Rajbansi' which literally means 'Royal Race’.

In 1901, tlze term 'Rajbanshi' was first coined in the census of India.

However, since the 16th century', the people were found busy to search for their"

Aryan Identity, inside the royal of Cooch Behar. These people took the title of Narayan, accepted Madan Mohan Temple as the God of thee state. Tlte people like Goswami and Bhattacharjee were brought from the district of Nadia and other places and made Cooch Behar a centre of Aryan religious practice and culture.

It became a Feudatory State by virtue of the Treaty of 1773. Cooch Behar, also known as Koch Bihar,was a princely state ruled by Rajbanshi clans during the British Raj. The state was placed under the Bengal States Agency, part of the Eastern States Agency of the Bengal Presidency. It is located south of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, in present-day West Bengal. Cooch Behar State was formed when the Kamata Kingdom under the Koch dynasty split following the death of Nara Narayan in 1586. The eastern portion, Koch Hajo, was soon absorbed by Ahom. The western portion, Koch Bihar, formed a separate unit that came under direct challenge by the Mughal Empire. After weathering the Mughal threat, a new foe emerged in the form of an expansionist Bhutanese kingdom. After a series of wars with the Bhutanese and Tibetans, the Northern threat was pushed back but not before a Bhutanese regent was installed in the royal court. The Koch Bihar court decided to invite British intervention. This came in the form of military assistance that -acting in concert with Koch Bihar forces- ended the Northern challenge once and for all. However the British East India company sought guarantees whereby the independence of Koch Bihar was limited by treaties. When the British colonial rule was finally terminated in India, the Koch Bihar state immediately acceded to and merged with India in 1949 and became a part of West Bengal.

ProfessorAtisDasgupta has put 1770s situation differently. To him, ―the early phase of colonial rule of the EIC during the second half of the 18th century intensively damaged the interests of three major sections of the inhabitants of Bengal who, if grouped together, would have the potentialities to start insurrections—the peasants, the artisans and the disbanded soldiers. These groups could occasionally get support from the dispossessed old zamindars (like Maharani Bhawani of Natore and Asaduzzaman Khan, a Nawab of Birbhum) and semi-autonomous Chieftains like, the Rajbangshi Rajas of Cooch-behar and their relative Raikats of Baikunthapur or Jalpaiguri), though most of these feudal leaders often vacillated between submission and defiance vis-à-vis the East India Company. The whole situation became acutely desperate and antagonistic after the unprecedented ravages of the famine of 1770-71.

The Treaty of 1773 between the East India Company and the Raja (King) of Cooch Behar is treated to be most important landmark in the history of Cooch Behar making the state a tributary to the British Government. The Treaty brought fundamental changes dismissing and routing all the Sannyasis (Giri) so long hired by the NazirDeo of Cooch Behar.Sannyasi mercenaries had to withdraw themselves from Cooch Behar State, while their patronNazirDeo had to swallow this bitter British pill but continued maintaining a secret relation with the Sannyasis. On the other, the Treaty between Bhutan and the EIC put an end to the yearlong rivalry between Bhutan and Cooch Behar. The imprisoned King of Cooch Behar along with his officials and few relatives were released by the Bhutanese king at the instance of EIC as per provisions of the Treaty. The released Maharaja was reinstalled at the instance of the EIC Government.(J.M Ghosh, Opcit. pp. 90-99).In fact, Bhutan was restrained not to intervene into the internal affairs of Cooch Behar especially on the succession issue to the throne as also not to allow Sannyasis to live in the territory of Bhutan orpass through the country. By referring contemporary British official records based on the depositions of the arrested Sannyasis, J.M.Ghosh informs us about the plots of conspiracy engineered by Khagendranarayan along with mercenary Sannyasis to out lodge the minor King of Cooch Behar. By the documentation of J.M.Ghosh, it is revealed that the principal Sannyasi leader behind the conspiracy was Ganesh Giri under whom the other Sannyasi leaders like Hari Giri, AkhilGiri, Sadanund, BessenGiri, MohunGiri and KedoorGiri were directly involved in the conspiracy. It has been further known that joining hands with the Sannyasis, few neighbouringzamindars supported the NazirDeo in his mission to become the king after killing/dislodging the minor king of Cooch Behar. Ghosh informs us that one BoolchandBhuroowah, a zamindar of Kader and another zamindar of Karibari sent troops to Cooch Behar in aid of Khagendranarayan. Moreover, Danger Deo, the elder brother of Khagendranarayan, took active part in attacking Cooch Behar palace to over throne the minor king, the regent mother.

On 27th August, 1787, the EIC force under the leadership of Capt. Rotton took possession of the palace of Cooch Behar. Both Maharani Kanteswari, minor king and the other members of the royal family were brought back to the palace from Balarampur. The minor King was reinstalled. Khagendranarayan‘s property was confiscated. Both the NazirDeo and DewanDeo were denied out rightly from all kinds of land rights. The Governor General directed that the arrested Sannyasis were to be tried by a criminal court. Ganesh Giri, the principal Sannyasi died under trial. The establishment of full right of the Raja over the State of Cooch Behar was recognized and ensured by the EIC Government. To retain peace and order in Cooch Behar, Mr.Doughlas was appointed Commissioner. Such appointment accomplished the British objective to bring Cooch Behar under protectorate State category

Hitasadhani sabha which was formed before the independence of the country ‘India’ and during the rule of the Coocbehar Dynasty played a dominating role to organize the Rajbanshi Community in favour of remaining the Cooch Behar Dynasty as an independent state. They enjoyed the blessing of the royal family. They had the tremendous influence upon the common Rajbanshi Community although the leadership of this organization was in the hand of the land lord of the Rajbanshi Community . Another important facts that the separation of Goalpara district , the Rajbanshi dominated area and annexed with Assam during the latter part of the British Rule was a severe blow to the unity of the Rajbanshi community . This separation is one of the major cause to raise the demand of GreaterCocch behar State by the present kamtapur movement .

Again the uneven distribution of development helped to create some kind of the feeling of alienation from southern part of the state. At that time Calcutta became the capital of India and became the principal centre of trade and culture. Dacca which was the important centre of learning and trade centre during the Sultan or Nawab period gradually lost its importance. As a result the educated youth of the then East Bengal most of whom belonged to the zaminder or the land lord family they were in search of new avenue for the employment. At that time many of them came here as the king Nripendra Narayan opened the door of the kingdom for the educated youth for the educational institutions, in the court of law as the state adopted the British laws replacing the primitive practice in land system and also in the matter of law and order. For that reason the king asked the English law knowing people for the function in the court and also for the administration. As Cooch Behar was nearer to East Bengal the educated youth preferred to come here and settled. Many of them became permanently settler by purchasing the land from the local Rajbanshi community. Many of them no doubt, took the advantage of the simplicity of the local people. In that case they utilized their connection with the administration.

One should recall the great movement of Quite India under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi which influenced the Rajbanshi community as well during the 40s. The death of Panchanan Burman although weakened Kshatriya movement but it influenced many leaders to join in the national politics. For example, Upendra Nath Burman joined the National Congress along with his many followers and became the member of the Parliament. As it has been stated earlier that the political movement including social, economic, were forbidden in the princely state of Cooch Behar.

A very important political development took place in the 40s when at the insistences of the responsible governments in all the princely state of India, election were held in Cooch Behar. That was the first political events in the monarchy. At that time a signal of future alarm was flashed which was ignored by the then even radical leadership of that state. The subjects of the state were divided in to two groups – Deshi and Bideshi, the first open division in the line of community feelings. There emerged the Hitasadhani Sabha, an organization of Deshi people comprising Rajbanshi both the Hindu and the Muslim along with other indigenous groups against Bideshi (British).

The boundary of Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri district but the two districts of western Assam, namely Goalpara and kamrup automatically takes its place in the discussion as in these two districts 75% of the total population belonged to Rajbanshi community. Not only that the Rajbanshi community in Assam already enjoyed the test of power of the state. Sarat Chandra Sinha who belonged to Rajbanshi community became the chief minister of the state. The 1874 is the very important year for the Rajbanshi community. In this year, Goalpara, the Rajbanshi concentrated district was separated from North Bengal and merged with newly formed Assam province. The separation of Goalpara from North Bengal not only changed the geographical area of North Bengal but also greatly damaged the traditional belt of the Rajbanshi homogeneity dividing the history of Rajbanshi community.

It should bear in mind that since 1874, either due to the reorganization or partition whatever have taken place , in each time the Rajbanshi community has been marginalized some time linguistically, sometimes in demographically and sometimes politically and culturally. Rangpur, Goalpara and the princely state of Cooch Bihar all these were known as the land of Rajbanshi. The separation of Goalpara district initiated the split of the homogeneity of the Rajbanshi community. Then came the partition. The loss of Rangpur in one hand and the influx of the Bengali refugees on the other hand. This continuous marginalisation gave birth a sense of inferiority as well as insecurity in their mind. This also led to form the different types of the movement in different times and different forms. Whatever may be the name or form of the movement the root causes of the movements are their continuous marginalization and consequently losing their hold on their customs language, and culture. In addition to this, the severe economic disparity due to the indifferent attitude of the government toward this region aggravated this sentiment.

After the year 1874 this is for the first time the Rajbanshi of Assam and North Bengal came together to unite themselves and formed a common platform ̳Greater Kamta United Forum with an aim to reunite again. It is no doubt in embryonic stage but form an embryo a baby grows and develops in full grown man if he gets nourishment from the different sources. Similarly ethnic feeling remains in the embryonic form at the initial stage but it turned in to the ethnic clashes if it gets the provocation as its food from the surrounding environment.

The new Assam province was created in 1874 comprising five Assamese speaking districts namely, Sibsagar, Darang, Lakhimpur, and Kamrup. These areas were geographically known as the Brahmaputra valley. Dibrugarh known as Ujani Assam was included it and after that in the same year the Bengali speaking Surma Valley‘s Sylhet district and the Rajbanshi dominated Goalpara district which was formerly a part of Rangpur were also included in the new province.

The Rajbanshi people of Goalpara where they represented eighty percent of the total population could not understand the far reaching consequences of this separation. Had the Rajbanshi leaders of that time resisted this decision of incorporating of Goalpara with Assam the history of the Rajbanshi might have been different. They lost their two hundred years connection i.e. from 1639 to 1822 with Bengal. It should be noted here that in 1639 the region of the present day Goalpara was incorporated with Rangpur and it was severed from Rangpur in 1822 when the district of Goalpara was created. One important thing in this connection may be mentioned. When the colonial government had created the province of Assam the total Assamese speaking population was at that time was 35 lakhs. On the other hand, the number of the Rajbanshi population was also 35 lakhs. But there was a difference in question of geographical distribution of the Rajbanshi population. The Asamese got their linguistic state because they used to live and still living in their own territory while the Rajbanshis had been living in Goalpara and the Kamrup of Assam province the princely state of Cooch–Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Terai, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Purnea of Bihar, Jhapa and Morang of Nepal.
[Chapter-7, IDENTITY–AUTONOMY QUESTION AND THE STATE: THE KAMTAPUR EXPERIENCE Pg: 176-179,196]

REFERENCES

1. Das Parabananda, (20070 ̳The Hitasadhanee Sabha and the tension of Cooch Behar‘s Integration with India in Sailen Das (ed) Social and Political Tension in north Bengal Siliguri. Pp99
2. The Cooch Behar Gazetteer from the year 1940.

In pre-colonial time, entire Mahananda-Kanki had fallen within

Morong and eventually went under occupancy of Gorkha House of Nepal. Morong is now fallen under Nepal(Mechinagar, Jhapa, Biartnagar and Morong), Bihar (Kishanganj) and North Bengal (Siliguri and Islampur subdivisions).

Darjeeling Sadar and Kurseong subdivisions (from South Sikkim during colonial period) and Kalimpong (from western Bhutan during colonial period) as well as entire foothill region of Bhutan Himalayas or Duars are some included areas. Duars has been composed of 18 major sub-Himalayan entrances. Of these, western eight are now in North Bengal-all under Jalpaiguri district along Indo-Bhutan border line and collectively known as Bengal Duars. Duars was included during the British Raj; eastern part of Duars is now Bodoland. Cooch Behardynasty, Kingdom of Sikkim and local foothill Rajbanshi rulers supported the British force for inclusion of these disputed territories. British established urban and rururban settlements, hill stations, tea garden, forest department and tourist destination as alternative economy to this foothill and hill territories.The Rajbanshi's of Nepal ruled the eastern part of Nepal before the unification. In terms of present Nepal, Rana Regime bestowed 'Jamindar' status to the Rajbanshi rulers of eastern Nepal. (Tax payable to The East India Company) and later to The Kingdom of Nepal after the unification of Nepal entitled to keep the land but not the status of the king.

Rajbanshi's of Nepal (Royal-Blood) are Aborigine people settled in Eastern Part of Nepal long before colonization, unification of Nepal or the democracy of India.