Uttarakhand: Why This Road To Khalanga Forests Doubles As The Path For Understanding Gorkha Sentiment

Dehradun witnessed a beautiful story of conflict, resolution and restoration in 2024. 

At the end of November, Sagar Tal in Nalapani, Dehradun, echoed with Nepali songs of valour, faith, honour and beauty, on the occasion of the 50th Khalanga Mela. People of the Gorkha community gathered for paying their tribute to Veer Balbadhra Kunwar, the Gorkha general, who fought the British for the honour of his motherland and people, nearly four decades before the Mutiny of 1857 -- in the Battle of Nalapani, the first Anglo-Nepalese War. 

Veer Balbadhra Kunwar’s name is the emotional nerve that keeps the festivities of Khalanga Mela -- the annual fair that celebrates Gorkha history, Gorkha military history, culture and retelling -- throbbing. 

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami attended the celebrations this year and described the Khalanga battle as a symbol of Gorkha valour, Gorkha patriotism, the community’s unflinching love for the motherland, its glorious past, heritage and history. 

CM Dhami’s presence at the Khalanga Mela was important for the government’s acknowledgement of the Gorkha sentiment. 

In May last year, people of the community joined protests held by citizen groups in the Khalanga Forests area against the government’s decision of cutting approximately 2,000 trees - mostly sal. 

The government was on the verge of taking a misstep that would not only leave a dent on the city’s forest heritage and environment, but also hurt Gorkha sentiment. It was due to compelling public pressure that the government had to rethink its decision. 

A look at the events in May 2024. Reports in the local media emerged that the Uttarakhand government is planning to cut down approximately 2,000 trees in the Khalanga Forest. 

Eco-activists and locals protested the decision of the government against the proposed building of the water treatment plant which would be part of a larger gravity project of dam building on the Song river, and was expected to be built on the site. 

As per a government document, the nature of the dam proposed to be built is mentioned as “concrete gravity dam.” 

A government document says: “According to the data furnished by Garhwal Jal Sansthan, Dehradun, there is shortage of 76.46 million litre of drinking water per day i.e. 27.90 million cubic metre per year. It is anticipated that this shortfall will go upto 256.02 million litre per day or 93.35 million cubic metre per year by the year 2051. Keeping this in view, it is proposed to collect the surplus water during monsoons by constructing a dam to solve the problem of drinking water for the city of dehradun and adjoining areas (sic).”  

Reports mentioned that the dam and the water treatment plant would address the needs of 60 wards in Dehradun. While the concerns of the government were people-centered and valid, perceptions and doubts landed pretty quickly.

Near the Sagar Tal, a local Tibetan couple told this author in September, “We walk up to the Khalanga Forests very often when the rains stop. Abhi sab shanti hai. Jungle katna hee kyon hai? People have stood for the protection of the forest and we appreciate that. The sal trees are the lifeline of the local ecology here.” 

In May 2024, the government’s decision and its news touched a public-raw nerve in the state’s capital. 

During the time of the protest, summer was making its cruel presence felt in Uttarakhand. June was weeks away, but it was becoming evident that soaring temperatures would beat former records. Parts of Uttarakhand were battling with wildfires. During May last week in 2024, Dehradun recorded a maximum temperature of 43.2 degrees centigrade. 

Temperature breaching the 40 degrees centigrade mark in Dehradun is considered a deviation hard to accept. Reports described the leap in temperature as "four notches above the average temperature.” 

In this context and temperatures, the news of the planned cutting of sal trees in the Khalanga Forest hit many hard - regardless of the communities they come from and lifestyle they follow. 

Public sentiment in Dehradun at that time was a blend of concern for the city, its environment, and disagreement with the government’s stand. Citizens said: “The rise in temperatures seen in Uttarakhand has not been witnessed in the past. Yet, the government is insisting on cutting trees at Khalanga Forest. The worst part was that it was adding to the problem instead of bringing corrective measures.”   

Residents expressed their discontent through outrage and protests led by activists and marched to the Khalanga forests. They wanted the Dhami-led government to reconsider the plan. Politically, the protests were bound to attract attention. Though voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha election had taken place, the mood in the city was turning pungent against the state government for its perceived “anti-environment” stance. 

In a state known for the Chipko Andolan, nostalgia for forest conservation works in varying emotional proportions during public protests. At Khalanga protests, people tied threads across the trunks of sal trees in a gesture symbolic of “protection” of environmental heritage. 

The timing of these protests mattered politically. Though these protests took place after the single phase voting for the Lok Sabha poll in Uttarakhand had wrapped, voting in other states was still in progress. 

Visuals of the protests on social media spread vigorously as expected. 

As noted in the public narrative in Dehradun, social media discussions and quick reels, many supporters of the BJP were hesitant in defending the plan and the reason behind it. 

For Dehradun's Gorkha community, the environmental cause at the start of these protests served as a cultural safeguard against potentially harmful actions.

Colonel (Retd) Vikram Thapa, president, Balbhadra Khalanga Vikas Samiti, was at the helm of the protests. He told this author: “The government was planning to construct a WTP (water treatment plant) by bringing water from Song Dam (to be constructed). We were taken by surprise to know that the government was planning to cut down nearly 2,000 trees for the construction of the reservoir. The move, naturally, was not welcome. That’s not all. We were stunned by the sense of urgency shown in the matter in the scenario, particularity with how the trees getting marked for felling.” 

Making many locals furious was the fact that that the proposed move aimed at felling 2,000 sal trees in a reserved forest area known for its “chashmas” -- natural springs -- was hugely destructive in intent. It was perceived as contrary to their own belief in preservation of natural heritage as citizens. 

The “chashmas” are respectfully preserved by the locals and used for drinking water needs and irrigation in Nalapani, Raipur, and more  localities in Dehradun. “This natural heritage stood the risk of getting destroyed and dried up in the event and process of the construction of the water treatment plant, thereby creating shortage of water to the surrounding areas in the city.” 

Eco-activists from Dehradun, too, brought up the issue of the impending risk to the “chashmas” and said that with the rising temperatures, it was imperative to save the chashmas that have catered to the needs of the locals for generations. 

For Col Thapa, a Gorkha, the issue was just not environmental. The mention of “water” and “Khalanga” in the same sentence sends emotion gushing to his face. It was perhaps becoming clear that protesting alone would not make the government review its decision. 

A group of citizens led by Col. Thapa met state authorities and shared their concerns for the preservation of environmental heritage in Khalanga:

—They spoke to government authorities about the importance of the Eastern ridge of Khalanga Reserved Forest to state ecology. 

—They told the government authorities that chashmas as natural heritage stood the risk of getting destroyed and dried up with the cutting of trees in the Reserved Forest Area.  

—The group reminded the authorities of the historical importance of the Khalanga Reserve Forest, the Khalanga battle zone, and the importance of the location as a hub of environmental heritage. 

The banding together of activists and conservation enthusiasts in peak summer, their act of tying ‘rakshasutra’ (the thread of protection) around trees, and the public awareness of this protest reaching the public via social media, resulted in the government deciding to shift the construction of the water reservoir to another site. 

Saving the Khalanga Reserved Forest was central to the Gorkha community’s idea of preserving heritage. Through the Khalanga Mela, elders of the community connect their younger generations with their own history. 

The traditional leitmotif of the khukhri is celebrated in dance and fervent speeches by the elders. “The story goes back to the early 1800s when the Gorkhas fought bravely in defence against invaders who were trying to enter the Himalayan region. So far the “invaders” were restricted only in the plains.” These ‘invaders’ were none other than the British. 

The Gorkha Sentiment and Khalanga

Ironically, in the hindsight, the Gorkha community saved the government from embarrassing itself. The government actions could have proven to be a misstep, a potential cultural and political blunder, that could eventually hurt the Gorkha sentiment and perhaps India’s relations with Nepal. 

In 2018, Nepalese Army Chief General Rajendra Chhetri visited the Khalanga War Memorial at Nalapani. According to reports, he was in Uttarakhand to attend the passing out parade ceremony at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. Over the years, Gorkhas of India and those living in Nepal have continued to visit the Khalanga War Memorial to mark their tribute to Veer Balbadhra Kunwar. 

The Khalanga war memorial at the bank of river Rispana, Sagar Tal and the Khalanga Reserved Forests in Nalapani, have served as reminders of that chapter of Gorkha history that marked the initiation point to the presence of the Gorkhas in the Indian Armed Forces. 

War memorials serve their own purpose in the assertion of Indic conquests. The Khalanga War Memorial came up because the British  wanted to honour the Gorkha led by Veer Balbadhra Kunwar for their resilience and bravery displayed in the Battle of Nalapani. The Gorkha protect this heritage just as fiercely they protect honour. 

For people of the Gorkha community, the government’s decision to clear trees in Khalanga seemed like a haste-ridden act of erasing Gorkha history.

Protests to save the Khalanga Forest became Dehradun’s “cause” for environment. These protests were joined and led by people from all walks of life, and citizen groups dedicated to the environment and Veer Balbhadra Konwar Thapa Samiti.

When Colonel Thapa became part of protests to save the Khalanga Forest, the Gorkha community’s concern for its heritage found representation and voice. Saving Khalanga would be an expression of preserving Gorkha history, but the community refrained from choosing that line of narrative.

The Gorkha community should be appreciated for not letting their own emotion shadow the public movement for the environment. 

Khalanga -- The Throbbing Nerve of Gorkha History 

According to Thapa, during the beginning of the 19th century, Nepal witnessed expansion and conquests under ambitious leaders whose focus was turning towards the South, to Awadh. The influence of the East India company was well known here. 

Gorkha attacks continued into the territory considered the bastion of British control. A clash of two powerful sides was inevitable. Making it worse was the British hunger for power, control and territory. The buildup to the Khalanga battle fought in Nalapani, Dehradun, was born out of the insecurity of the East India Company regarding the growing Gorkha influence south of Nepal.

The resistance from the British came in 1814 when four British columns of troops moved towards Nepal. Gorkhas being ferocious fighters found ways to tire down the British forces. 

They were led by their commander Amar Singh Thapa. A book mentions that the British column fighting in the western part was a strong one -- with 6,000 men. 

Thapa explains: “Accounts mention that this particular column was under David Ochterlony who was leading the Ludhiana Division. General R Gillespie was given the responsibility for crushing the Gorkha control in Khalanga (according to some accounts, the British called it Kalinga while the Gorkhas called it Khalanga - meaning 'sainya shivir') and claiming Dehradun. He landed in “Dehra” with 3513-strong force.”

Between 26 October and 31 October in 1814, R Gillespie tried to capture the Khalanga fort and conquer Khalanga, but he failed owing to the courage shown by Veer Balbhadra Konwar Thapa. 

On 31 October, he launched an attack with more preparations, but was killed in action. 

Thapa adds, “In November, the Gorkhas faced a bombardment of artillery-use by the British forces. The heavy use of artillery was consistent, but the Gorkhas fought bravely for weeks. The British cut the water supply to the Fort. The Gorkha soldiers survived on raw rice. The British managed to pin down the Gorkhas by cutting off the water supply as that was the only way to defeat the protector of Khalanga. Gorkha accounts say that Veer Balbhadra, with some 70 Gorkhas, tore through the British. The British eventually captured the Fort on 30 November and razed it to the ground.”  

Gillespie was killed during the siege pretty early in the campaign at Nalapani. “By the end of March 1816, both sides decided to come to terms, with Ochterlony signing the Treaty of Segauli for the British forces, and allowing the recruitment of Gorkha soldiers into the East India Company’s forces to begin in earnest (though it had officially begun a year earlier in 1815),” another retired officer from the Gorkha community living in Dehradun mentions. 

Col. Thapa mentions that a consequence of the British East India company taking control of Dehradun and later other parts from the Gorkhas was that these parts remained out of the Gorkha control. “Or we would be sitting and having this chat in Nepal today instead of the Garhi cantonment.” 

Having witnessed the courage of the Gorkhas in the resistance at Khalanga, the British responded to the adversary in a unique and rare gesture. They dedicated a monument jointly to the fallen soldiers of the British East India company and the Gorkhas at the bank of river Rispana. 

Thapa says, “It is said to be the only monument in the history of warfare dedicated to the enemy by the victorious side. The British were so impressed with the valour of the Gorkhas that they decided to give them representation in their own forces. The Khalanga battle actually planted the seed for the Gorkha regiment.”  

Col Thapa said that efforts are being made to establish the battle area and develop it as a site for battle-related tourism. “Since there is hardly any historical monument of great importance in Dehradun, all the reasons should be given the required attention.” 

Saving Khalanga should have been the government’s own agenda. The Khalanga chapter in Dehradun’s history is Gorkha, Indic and Indian. The Khalanga battle is rooted deep in the environmental heritage of the Khalanga Reserved Forest. 

The state government and the government at the Centre would do well to shape the right environment for cultural affirmation in future.