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- Mar 26, 2002
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For those discussing this recently:
http://store.museumreplicas.com/cgi-bin/www11650.storefront
"Atlanta Cutlery Corp. and International Military Antiques of New Jersey are pleased to announce the procurement of rare antique British Victorian weapons from the Royal Nepalese Army. Containers are on the High Seas and deliveries are expected in August 2003. Many items have not been available for decades. This is truly a one chance opportunity to add to your British Colonial and U.S. Civil War collections. Nestled in the lap of the mighty Himalayas, Nepal, the home of the fierce Gurkha fighters, has had a war-like history. In 1814 Gurkha armies invaded North India occupying the hill stations of Mussoorie, Simla and the regional capital of Dehra Dun. Having lost the cool climes of the hill stations during the unbearably hot Indian summer, the British administration in Delhi mounted a full invasion of Nepal with five armies. Never reported in British history books, four of the armies were totally repulsed and only the fifth under General David Ochterlony succeeded in breaking through Kathmandu Valley, reaching to within sixty miles of the Nepalese capital. At this point the King of Nepal at the urging of his Prime Minister Bhimsen Thapa, sued for peace which culminated with the Treaty Of Sagauli on December 2, 1815. This treaty terminated hostilities, allowed the British to cross Nepal and commence trade with Tibet and allowed the British to enlist Gurkha soldiers for whom they now had tremendous respect into the British military. Nepal maintained it's independence, but came under "British Influence." As a result Britain would supply its new ally with modern weapons, conveniently very available with the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo earlier in 1815. The end result has been an almost 200 year bond between the two countries with a complete cross section of British weapons from the Brown Bess to the Vickers machine gun being supplied by the British over the years. Still today there are Gurkha regiments in the British Army that have fought alongside other famous British regiments in all the major world conflicts of both the 19th and 20th centuries.
In the midst of the old city of Kathmandu, in the district of Lagan sits a 16th century palace that was the ancestral home of the Thapa family. The most famous member of the Thapa clan was Bhimsen Thapa, who is regarded as Nepal's first Prime Minister and remained in office for some 30 years. Having negotiated the peace treaty with Britain in 1815, Nepal enjoyed many subsequent years of prosperity. In the late 1830's Bhimsen retired to his country estate, however in 1839 he was lured back to Kathmandu by his enemies and imprisoned. The charges of high treason were laid against him and to break his spirit he was informed that his wife of many years was to be dragged through the city unclad as humiliation. The night before this courage was to occur, Bhimsen hanged himself in his cell whereupon his wife hearing the news threw herself from a high window in their palace of Lagan Silekhana with a rope around her neck, meeting the same fate. Even to this day a rope hangs from the very spot in homage to this great statesman. In 1845 Bhimsen Thapa's nephew became Prime Minister and initiated a full inquiry which completely exonerated his late Uncle. As a result a great bloodbath followed, eliminating all the original Thapa enemies. Thereafter Lagan Silekhana was never reoccupied by the Thapa family and became the Royal Armoury. Only when the accumulated weapons stored at the palace of Lagan Silekhana were sold was the true extent of the massive array of 19th century weapons apparent, many of which had laid undisturbed for over a hundred years."
http://store.museumreplicas.com/cgi-bin/www11650.storefront
"Atlanta Cutlery Corp. and International Military Antiques of New Jersey are pleased to announce the procurement of rare antique British Victorian weapons from the Royal Nepalese Army. Containers are on the High Seas and deliveries are expected in August 2003. Many items have not been available for decades. This is truly a one chance opportunity to add to your British Colonial and U.S. Civil War collections. Nestled in the lap of the mighty Himalayas, Nepal, the home of the fierce Gurkha fighters, has had a war-like history. In 1814 Gurkha armies invaded North India occupying the hill stations of Mussoorie, Simla and the regional capital of Dehra Dun. Having lost the cool climes of the hill stations during the unbearably hot Indian summer, the British administration in Delhi mounted a full invasion of Nepal with five armies. Never reported in British history books, four of the armies were totally repulsed and only the fifth under General David Ochterlony succeeded in breaking through Kathmandu Valley, reaching to within sixty miles of the Nepalese capital. At this point the King of Nepal at the urging of his Prime Minister Bhimsen Thapa, sued for peace which culminated with the Treaty Of Sagauli on December 2, 1815. This treaty terminated hostilities, allowed the British to cross Nepal and commence trade with Tibet and allowed the British to enlist Gurkha soldiers for whom they now had tremendous respect into the British military. Nepal maintained it's independence, but came under "British Influence." As a result Britain would supply its new ally with modern weapons, conveniently very available with the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo earlier in 1815. The end result has been an almost 200 year bond between the two countries with a complete cross section of British weapons from the Brown Bess to the Vickers machine gun being supplied by the British over the years. Still today there are Gurkha regiments in the British Army that have fought alongside other famous British regiments in all the major world conflicts of both the 19th and 20th centuries.
In the midst of the old city of Kathmandu, in the district of Lagan sits a 16th century palace that was the ancestral home of the Thapa family. The most famous member of the Thapa clan was Bhimsen Thapa, who is regarded as Nepal's first Prime Minister and remained in office for some 30 years. Having negotiated the peace treaty with Britain in 1815, Nepal enjoyed many subsequent years of prosperity. In the late 1830's Bhimsen retired to his country estate, however in 1839 he was lured back to Kathmandu by his enemies and imprisoned. The charges of high treason were laid against him and to break his spirit he was informed that his wife of many years was to be dragged through the city unclad as humiliation. The night before this courage was to occur, Bhimsen hanged himself in his cell whereupon his wife hearing the news threw herself from a high window in their palace of Lagan Silekhana with a rope around her neck, meeting the same fate. Even to this day a rope hangs from the very spot in homage to this great statesman. In 1845 Bhimsen Thapa's nephew became Prime Minister and initiated a full inquiry which completely exonerated his late Uncle. As a result a great bloodbath followed, eliminating all the original Thapa enemies. Thereafter Lagan Silekhana was never reoccupied by the Thapa family and became the Royal Armoury. Only when the accumulated weapons stored at the palace of Lagan Silekhana were sold was the true extent of the massive array of 19th century weapons apparent, many of which had laid undisturbed for over a hundred years."
