Treaty Of Sugauli 1816 – Burning Issues – Free PDF Download

Treaty of Sugauli 1816

• The Treaty of Sugauli was signed on 2 December 1815 between the East India Company and King of Nepal following the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814-16.
• The treaty was ratified on 4 March 1816.
• Demarcated the borders of Nepal and British India
• Lord Francis Hastings (1813-1823) was the Governor General of Bengal during
• The Anglo – Gurkha war

Kingdom of Nepal

• King – Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah (Only 16 years old)
• Bhimsen Thapa was the Mukhtiyar (prime minister) and de facto ruler of Nepal from 1806 to 1837.
• He had aggressively expanded the boundaries of the kingdom.
• Before the Anglo-Nepalese War, the territory of Nepal extended from Sutlej river in the west to Teesta river in the east.
• General Amar Singh Thapa – played a leading role in the war

Cause of war  

• The Anglo–Nepalese War was fought between Nepal and the British East India Company as a result of

1. Border tensions – Oudh region
2. Trade dispute – Tibet trade
3. Ambitious expansionism of both the powers

The terms of the treaty

• Nepal accepted a British resident.

Nepal lost its one-third territory-

1. Ceded the districts of Garhwal and Kumaon,
2. Abandoned claims to large parts of Tarai region
3. Nepal had to withdraw from Sikkim

Boundary of Nepal fixed – from Mechi River to Mahakali River

Recruitment of Gurkha in British army

• During World War II (1939–45), a total of 250,280 Gurkhas served the British army.
• They earned 2,734 bravery awards, and suffered around 32,000 casualties in all theatres

A very favourable treaty for the British

• Nepal became a loyal friend of the ‘Raj’.
• Gurkha joined the British Indian army in large numbers
• Suppressing the 1857 revolt – One of the main assistance was from the King of Nepal
• EIC got better facilities for trade with Central Asia.
• The British acquired large territories in Himalayas where they built the ‘hill stations’ such as Shimla, Mussorie and Nainital.
• The Treaty of Sugauli was the mainstay of relations between British Rule in India and the Kingdom of Nepal for more than 130 years
• Right after independence , in 1950 India signed the India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship

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