Bhakti Thapa

Sardar Bhakti Thapa
सरदार भक्ति थापा
Old Bhakti Thapa
Grand Old Man of Deothal
Personal details
Born	1741 Lamjung District, Nepal
Died	1815 Deuthal, Uttarakhand, India
Children	Ram Das Singh Thapa
Military service
Battles/wars	Anglo-Nepalese war

Bhakti Thapa (1741 Lamjung, Nepal – 1815) is a National hero of Nepal.

Grand Old Man Bhakti Thapa was the Sirdar (commander) of Lamjung state, so he fought against Gorkhali in the battle from the side of Kehari Narayan, the King of Lamjung. After the fall of Lamjung in the battle against the Gorkhali (Nepali) forces, he was captured and brought to Kathmandu as a prisoner of war. Later he was appointed as sirdar (one of the sirdars) in the Nepali army. Just two years after the unification of Jumla, he was made the supreme commander (Sardar) of the Nepalese army stationed to the west of the capital in a region that stretched almost up to the Sutlej river, and also the administrator of this region. Sardar Bhakti Thapa’s great success in the unification of Jumla District made him a legendary figure. He was a patriot involved in the Anglo-Nepalese War. His most important contribution in the war was at the western front of Deothal.

In the Anglo-Nepal war, Sardar Bhakti Thapa was controlling operation of the whole Western Region of Nepal from the fort of Malaun, whereas the fort of Surajgadh was in the south of this fort. As the British forces had control over the fort of Deuthal, 1,000 yards (910 m) away from Malaun fort, the whole of the Western Region was at stake, which made Sardar Bhakti Thapa go to the battlefield, taking naked Khukuri and sword on his hand, along with 2,000 Nepalese soldiers admist the fierce gun-firing of the British army on April 16, 1815. There was fierce fighting between the two forces, killing 100 soldiers of the Nepalese army while all the officers were killed except only on arsenal. In this battle when Sardar Bhakti Thapa tried to capture a British cannon, he was hit by the bullet at his heart. The Major David Ochterlony, handed over very respectfully to the Nepalese army, the dead body of Sardar Bhakti Thapa after covering it with dosalla (a woollen shawl). The very next day, his body was cremated with the due state guard of honour. His two wives committed Sati (burning themselves on their husband's pyre). Before going to the battlefield, he had handed over his grandson to Bada Kaji Amar Singh Thapa. Sitting at the foot of the flag of Nepal, Bada Kaji Amar Singh Thapa and Ram Das, the son of Sardar Bhakti Thapa, encouraged the Nepalese army looking around at the sight of war. The Anglo-Nepal war took a different turn after the end of this battle. The way Sardar Bhakti Thapa laid down his life at the Deothal battle has become a legend in Nepalese history.