Bhutan War
| Bhutan War | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Bhutan | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Sir John Lawrence, Bt
|
Kagyud Wangchuk (1864) Tshewang Sithub (1865) |
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| Signed | November 11, 1865 |
|---|---|
| Location | Sinchula |
| Effective | November 11, 1865 |
| Condition | Bhutanese cessation of withdrawal of claims to suzerainty of Cooch Behar and the Duars |
| Expiration | 1910 |
| Signatories | Sikkim Political Officer Herbert Bruce; Bhutanese King Ugyen Wangchuck and his ministers |
| Parties | British India; Bhutan |
| Ratifiers | Viceroy and Governor-General Sir John Lawrence (British India) |
| Language | English |
The Bhutan War (or Duar War) was a war fought between British India and Bhutan in 1864–1865.
Britain sent a peace mission to Bhutan in early 1864, in the wake of the recent conclusion of a civil war there, under Ashley Eden. The dzongpon of Punakha – who had emerged victorious – had broken with the central government and set up a rival Druk Desi while the legitimate druk desi sought the protection of the ponlop of Paro and was later deposed. The British mission dealt alternately with the rival ponlop of Paro and the ponlop of Tongsa (the latter acted on behalf of the druk desi), but Bhutan rejected the peace and friendship treaty it offered. Britain declared war in November 1864. Bhutan had no regular army, and what forces existed were composed of dzong guards armed with matchlocks, bows and arrows, swords, knives, and catapults. Some of these dzong guards, carrying shields and wearing chainmail armor, engaged the well-equipped British forces.
The fort, known at the time as Dewangiri, at Deothang was dismantled by the British during 1865. The British initially suffered a humiliating defeat at Deothang and when they recaptured Dewangiri they destroyed much in an attempt to compensate.
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