Why the British Empire Could Never Colonize Nepal

At a time when most of the world was under British rule, there was one Himalayan nation that remained proudly independent. Despite their powerful armies, weapons, and vast resources, the British were limited to signing a peace treaty with the small Kingdom of Nepal, known for its brave Gorkhas and rugged terrain. Yes, Nepal — a small and beautiful country of the Himalayas — was never colonized by any power. While the powerful states of the Indian subcontinent fell under British control one after another, a small country like Nepal was expanding its territory. After the Anglo-Nepal War 1824-1816, the British had an opportunity to occupy or invade Nepal but they left Nepal independent colonizing the entire Indian subcontinent instead. In this blog, we will explore the remarkable history of the Gorkhas and how Nepal safeguarded its sovereignty while neighboring countries fell under colonial rule.

It was around 1743 AD when Nepal was not yet unified as a country. There were many small kingdoms in the Himalayas that often fought with each other for territory — one of them was Gorkha. After the death of Nara Bhupal Shah, King of Gorkha, his son Prithvi Narayan Shah became king at the age of 20. At that time, the influence of the Mughals began to spread across the Indian subcontinent. The newly crowned King of Gorkha, Prithvi Narayan Shah, was worried by the news of the Mughal expansion. He then planned to launch a campaign to unify Nepal in order to protect its territory, preserve its religion and prevent all foreign influence in the region. This campaign was later known as "The Unification Campaign of Nepal".

Before the unification of Nepal, the soldiers of the Gorkha State were known as the Gorkhali Army. That's why the British used the same name — Gurkha soldiers— for the troops they recruited from Nepal. King Prithvi Narayan Shah launched the unification campaign aggressively in 1743. 

With his Gorkhali Army, Prithvi Narayan Shah captured most of the states of the Himalayas one by one and established the Kingdom of Nepal in 1769. The Gorkhali army won nearly all the battles during the campaign and earned a reputation as a fierce and powerful force in Nepal. 

Meanwhile, the British East India Company had gradually begun consolidating its dominance over the Indian subcontinent after 1757. So, it was only a matter of time before these two rising powers would inevitably collide.

From the British point of view, Nepal was never a top priority to capture. They initially tried to avoid war with the Gorkhas but eventually they were drawn to the very gates of Nepal for battle.

The Gorkhali army and the British army came face to face for the first time at the Battle of Sindhuligadhi in 1767. Back then, the British had good trade relations with the small kingdom located within the Kathmandu Valley. But when King Prithvi Narayan Shah launched his unification campaign and laid siege to Kathmandu, the British sent their troops — not just as allies, but as a show of strength and influence in the region. That’s when the famous Sindhuligadhi war began. The Gorkhalis, driven by the dream of a united Nepal and fighting on their own soil, battled fiercely. The British had to face a historic defeat in this war. Over 1,000 of their soldiers were killed. Their condition was so bad that they had to leave their weapons and run away. After defeating the British — who had taken over the world — the world began to whisper the name "Gorkhali" with newfound respect.

The war strategy of the Gorkhas was very unique. They were particularly skilled in the use of stones, bows, arrows, cocks and maces. Apart from this, they were also adept at guerrilla warfare. Attacking before the enemy could strike, launching assaults in difficult terrain, time and weather conditions maintaining utmost surprise were the key specialties of the Gurkha army. And the most important thing is that they were well familiar with the hilly terrain of Nepal. This is the reason why it was almost impossible to defeat the Gorkha army by entering the Nepali territory. And let's not forget, it was only the British East India Company fighting against Nepal, not the entire British Empire.      

To tell the truth, after their humiliating defeat at Sindhuligadhi Fort, the British soldiers were so scared that they did not dare challenge the Gurkhas again for the next 50 years. The British still had their eyes set on trade with Tibet. But there is a huge Himalaya between India and Tibet and to reach Tibet from here, one has to cross the complex Himalayan routes. At that time, all the major routes to Tibet were under the control of Nepal. Therefore, the British wanted to expand trade with Tibet anyway, even by establishing friendly relations with Nepal. Since Tibet was also a trading post of Nepal — it was already deeply connected to Tibetan trade and wasn’t going to surrender its interests to British pressure. While the tension between the British and Nepal was ongoing, the land dispute between Butwal and Siuraj eventually ignited into full-scale conflict, and in 1814, the Anglo-Nepalese war began. This war lasted for two years, and it changed the map and future of Nepal forever. The British had learned a lesson from their defeat at Sindhuligadhi fort. This time, they came into the war with more preparation — more weapons and more soldiers. However, in the initial phase of the war, the Nepali army was overwhelming the British. After suffering defeat on one front, the British changed their strategy and began attacking from multiple directions at once. Nepal faced a shortage of soldiers. As the British launched simultaneous attacks from multiple directions, Nepal came under immense pressure. Men and women from every household joined the fight to protect the existence of their motherland but even their courage couldn’t break the siege of the British army. In the end, due to this calculated strategy by the British, Nepal was forced to give up one-third of its land through the Sugauli Treaty in 1816.    

The Sugauli Treaty was a historic agreement signed in 1816 between Nepal and the British East India Company. As a result of this treaty, Nepal was forced to give up about one-third of its territory to the British including present-day Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kumaon, Garhwal, and large parts of Terai. It marked a turning point in Nepal's history, reducing its size and limiting its influence in the region. The British, who had fought fiercely against the Gorkhalis, were deeply impressed by their bravery and loyalty. After the treaty, they officially started recruiting Gurkhas into their army. The treaty also allowed a British resident (diplomatic representative) to be stationed in Kathmandu, marking the beginning of foreign influence in Nepal’s internal affairs.  

The Gorkha army had a shortage of soldiers in the Anglo-Nepal War. But they never gave up. They kept fighting bravely till the very end. Yes, the British were powerful in this war — they had the upper hand in terms of resources and strength, but even then, they didn’t capture Nepal. There are three main reasons:

First, Nepal’s geography itself became its strongest defense. Around 83% of the country is covered by hills and mountains. The British had little to no experience fighting in such rough terrain. They didn’t have the financial strength or military manpower to sustain a full-scale war in these highlands. And on the other side, the Nepali soldiers weren’t ready to give up even an inch of their land. The British realized the cost of conquering Nepal would be too high — it just wasn’t worth it. In this way, Nepal’s challenging landscape played a key role in protecting its independence.

The second reason was Britain's strategy. If the British had taken over Nepal, they would have directly shared a border with China — a powerful empire at that time. And back then, Britain was still trying to secure its foothold over India. So, they were not ready to risk confrontation with China at that time. That’s exactly why they stayed away from not just Nepal, but also Bhutan, Kashmir, and Sikkim. It wasn’t just strength or bravery alone — it was also the political chessboard of the time that kept Nepal away from being colonized.   

But did Britain leave Nepal just because of those two reasons? Actually, no — there was more to it. After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the British government took direct control over India. This was a time when they could have easily marched into Nepal. But they didn’t. Why?

Because even before 1857, Jung Bahadur Rana had already taken power in Nepal. In 1846, he declared himself the permanent Prime Minister and grabbed full control of the state. On the other hand, Britain was expanding rapidly in India and beginning to interfere in Nepal's politics. But Jung Bahadur Rana was smart — he adopted a simple but clever policy: he chose to be an ally of the British instead of an enemy to avoid British rule in Nepal. 

In 1857, when a massive rebellion broke out in India against British rule, the British were under serious pressure. Their control over India was shaking. Sensing the moment, Jung Bahadur Rana made a smart move — he sent over 3,000 Nepali soldiers to support the British. At the same time, he didn’t allow Indian rebels to hide in Nepal. Many were captured or driven out. This timely support won the trust of the British. Instead of turning Nepal into a colony, they chose to recognize it as an independent state. Yes, Nepal came under strong British influence during the Rana era — but it was never fully colonized, never turned into anyone’s slave.

By choosing diplomacy over war, Nepal gave the British what they needed — support, loyalty, and peace at the border. And in return, Nepal kept what mattered most: its independence. Places like Kashmir and Sikkim, which weren’t colonized either, eventually became part of India. But Nepal? It stood its ground. It held on to its name, its flag, its soul.

Now imagine for a second — what if the Gorkhali soldiers had backed down? What if Nepal had surrendered? Or what if Jung Bahadur had picked a fight with the British instead of playing it smart? The Nepal we know today might not even exist. The map could have changed. The story we tell ourselves — as a free, proud country — could’ve been lost forever.

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