Lakhan Thapa
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Lakhan Thapa Magar | |
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| Born | 1835 Bungkot, Gorkha District, Nepal |
| Died | February 14, 1877 Bungkot, Gorkha District, Nepal |
| Occupation | Revolutionary leader |
| Known for | Resistance against the Rana dynasty; "First martyr of Nepal" |
Lakhan Thapa Magar (1835–1877) was a Nepali revolutionary who opposed the rule of the Rana dynasty. The Nepalese government officially recognizes him as "the First Martyr of Nepal."[1] Thapa Magar was a local leader in Bungkot, Gorkha District, and is and led a rebellion against the authority of Jung Bahadur Rana. His close associate, Jay Singh Chumi Magar, served as his minister.
Kot Massacre of 1846
[edit]The Kot Massacre, which took place on 14 September, 1846, was a significant event that led to the establishment of Rana rule in Nepal for over a century. The assassination of General Gagan Singh Bhandari prompted an investigation by the reigning queen. General Abhiman Singh Rana Magar, the first Commander-in-Chief of the Nepali Army, was aware of the assassin’s identity. However, before he could disclose it, Jung Bahadur Rana, aiming to consolidate power, fatally shot him. The dying general revealed the assassin's name, and Jung Bahadur Rana subsequently orchestrated the elimination of numerous nobles and political figures, including Lakhan Thapa Magar, to secure his authority.[2]
Resistance
[edit]In the aftermath of the Rana takeover, Lakhan Thapa Magar mobilized local youths and former military personnel to oppose the government. He gathered resources, including weapons and supplies, to initiate an armed rebellion. In response, the Rana administration deployed troops to Gorkha. Jung Bahadur Rana ordered the capture and execution of Thapa Magar and his supporters. On 14 February 1877, Lakhan Thapa Magar was hanged in front of his residence in Bungkot. Additionally, seven of his associates were executed near the Manakamana Temple.[3] Some accounts suggest that as many as 50 other participants were captured and executed.
The martyrdom of Lakhan Thapa Magar remains a subject of historical debate.[4] While a descendant of Jung Bahadur Rana has contested the claim, many Nepali historians assert that Thapa Magar was indeed executed for his resistance.[5]
Legacy
[edit]While Lakhan Thapa was historically viewed as a non-serious figure, his image was rehabilitated in the 1990s. Historian and former Director General of Nepal Government's Department of Archaeology, Janak Lal Sharma, wrote that Jung Bahadur Rana's rule made a revolution inevitable. Some historians have compared Lakhan Thapa to Bhagat Singh of India, describing both as prominent political martyrs.
Lakhan Thapa Magar's historical significance was reexamined in the 1990s, during which his image underwent significant rehabilitation.[5] Historian Janak Lal Sharma, a former Director General of Nepal’s Department of Archaeology, argued that the oppressive rule of Jung Bahadur Rana made rebellion inevitable.[6] Thapa Magar has been compared by some historians[who?] to Indian revolutionary Bhagat Singh, as both are regarded as prominent political martyrs in their respective countries.
Family tree
[edit]Lakhan Thapa Magar's siblings:
- Ram Thapa Magar (elder brother)
- Dhana Mala (sister).
Notes
[edit]- ^ "Bad blood- Nepali Times". www.nepalitimes.com.np. Archived from the original on 2012-06-09. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
- ^ "Nepalese Military History of Aid to British India and Independent India - Australian Institute of International Affairs". www.internationalaffairs.org.au. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
- ^ "आठ पहरिया दलले ती सबै ब्यक्ति र सामान समेत जंग बहादुर लाइ ल्यायर बुझायो | जंगबहादुरलाई शस्त्रास्त्र समेतको संगठन देखेर निक्कै आश्चर्य लाग्यो | उनले यस संगठनलाई जरैदेखि निर्मूल पार्ने विचार गरे | निर्मूल पार्ने सबभन्दा सजिलो उपाय थियो संगठन्कर्तालाई निर्मूल पार्नु | त्यस कारण जंगबहादुरले लखन थापा र उनका ७ जान साथीलाई फासीको सजाय सुनाए र उनीहरुलाई फैसला सुनाएको निक्कै समय पछी लखन थापालाई आफ्नै मठमा र अरु ७ जनालाई मनकामनामा लगेर झुन्द्याइयो | लखन थापाको मठको विशाल भाग्नावासेश अद्यापि बुग्कोटबाट नाम्जुंग जाने बाटामा अवस्थित छ र त्यहाका स्थानीय जनताले बिर्सेका छैनन् |" Lakhan Thapa Dwitiyako Parva: Janak Lal Sharma 2020 – Page 91
- ^ " जंगको हत्या गर्न भनि लखन थापा को दलले गोरखामा षड्यन्त्र रच्यो |लखन थापा प्रथम पटक पक्राऊ परे | केरकार गर्दा हात जोडी "फगत् प्राण पाल्नका निमित्त औतारी बनि टोपलेको हुँ" भन्ने बयान गरेकाले केहिदिन कैदमा राखी छोडियो |" Puroshottam Sumshwer JB Rana " Shri Teenharku Tathya Britant" PP 51
- ^ a b Chapter 5: The Messianic and rebel King Lakhan Thapa, Utopia and Ideology among the Magars notes that Lakhan Thapa had become synonymous with "ridiculous person" in the Nepali language till history and actions were rediscovered in the 1990s by the concerned group of intellectuals. Eventually he is rehabilitated as the official martyr of Nepal. He is a hero, a king and a messianic for the Magars today.Contributions to Nepalese Studies, Jan, 2009 by Dilli Ram Dahal
- ^ Janak Lal Sharma – a renowned archaeologist, writer, and director general, a recipient of Sajha Prize for his book -हाम्रो समाज: एक अध्ययन – Hamro Samaj: Ek Adhyayan – 2036
References
[edit]- Baidhya, Tulsiram, Vijay Kumar Manandhar and Premsingh Basnyat. 2009. Military History of Nepal (Part 2). Kathmandu: Army Headquarters.
- Bhandari, Dhundi Raj: नेपालको आलोचनात्मक इतिहास Nepalko Aalochanatmak Itihas (A Critical History of Nepal)
- Gurung, Hark – 1998: Nepal : Social Demography and Expression.
- Lecomte-Tilouine, Marie – Oxford University Press – 2008: Hindu Kingship, Ethnic Revival and Maoist Rebellion in Nepal Archived 2010-11-27 at the Wayback Machine
- Lecomte-Tilouine, Marie: Utopia and Ideology among the Magars: Lakhan Thapa versus Mao Dzedong?
- Rana, B. K. 2003: संक्षिप्त मगर इतिहास Sanchhipta Magar Itihas (A Concise History of Magars)
- Rana, B. K. 2012 : Martyr Lakhan Thapa of Nepal: From a Native Perspective
- Rana, Pudma Jung Bahadur – 1909: Life of Maharaja Sir Jung Bahadur of Nepal. The Pioneer Press Allahbad
- Rana, Promod Sumsher – 1978 : Rana Nepal – An Insider's View
- Sharma, Bal Chandra : नेपालको ऐतिहासिक रुपरेखा Nepalko Aitihasik Ruprekha (Glimpses of Nepalese History)
- Sharma, Janak Lal −1964 : जोसमनी सन्त-परम्परा र साहित्य – २०२० -Josmani Sanit-Parampara Ra Sahitya 1964 – Josmani Saint Tradition and Literature – 1964.
- Singh, Bhim Bhaktaman – 2005: Nepal
External links
[edit]- Magar MorchaMartyr Lakhan Thapa of Nepal: From a Native Perspective
- Celebration of Martyrs' Day In Nepal
- Martyrs, Martyrdom and Martyr Lakhan Thapa
- Martyrs, Freedom Fighters and Brave Children of Nepal
- Hindu Kingship, Ethnic Revival and Maoist Rebellion in Nepal:
- Even today, Lakhan Thapa is remembered as the first Nepali martyr
- Martyrs, Martyrdom and Martyr Lakhan Thapa
- Bagchi-Levi in Nepal A Glimpse of the Rana Rule in Nepal, Manindra Bhushan Bhaduri The Calcutta Review July 1962