Balbhadra Kunwar

Balbhadra Kunwar was the commander of the Nepalese forces at the Battle of Nalapani in 1814 during the Anglo-Nepalese War.

Balbhadra Kunwar was handed responsibility of defending the area. Realizing he could not defend the town of Dehradun, he withdrew to the strategic hill fort of Khalanga with an army strength of 600 including women and children against the British stronghold of 3000. He turned down an incentive proposal of the British who would make him Governor of the Western Garhwal should he surrender or leave Nepal.

The British attacked on October 31, but were repelled. Kunwar's marksmen killed General Gillespie and Colonel Alice of the British troops. They siege continued for a month until the British convinced that they could not win by military ways, blocked the source of water to the fort so that Nepalese would die of thirst. Ultimately after 4 days of thirst, without surrendering, Balbhadra emerged out of the fort with drawn khukries in his hands (along with other 70 survivors) and roared to the British - "You could have never won the battle but now I myself voluntarily abandon this fort. There is nothing inside the fort other than dead corpses of the children and women"! He and his party escaped into the hills on November 30, 1814.

Later, Balbhadra retired to Punjab to the service of King Ranjit Singh and was ultimately killed in battle, by the Afghan artillery. The British commemorated his bravery with a stone inscription in Dehra Dun inscribing "in salute to our great opponent General Balbhadra and his brave Gurkhas......".