The Dungkar Chhoeje of Kurtoe (Lhuntse) was one of the foremost families of religious nobility descending from Tertoen Pema Lingpal. Born in 1825, Jigme Namgyal was the second of their three sons and a daughter to Pila Gonpo Wangyel of Dungkar and Sonam Pelzom from the village of Jangsa. When he was around fifteen years of age, Jigme Namgyal began to experience repeated dreams telling him that he should go west towards Bumthang and Trongsa where he would find his true destiny. Believing the dreams to be a divine prophecy, he made up his mind to leave home and go westwards. It is not known whether he left with his family's blessings or simply set out on his own.
Painting portrait of Jigme Namgyal
Jigme
Namgyal's relationship with British Leaders
The
Mission of Ashley Eden draws Jigme Namgyal's relation closer to British India.
The Ashley Eden Mission came to Bhutan with the following points He was to
explain in a friendly manner the circumstances which led to the British
annexation of Ambari Falakata and retention of its revenue and the British
offer of a subsidy of Rs. 2000 or a sum equal to one-third of the total revenue
annually if Bhutanese redressed all British grievances concerning outrages
along the duars. He was also to enquire into complaints from Bhutan of
aggression s committed by the British subject and to work on an acceptable
arrangement of rendition of criminals from either country. He also informed Bhutan
that Sikkim and Cooch Behar were protectorates and any Aggression against them
would be considered by the British government as unfriendly Acts. Having
fulfilled these conditions, Eden was also to explore free trade opportunities
and the prospects for placing a British agent in Bhutan, especially in Punakha.
Jigme
Namgyal's reaction on the Eden's proposal.
To Jigme Namgyal the mission was both uninvited and unwelcome and he treated it with utmost suspicion. He saw that the British proposal of stationing a resident mission in Punakha and opening Bhutan to free trade as nothing but an invitation to British domination. He rejected the draft treaty brought by the British, insisting that he only wished to discuss the return of the Assam Duars to Bhutan- an issue that Ashley Eden said was not negotiable. The talks broke down and the British mission was insulted and humiliated. Like Eden, he was uncompromising and had a low opinion of his opponents. If Eden was stubborn in pushing his way to Punakha despite repeated resistance, Jigme Namgyal was equally stubborn in insisting the British return the Assam duars. All views of the greater good, honour and friendship took a blurred backstage as they focused single pointedly on their personal pride and achievement. Ashley Eden, in his report, graphically describes the humiliating treatment meted out to his mission by the Bhutanese. While most of the details of jostling and pushing could have been mis-interpretations of normal Bhutanese behaviour in a large crowd, there obviously was also some attempt to provoke the unwelcome Englishmen.
For instance, Darlung Tobgye, the newly appointed Wangdue Phodrang
Dzongpoen, is said to have insisted that the mission doctor eat the dhoma which
he had chewed in his own mouth and, when refused, he is said to have thrown it
angrily on the doctor's face. Ashley Eden returned to report the failure of his
mission and on November 12, 1864, the British declared war on Bhutan, annexing
by, proclamation all the Bengal and Assam Duars. The most famous of his
victories took place at Deothang on January 27, 1865. In the first encounter,
the Bhutanese side lost with Jakar Poenlop and most of his troops being killed.
Jigme Namgyal withdrew and resumed the attack with greater force and routed the
British column. He inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, took hundreds of
prisoners and captured two British cannons. Similar attacks, all centrally
coordinated by Jigme Namgyal, were launched all along the border and it took a
month before the British could recover. The Sinchula Treaty signed by the
central
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