209 years ago, Doon ghati was sold for Rs 3005

 

209 years ago, Doon ghati was sold for Rs 3005

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Very few people would know that 209 years ago an Anglo-Indian officer bought Dehradun from Raja Sudarshan Shah for just Rs 3005.  Sudarshan Shah then lived in a safe place outside the Garhwal princely state for fear of the Gurkhas, trying to reclaim the princely state.  However, his financial position was not such that he could put his efforts into practice.  So, they decided to sell Dehradun.  Come!  Look into this important chapter of the past.

Maharaja Pradyuman Shah was martyred in the war with the Gurkhas on 14 May 1804

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Dinesh Kukreti

In the year 1796-97, the whole of Garhwal faced a severe drought, which completely destroyed the fiscal system.  A few years later, in the year 1803, the Srinagar region suffered a devastating earthquake, in which the entire Srinagar was devastated.  Then only two to three thousand people survived in the capital.  The Gurkhas were waiting for this opportunity.  Taking advantage of this, he again attacked Garhwal this year and took all the Garhwal into his possession.  Then Maharaja Pradyuman Shah was the only option left to leave Srinagar.  Despite this, he did not give up.  For example, by selling jewelery in Saharanpur for one and a half lakh rupees, he arranged soldiers and attacked Gurkhas in the year 1804.  A fierce battle with Gurkhas took place at Khudbuda Maidan in Dehradun.  Four thousand Gorkha soldiers were armed with guns.  Whereas, Garhwali soldiers had only swords.  As a result, the Gurkhas won and Maharaja Pradyuman Shah Veeragati attained on 14 May 1804.

Major Hearsey became the owner of Doonghati on 22 June 1811

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At the time of the martyrdom of the Maharaja, his Shahzade and the successor of the Garhwal kingdom, Sudarshan Shah, were younger.  So, fearing a Gurkha invasion, some of the king's loyalists took him to a safe place outside the princely state.  Sudarshan Shah spent 12 years in exile.  In his book, 'Glorious Dehradun', Devaki Nandan Pandey writes that in this period, the desire to regain the princely state remained in his mind continuously and for this he kept trying continuously.  In this series, he contacted Anglo Indian military officer Major Haider Young Hearse.  Hersey then lived in his principality near the city of Bareilly.  Sudarshan Shah was struggling with financial constraints due to being away from his princely state.  Therefore, in order to reclaim the princely state, he put his problem in front of Hearse and requested for cooperation.  Hersey was then a sharp military officer of the East India Company.  He assured Sudarshan Shah to return the princely state, but also expressed his desire to take Doonghati in his possession in return.  He explicitly told Sudarshan Shah to sell Doonghati to him.  Sudarshan Shah was compelled, so on 22 June 1811, he sold the Dunghati Major Hyder Young Hearse for just Rs 3005.

The British captured Doonhati on condition of paying pension to Harsay

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Major Hyder Young had become a symbol of prosperity by purchasing Doonghati from King Sudarshan Shah, but he also began to fall in the eyes of East India Company officials.  Company officials started pressurizing Harsay to sell the area of ​​Doonghati and Chandi Devi, which is under him, to the company.  Eventually Hersey bowed down and on January 9, 1812, he transferred it to the Doonghati and Chandi Devi area company on the condition that the company would pay him 1200 rupees annually.  The agreement was signed on 18 October 1815 on behalf of the company.

 

Cell deed rejected, harsey came on road

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While dealing with the company officials, Major Hearse would not have even been accused of turning away from his word.  But, it happened.  The company defied the sale deed from Hershey and all the conditions under it.  Due to which Hersey came on the road.

 

Even the king was not entrusted the entire state of Garhwal, till Tehri district

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After defeating the Gurkhas, the British government refused to hand over the entire Garhwal princely state to King Sudarshan Shah.  The British did not hand over the entire Garhwal kingdom to the king and took the east part of Alaknanda-Mandakini.  Sudarshan Shah was returned only to the territory of Tehri district (including present-day Uttarkashi).  Who was called Tehri Riyasat and Sudarshan Shah became the first king of the princely state.  He established his capital on 28 December 1815 at a place called Tehri, a small village at the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Bhilangana rivers.