Were they Bengalese or Nepalese?

I am currently into research of the history of Bhutan – in particular the history of Bhutan's coinage. However, since there are so many myths and inconsistencies in what has been written about our coinage and history in general, I am compelled to examine other related histories.

Most recently, I examined the history relating to the disastrous mission of Ashley Eden that resulted in the great Duars War of 1864-1865. I read Ashley Eden’s account (EDEN: Political Missions to Bhutan, published in Calcutta in 1865) in an attempt to find out the names of the Poenlops and Dzongpoens during his visit to Bhutan. Unfortunately, nothing of substance was learned – but the following accounts are interesting..

“We halted at Chalamafee, a large village situated where the two roads to Poonakh (Punakha) and Tassishujung (Tashichho Dzong) meet.”

The village mentioned by Ashley Eden should be Tsalumaphe – where Babesa Swerage Plant is currently located.

“Our tents were pitched under two splendid cypress trees, the stem of one of which was six spans around.”

One of the cypress trees mentioned by Ashley Eden still stands – but it is now a snag, but still stands majestically. I look at it all the time whenever I pass by the Expressway – because as a birder I am always looking out for raptors that generally perch on such tall snags. It appears that the other cypress had fallen and decayed away – there is no trace of it. I spoke to an elder at Jemina to find out if he knew anything about Tsalumaphe. He did – he tells me that those days this location by the cypress trees use to see huge traffic of travelers. Every one traveling to or from Wangdue, Punakha, Thimphu and Paro would camp under the trees. He had heard that the traffic was so huge that a permanent hearth was built at the location.

One of the two Cypress trees under which Ashley Eden camped on 12th March, 1864 - on his way to Punakha.

“The village was full of Bengallee slaves; many of them had been born in slavery; others were carried off in early youth, and were ignorant of their own homes. Every village we now came across had a number of Bengalle inhabitants, and gangs of them were to be found in the forests hewing wood and collecting pine leaves for manure for their owners.”

Now, this is something that puzzles me. How sure was Ashely Eden that the Bengallees he saw were really Bengalese? Could they have been Nepalese? We know for a fact that Lam Ngawang Namgyel (I am not calling him Zhabdung since he took on the title much later on – after he managed to unify the western parts of the country – the whole of Sharchog Khorlo Tsipgye was still not part of unified Bhutan in 1621/24) brought some Nepalese from Kathmandu during 1621 or 1624 and settled them below Semtokha Dzong, in a village named Bekhunang – just above Tsalumaphe where currently the DANTAK camp is located. Also, during his visit in 1640, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (here I call him Zhabdrung since by then he had taken on the title of Zhabdrung) he is supposed to have brought back between 40-50 families from the valley of Kathmandu - to work on the renovation of Dechenphodrang Dzong and the alter rooms inside Semtokha Dzong. On the other hand, he could be right because we know for a fact that lots of Koch Beharis were captured and brought to Bhutan – to work as slaves or moneyers for some Poenlops, Dzongpoens and Desis.

“…… Our march was along the banks of a little stream, through a narrow valley, with a tolerably clean pine forest on either side; the ascent to the Dokiew Lah Pass, 10,019 feet, was scarcely perceptible.”

The “little stream” would have to be the present day Semtokha river and the “Dokiew Lah Pass” would have to be Dochu-La Pass as we know it.

“We halted for the night just above a village of Telagong, a place chiefly inhabited by gylongs or monks…..”

Telagong would have to be Thinleygang and the Telagong Fort would have to be Thinleygang Lhakhang which would have been populated by gylongs (monks), as observed by Ashley Eden.

“……… From this place to Poonakh was but a short march, and on the 15th of March we descended a valley passing the Telagong Fort, which appeared to have not a single resident in it.”

This means Ashley Eden’s mission arrived Punakha on the 15th of March, 1864.

This also means that Ashley Eden and his entourage was camped at Tsalumaphe, under the cypress trees on the 12th of March, 1864 where, on 11th March, he arrived the campsite from a village called Wangka, close to Sisina. Ashley Eden records that his mission departed Paro for Punakha on the 10th of March, 1864 - over the Jele Dzong, camping at a place he calls Pemethong, before proceeding to Wangka the next day.

Ashley Eden records that he started for Punakha from Darjeeling on the 4th of January, 1864. He left Punakha for Darjeeling on the 29th of March, 1864.