This year marks the 200th death anniversary of a remarkable but little known man: Harsh Dev Joshi, kingmaker, administrator, statesman, army commander and above all else, a master of intrigue. It was gardi ka waqt all over India, and even the remote mountain kingdom of Kumaon was caught up in anarchy. The Chand court at Almora was a cesspit of debauchery and deceit.
Joshi was the divan of Deep Chand, the king. In various plots, the king, his queen and sons were murdered, and one Mohan Singh ascended the throne as Mohan Chand. Amongst the first things he did was to throw Joshi into prison. In 1779, Lalit Shah of Garhwal attacked Kumaon and drove Chand out of Almora. Joshi was freed. He suggested to Shah that he should make his younger son, Praduman Shah, the king of Kumaon.
The Garhwali king agreed and Praduman Shah was coronated as Praduman Chand. The kingdom was actually ruled by Joshi. Mohan Chand, in a bid to get back his crown, pushed an army of 1,400 Naga Sadhus into Kumaon from the plains, but Joshi dealt them a crushing blow.
Though he was the king of Kumaon, Praduman's heart was in Garhwal. Mohan Chand, using this opportunity, attacked Kumaon and became the king once again. Never the one to sit quiet, Joshi raised a mercenary force in the plains and recaptured Almora. As Praduman was reluctant to get engaged in the messy affairs of Kumaon, Joshi appointed one Shiv Chand as the ruler. In 1788, Mohan Chand's son, Mahendra Chand, recaptured Almora.
In 1790, the Gorkhali army attacked Kumaon. Their invasion was facilitated by - who else? - Joshi. The deal was that they would dislodge Mahendra Chand and leave it to Joshi to manage the affairs of Kumaon. But the invaders turned suspicious of the scheming Brahmin. Around the same time, their kingdom was attacked by China and their army was ordered to retreat to Kathmandu. They decided to take Joshi along - as a prisoner.
Joshi escaped on the way and ended up in Johar, on the border with Tibet. The locals were hostile to him and put him in chains. They then struck a deal to hand him over to his enemies: the family of Mohan Chand. Joshi escaped again.
The rest of his life was dedicated to ousting the Gorkhali forces from Kumaon. He confabulated with the Nawab of Oudh in Lucknow, East India Company officers in Benaras, and Sansar Chand of Kangra. He drew the East India Company's attention to the slave trade carried out by the Gorkhali forces at Rishikesh.
In 1815, after some border skirmishes, the East India Company decided to attack the Gorkhali kingdom which stretched from Teesta in the east to Sutlej in the west. The attackers met with stiff resistance everwhere, except the force that started from Kashipur and marched up to Almora. At the head of this expedition was Joshi.
A few months after Almora was taken, and indigenous rule ended in the mountains, Joshi died, ranting against one and all, by one account.
Joshi was big, as big as the mountains he traversed. Sadly, there exists no sketch of this man - at least none that I have seen. But some books contain details of his interesting life. I recommend to you Edwin Thomas Atkinson's six-part Himalayan Gazetteer.
Joshi was the divan of Deep Chand, the king. In various plots, the king, his queen and sons were murdered, and one Mohan Singh ascended the throne as Mohan Chand. Amongst the first things he did was to throw Joshi into prison. In 1779, Lalit Shah of Garhwal attacked Kumaon and drove Chand out of Almora. Joshi was freed. He suggested to Shah that he should make his younger son, Praduman Shah, the king of Kumaon.
The Garhwali king agreed and Praduman Shah was coronated as Praduman Chand. The kingdom was actually ruled by Joshi. Mohan Chand, in a bid to get back his crown, pushed an army of 1,400 Naga Sadhus into Kumaon from the plains, but Joshi dealt them a crushing blow.
Also Read
Meanwhile, Lalit Shah died in 1780, leaving the kingdom of Garhwal to his son, Jaykrit Shah. Jaykrit was older than Praduman and, therefore, demanded that Kumaon should acknowledge Garhwal's supremacy. This was spurned by Joshi and tension between the brothers climbed. To settle the matter, Joshi travelled to Garhwal where Jaykrit attacked him. Joshi not only defeated Jaykrit's army, but also extracted heavy revenge from the people of Garhwal. The terror unleashed by him came to be known as Joshiana.
Though he was the king of Kumaon, Praduman's heart was in Garhwal. Mohan Chand, using this opportunity, attacked Kumaon and became the king once again. Never the one to sit quiet, Joshi raised a mercenary force in the plains and recaptured Almora. As Praduman was reluctant to get engaged in the messy affairs of Kumaon, Joshi appointed one Shiv Chand as the ruler. In 1788, Mohan Chand's son, Mahendra Chand, recaptured Almora.
In 1790, the Gorkhali army attacked Kumaon. Their invasion was facilitated by - who else? - Joshi. The deal was that they would dislodge Mahendra Chand and leave it to Joshi to manage the affairs of Kumaon. But the invaders turned suspicious of the scheming Brahmin. Around the same time, their kingdom was attacked by China and their army was ordered to retreat to Kathmandu. They decided to take Joshi along - as a prisoner.
Joshi escaped on the way and ended up in Johar, on the border with Tibet. The locals were hostile to him and put him in chains. They then struck a deal to hand him over to his enemies: the family of Mohan Chand. Joshi escaped again.
The rest of his life was dedicated to ousting the Gorkhali forces from Kumaon. He confabulated with the Nawab of Oudh in Lucknow, East India Company officers in Benaras, and Sansar Chand of Kangra. He drew the East India Company's attention to the slave trade carried out by the Gorkhali forces at Rishikesh.
In 1815, after some border skirmishes, the East India Company decided to attack the Gorkhali kingdom which stretched from Teesta in the east to Sutlej in the west. The attackers met with stiff resistance everwhere, except the force that started from Kashipur and marched up to Almora. At the head of this expedition was Joshi.
A few months after Almora was taken, and indigenous rule ended in the mountains, Joshi died, ranting against one and all, by one account.
Joshi was big, as big as the mountains he traversed. Sadly, there exists no sketch of this man - at least none that I have seen. But some books contain details of his interesting life. I recommend to you Edwin Thomas Atkinson's six-part Himalayan Gazetteer.