Lakhan Thapa Magar (1835–1877) was the first martyr of Nepal. He was a revolutionary who abolished the rule of the Rana regime. He was also an emperor of Bungkot, and as king, he destroyed the rule of Jung Bahadur Rana and brainwashed his political theory to eradicate the Rana reign and form a free democratic state and army.
Family Background
Talking about his childhood, he was born in 1835 in Kahule Bhangar village, which is situated in Bungkot, Gorkha. His original name was Laxman Singh Thapa. He was the younger of the twin brothers. His older brother was Ram Thapa Magar, and his sister was Dhana Mala.
Education and Occupation
Though Thapa was born in Nepal, he was raised in India. Thapa completed his formal education while staying in the family quarters of a relative working in the 3rd Gurkha Rifles in Almora, India. The government of Nepal also honored him with a BSC.
In 1854, after his academic achievement, he came back to Nepal and joined the Nepal Army, which was popularly known as Gorkha Paltan. Besides, he was a part of the Nepali troops that aided the British army in brutally overcoming Indian opponents who were fighting for the independence of India. This event took place in 1857–1858 after the Meerut massacre, which resulted in a military revolution against the British colony in India.
Contribution
After the Rana takeover, Thapa could not tolerate the rule of the dynasty. He organized some youths (some ex-military) to begin the protest against the government. The Rana rule was a terrific moment, which was called ‘there is no medicine for a time; there is no answer to the order’.
Apart from this, the suppression turned him into a rebel in the army. The incident led Lakhan Thapa and other agitators to fight against the autocratic rule of Jung Bahadur Rana in Nepal. By 1868–69, Thapa had already been promoted to captain of the Nepal Army. In spite of this, he left his job along with his friend Jai Singh Chumi Magar with the aim of uniting the people against the regime of Junga Bahadur Rana.
Besides, Thapa constructed a strong fort there and also built a temple inside the fort with the guidance of the local people of his birthplace. His foremost mission, besides building a temple, is to unite the people who visit there for worship and make them aware of the erratic rule of Junga Bahadur Rana and his anti-public acts.
Thapa used the fame of Mankamana and Siddha Lakhan Thapa critically for public support in order to make his campaign successful. As two personalities with the same name and surname, there is confusion regarding whether they are the same person or not. But they have different personalities. Lakhan Thapa was famous in the history of Nepal, whereas Siddha Lakhan Thapa was the first priest of the Manakamana Bhagwati temple.
On the other side, with a vision to create democracy in the country, he launched an armed struggle against the government. Thapa had gathered 1,500 people along with weapons to attack the Rana government, according to a historian, Padam Jung Rana.
whereas Junga Bahadur Rana learned about the Thapa-led revolution. He came to know about the revolutionary process through Sarvajit Thapa. At that time, Sarvajit Thapa used to live in Pipalthok and handle the Gorkha issue. He complained to Jung Bahadur that Lakhan Thapa was organizing an armed uprising against Jung Bahadur’s rule in Bunkot, Gorkha. Subsequently, Lakhan Thapa and his teams were arrested in Bunkot and brought to Kathmandu, where they were tortured all the way.
Later on, it was planned that Thapa should be punished. It was decided that Thapa and his team would be hanged from the tree in front of the Manakamana temple on their fort premises in the presence of the localities of Bungkot and Gorkha. They were charged with treason (to kill or injure the ruler).
After they did not beg a pardon in front of the Rana government, they were all brought to Gorkha. At first, the leader Lakhan Thapa was hanged in front of the Manakamana temple inside his fort on February 14, 1877. After that, the Central Rana Government issued an order to hang all other agitators.
Last but not least, the Nepali government declared Lakhan Thapa Magar a martyr in 1999; however, on September 20, 2008, the government proclaimed him the country’s first martyr in recognition of the outstanding contributions he had made to the country.
Moreover, after the announcement of federalism, Bakrang, Manakamana, Taklung, Ghairung, Bunkot, and Namjung VDcs of Savik have been merged under the name of Lakhan Thapa. This was a tribute to his sacrificial tasks and contributions to the establishment of people’s rights, and this tribute is a matter of pride for all Nepalese fighting for unity and justice.
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