The year 1774 is one of the most significant in the history of the Limbu people of Eastern Nepal. It was a moment of intense conflict, negotiation, and ultimately, the establishment of a unique treaty with the expanding Gorkha Kingdom led by King Prithvi Narayan Shah. At the center of this transformation were the Limbu Chiefs—autonomous rulers with deep roots in the region’s clan-based political, cultural, and spiritual systems. Their actions, decisions, and legacy would shape the future of Limbuwan and its people for generations to come.
Limbuwan, the homeland of the Limbu, comprised ten principalities or kingdoms prior to the Gorkha conquest. These chiefdoms functioned with significant autonomy; the local rulers—often referred to as Hangs or Limbus—exercised considerable authority over land, justice, defense, and ritual. The chiefdoms operated through a confederated system, sometimes allying with larger regional powers like the Sen Dynasty of Bijaypur but always maintaining their own distinct governance, cultural traditions, and the communal Kipat land tenure system. The balance between independence and alliance provided both security and flexibility in dealing with periodic external threats.
The expansionist drive of King Prithvi Narayan Shah radically altered the power dynamics of the Himalayas in the late eighteenth century. Around 1771, the Gorkha Kingdom initiated a sustained military campaign against Limbuwan, seeking to incorporate its fertile and strategically vital territories into their burgeoning realm. The Limbu chiefs, aware of the risk to their sovereignty and the Kipat land system, mounted a fierce resistance. Major battles were fought, most notably in Chainpur, where Limbu generals such as Kangso Rey and Sanbotrey led spirited defenses. Despite these efforts, after years of skirmishes, diplomacy, and shifting alliances, the Gorkha army began to gain the upper hand.
In August 1774, facing prolonged conflict and the prospect of further devastation, both sides sought negotiation. Envoys from the Gorkha court engaged the chief ministers of Bijaypur, capital of Morang and one of the principalities in Limbuwan. The result was a historic treaty known as the “Noon Pani Sandhi” (Salt Water Treaty), an agreement sealed not only by signatures but by the sacred act of both sides swearing upon salt and water—a powerful oath invoking dire spiritual consequences for betrayal. The Noon Pani Treaty recognized the unique social arrangements of Limbuwan and conferred important rights and privileges to the local chiefs.
The main provisions of the 1774 treaty were revolutionary and singular for the era. First, the Limbu chiefs accepted the general suzerainty of the Gorkha King, acknowledging the overlordship of Kathmandu while remaining direct rulers of their territories. Second, the treaty protected the Kipat land system—the collective ownership of land, forests, water, and natural resources by the Limboo clans, a feature critical to their social structure and self-governance. The Gorkha sovereign pledged that he would never annex or interfere with the Limbus' Kipat lands. Third, the Limbu chiefs or "Subbas" retained their titles and were made responsible for local administration, revenue, and legal matters under Gorkha sovereignty, thus institutionalizing a system of indirect rule.
The pledges made in 1774 were formalized through the granting of a "Lal Mohor," a royal seal or written charter, delivered by the Gorkha authorities to the Limbu ministers at Bijaypur. The symbolism of swearing on salt and water further deepened the sanctity of the accord, as breaking such an oath was equated with inviting supernatural wrath upon the transgressors.
In the resulting political arrangement, the former Limbu kings became Subbas—hereditary local governors or chiefs—with significant authority over their domains. The Gorkha state reorganized the formerly independent kingdoms into administrative districts but preserved for the Subbas the rights to adjudicate disputes, collect revenue, and manage communal properties. The Subhangi system, a traditional communal governance structure, was retained and functioned in close connection with the Kipat tenure. In effect, the arrangement was a pragmatic compromise: the Gorkhas achieved external sovereignty over Limbuwan, while the Limbu chiefs maintained internal autonomy.
The treaty, however, was not without its tensions or ambiguities. While it offered the Limbus a temporary shield from direct outside control and formalized their land rights, it set in motion processes that would later challenge those privileges. Over the next century, successive Gorkha and later Rana administrators sought to increase central control, gradually eroding both the authority of the Subbas and the integrity of the Kipat system. Non-Limbu migration, administrative reforms, land reforms, and replacement of traditional governance bodies with state-appointed officials gradually diminished the status and role of the Limbu chiefs. Nevertheless, the treaty of 1774 endured as a powerful symbol of Limbu identity and legal promise.
The Noon Pani Treaty had unique broader implications. Firstly, it set an important precedent for how the Gorkha state dealt with other autonomous ethnic polities in eastern Nepal, demonstrating the potential effectiveness of indirect rule and negotiated settlement rather than outright destruction. Secondly, it preserved, albeit imperfectly, a space for indigenous self-determination within the growing Nepali kingdom—a model cited in later legal and political struggles.
Resistance did not end with the treaty. The period after the 1774 agreement saw further battles (such as Chainpur in 1776), attempts at rebellion, and later, political movements demanding adherence to the spirit and letter of the Noon Pani settlement. Notable among these were the actions of Buddhi Karna Raya Khebang, a chief who resisted Gorkha control until his capture and execution in 1777. The spirit of resistance carried on across generations, contributing to periodic Limbu uprisings in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, often in response to land reforms, administrative centralization, and cultural encroachment.
The legacy of the Limbu chiefs of 1774 stands as a testament to the power of negotiation, the importance of safeguarding indigenous rights, and the need for political creativity in periods of turbulent change. Their insistence on protecting communal autonomy, their skilled use of both the sword and the treaty, and their ability to read the shifting tides of power allowed their descendants to inherit not only a homeland but a legal and moral precedent. The treaty is still invoked as a foundational document in contemporary struggles for indigenous self-governance in eastern Nepal.
The story of the Limbu Chiefs of 1774 thus sits at the crossroads of epic resistance and strategic accommodation. These leaders ensured the survival of the Kipat system for almost two centuries more, kept alive distinctive limbs of custom and language, and bequeathed a legacy of political consciousness that continues to animate Limbu activism today. Their decisions in the crucible of 1774—made under pressure, but out of vision and conviction—remain an inspiring chapter in the annals of Himalayan history.
References
- “Limbuwan Gorkha War and the 1774 Treaty,” Limbus of Darjeeling Himalaya: A Socio-Historical Overview, North Bengal University.
- Wikipedia, “History of Limbuwan” and “Limbu People.”
- Arjun Limbu, “Limbus’ Traditional Headmanship Subhangi: An Overview of Its Emergence and Disappearance (1774-1964),” JOGLTEP Journal, 2019.
- Sekmuri Foundation, “History of Limbuwan.”
- N. Chongbang, “Mundhum: Exploring the Narratives of Limbu Community in an Intercultural World,” 2022.
- M. Vandenhelsken, “Loyalty, Resistance, Subalterneity: A History of Limbu Chiefs,” 2020, Taylor & Francis Online.
- “Borders and Connectivity in the Sikkim-Nepal Borderlands,” OpenEdition Journals, 2024.
- Regmi, D.R., “Land Tenure and Taxation in Nepal.”
- Iman Singh Chemjong, “History and Culture of the Kirat People.”