AMERICAN RIFLEMAN features treasures from Nepal National Archives photos National Archives This vintage image shows Gurkhas These Gurkha troopers were armed with armed with P’1842 muskets and Kukri knives. Snider-converted P’1853 Enfields. A Treasuresof Nepal The mysteries of a 200-year-old Asian arsenal have just been unlocked, and tons of rare artifacts have been brought back to the United States for all to see—and own. Gurkha Havildar (sergeant) Bishnu Thapa poses with a traditional Kukri knife and a “Long-Lever” Martini-Henry rifle (r.) The Royal Arsenal in Kathmandu was so by Garry James, jammed with arms that much of it had to be Executive Field Editor removed from upper story windows, as the bottom floor was impassable (middle). photos by Lynne McCready Inside the arsenal were stacks and stacks of arms, such as the Pattern 1853 Enfields (far r.). All were universally dirty, having been Photos from Nepal courtesy of IMA from Photos covered with almost 200 years of brick dust. 58 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN August 2004 All of us dream of finding buried Origin of the Treasure Nepal, located at the foot of the chests of Spanish doubloons or an Himalaya Mountains. In 1814 the undiscovered Rembrandt or a As all great treasure hunt stories Nepalese Army, composed of the cased Paterson revolver in grand- should, this one begins in the past legendarily fierce Gurkha fighters, ma’s attic.But, in the grim reality of and involves proud families, invaded northern India—then today’s world, it seems as though intrigue, death, warfare, and for- under the control of the British East such romantic notions are just tunes won and lost. The scenario India Company—and occupied the that—notions. Imagine then, com- and cast of characters is so bizarre hill stations of Mussoorie, Simla ing across not just one or two rare and unusual that no modern novel- and Dehra Dun. arms—but thousands of them! ist would have the nerve to make Needless to say the English were Improbable? Perhaps. But it did them up. But it is true nonetheless. perturbed, not only for the effron- happen—in fact it’s still happening. The tale begins some 200 years tery of the thing, but for the real pos- AAnd it’s one heck of a story. ago in the exotic Kingdom of sibility that they might lose an area AMERICAN RIFLEMAN 59 August 2004 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN features treasures from Nepal boasting some of the most agreeable allowed the British to establish a their tough fighting abilities and weather for summer retreats on the Resident at Katmandu and permitted chivalric behavior. For example, in sub-continent. They launched a them to cross Nepal and trade with one of the earlier campaigns the counter-attack, and though initially Tibet. As well, the Company was British built a monument to the defeated, after several tries the allowed to recruit Gurkha soldiers Gurkhas which was inscribed,“They Company troops, under General into its armies. As a further part of the fought in their conflict like men and, David Ochterlony, finally subdued the agreement, the British vowed to sup- in the intervals of actual conflict, Ghurkhas, broke through the ply the Nepalese armies with small showed us a liberal courtesy.” Katmandu valley and threatened the arms, artillery and ammunition—a Gurkhas, carrying their deadly trade- nation’s capital.Realizing the game promise, as we shall see later on, that mark kukri knives, have remained an was up, the King of Nepal, at the was more than generously fulfilled. important element of the British Army advice of Prime Minister Bhimsen During hostilities, both the British ever since, and they have served Thapa (more about him later) decid- and Gurkhas gained considerable proudly in scores of campaigns and ed to sign the Treaty of Sagauli, which respect for one-another regarding both World Wars.They remain among the most respected and highly deco- rated fighting forces in the world. But, back to Nepal. After many years of honorable government ser- vice, Prime Minister Bhimsen Thapa (remember him), decided to retire to his country estate. Things weren’t to rest there however, for palace intrigues resulted in his being lured back to Katmandu in 1839 where he was imprisoned on charges of high treason. Bhimsen, a proud man, refused to be broken under torture. Finally he was told that his senior wife and children would be dragged naked through the streets of the city. Unable to deal with the shame, the former prime minister hanged him- self in his cell. Upon hearing of his death, Bhimsen’s wife, who was resid- ing at the family’s ancestral palace, Lagan Silekhana, hung herself from one of the residence’s high windows. Even today, a rope is suspended from the window in tribute to the statesman and his wife. In 1845, Bhimsen Thapa’s nephew became prime minister and set about righting the wrongs that had been done to his uncle, deftly removing all enemies in a subsequent purge. Lagan Silekhana was never reoccupied, and instead turned into a royal arsenal to house British gifts as well as home- fabricated arms and equipment. The .577-450 Martini-Henry Bira gun (above), designed and built in Nepal, operates similarly to the American Gardner gun. The artillery (r.) represented everything from siege guns to howitzers and mortars. The brass and iron mortars (middle) were from various countries and periods. Napoleonic period brass cannons (far r.) had been converted to breechloaders. 60 AMERICAN RIFLEMAN August 2004 Pattern 1839 Conversion Musket 1853 Enfield With Snider Conversion Martini-Henry “Short Lever” Pattern 1842 Musket Pattern 1842 Musket (With Sword Bayonet) There were thousands of bayonets, including some rare Sapper & Miner sword bayonets for P’42 muskets. The Treasure Hunt guide’s claims to be considerably tions, Cranmer and his partner, Sudhir understated. It was an Aladdin’s cave Windlass, owner of Atlanta Cutlery, The story now jumps forward a full of wonderful things. emerged victorious. century or so to 1969 when Christian After hearing the tale, Cranmer Originally the bid was for 200 Cranmer, now president of Int’l immediately set about verifying the tons of armament, but after it was Military Antiques, was walking along story, and discovered that it was true. learned that there were 146 can- Oxford Street in London with an old He began negotiations with the nons destined for smelting, and an boarding school chum one day. His authorities, but as always there was a almost equal number of artillery friend, whose parents were in the glitch. Several different governmental carriages that were systematically high-end antiques business, had agencies felt that the material came being burned, it was decided that just returned from Nepal with a fan- under their jurisdiction, and it these too should be included in the tastic story about meeting a Russian became almost impossible to deter- package, bringing to 430 tons the ex-ballet dancer who owned a hotel mine exactly who to deal with. total of everything from bayonets in Kathmandu. Finally, in 2000, because of a seri- and knives to siege guns. According to the Russian, there ous lack of up-to-date weaponry to Congratulating themselves on their was an incredible cache of arms in an fight Maoist rebels—and an even successful bid, Cranmer and old palace in the heart of the city. greater lack of funds to pay for it—the Windlass didn’t realize their trou- Interested, Cranmer’s friend visited Nepalese decided to start accepting bles were far from over. the arsenal and, if anything, found his offers. After rather tortuous negotia- Arriving in Katmandu in January, 2003 for a one-month stay to super- vise the packing and shipping of their prize, Cranmer made a tour of the palace and realized that the job would be considerably more compli- cated than he had originally thought. At one time, with its gilded wall decoration and exotic murals, Langan Silekhana must have been one of the most splendid residences in Nepal, but after 200 years of neglect it was, as described by AMERICAN RIFLEMAN 61 August 2004 treasures from Nepal Mk IV Martini-Henry “Long Lever” musket flints and .75-caliber Brown there, but I’ll try to touch on the high Bess musket balls? Or what about the points and describe some of the more bronze cannon emblazoned with the interesting and abundant items. Bear cipher of Catherine the Great. in mind, now, that I’m a real British His one-month stay stretching to Colonial buff so I might have a ten- half a year, by June Cranmer had all dency to get a bit hyperbolic—but I’ll 430 tons packed into 31 containers try and remain as balanced as possible. Gehendra Rifle and ready be moved south, through India from Kathmandu to Calcutta. The Arms Unfortunately the convoy was hit by a monsoon, and a trip that should Pattern 1853 Enfields, Sniders: have taken three days took three Probably the most interesting arms to grueling weeks. the American collector, especially Despite adversity, all the loot is Civil War buffs, would be the P’53 now in the United States in two loca- Enfields. This was one of the most tions, at Int’l Military Antiques in New widely used rifle-muskets during the Martini-Henry Jersey and Atlanta Cutlery in Georgia, War between the States, and it was “Short Lever” where it has been unpacked, is being Britain’s mainstay longarm for cleaned and currently offered for sale. decades. Later, many would be con- I recently took a tour of IMA’s facili- verted to breechloaders via the Cranmer,“absolutely filthy.”The ties, and, frankly, it was virtually Snider system invented by New rooms of the palace, which had no impossible to keep a journalistic Yorker Jacob Snider.