Assam Dooars

Before discussing Dooars, it is essential to consider a bit about two countries: Bhutan, which still exists, and the ancient kingdom of Kamrupa, which no longer exists as a sovereign entity. The kingdom of ancient Kamrupa is now fragmented, with its territory divided among several modern countries and states. Historically, the kingdom of Kamrupa encompassed a vast region, including
present-day North Bengal, parts of Bhutan, all of Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, portions of Nepal, and a significant part of Bangladesh. The Karatoya River marked Kamrupa’s permanent western border, although this border occasionally shifted westward and northwestward beyond the Karatoya River.

In ancient times, the country now known as Bhutan had different names, such as Drukyul, Monyul,
and so on.  Bhutan is recent name of the country. The Sanskrit-speaking inhabitants of Kamrupa referred to this region as Bhutan, derived from “Bhotonto” (Bhot + Onto). People of ancient Kamrupa used to call Tibet “Bhotdesh,” and the region beyond or at the end of Bhotdesh or Tibet became known as “Bhot onto,” eventually evolving into the name Bhutan.

The merchants of ancient Kamrupa maintained trade relations with Bhotdesh through the territory of Bhutan. Similarly, the Bhutias and Tibetan merchants traveled down to Kamrupa via Bhutan for commercial purposes.  Consequently, there were many trade passes between Kamrupa and Tibet through Bhutan. These trade routes were crucial, as they facilitated not only trade with Tibet but also with China. It is important to remember that Tibet was an independent and sovereign country, distinct from China, which forcefully occupied the entire land of Tibet in 1959. Now, Tibet is under Chinese rule.

In ancient times, numerous trade routes connected Kamrupa to Tibet through Bhutan. There were as many as 18 routes into Bhutan, enabling thriving trade relations with Bhutan, Tibet, and China. These routes served as sources for collecting trade taxes. The income from these routes was the bone of contention between the Bhutan and Koch kingdoms from 1770 to 1773. The British administration, taking advantage of the conflict, began diplomatically supporting the Koch kings. The British had an ulterior motive: to gain control of these routes to Bhutan and subsequently enter Tibet through Bhutan.

On the other hand, as the glory of the Koch Empire faded, the Bhutias began to move down to the plains of Assam in groups and occupy many areas. Similarly, the Bhutias took advantage of the diminishing power of the Ahom kingdom to occupy more land in the plains of Assam. Out of compulsion, the kings of Assam ceded land to the Bhutias in exchange for taxes. In 1772, when the Bhutanese army entered the capital of the Koch kingdom, the Koch king made an accord with the British to repel the Bhutias. In 1826, as a result of the Treaty of Yandabo following the First Burmese War, Assam came under British rule. Consequently, the taxes owed to the king of Assam by the Bhutias were now to be paid to the British rulers. The Bhutias’ irregularity in paying taxes led to conflicts between the British and the Bhutias.

There were 18 entrance routes to Bhutan, stretching from the River Tista in the west side of Bhutan Himalayas to the River Dhansiri in the east along the foothills of the Bhutan Himalayas. These trade routes were popularly called ‘Duar’ or ‘Dour’ in the local language, meaning “entrance way.” In British pronunciation, ‘Duar’ became ‘Dooars,’ and later on, the region became widely known by the
name Dooars. The Bhutias were always keen on asserting their presence on the plains, especially in the Dooars. Beyond their own territory, they would attack or plunder areas under the Koch kingdom, the plains of Assam, and regions under British rule. During that time, although Mr. Scott, the first agent of the Government of India, wanted to take stringent measures against the Bhutias, the authorities did not grant him permission. Mr. Scott was in Rongpur at that time. In 1837, Captain Pemberton was sent to Bhutan for talks to find solutions to the problems, but these talks failed. The atrocities committed by the Bhutias increased day by day around that time. They started mayhems in the kingdom of Koch.

In 1932, the Bhutias took many people from Kochbehar captive. The British administration was compelled to deploy the army against Bhutan when they refused to release the hostages, despite requests from Mr. Robinson, the Viceroy’s representative for the northeast region at Rongpur. Following this, the Bhutias adopted a lenient stance and signed a peace accord. However, in 1844, defying the peace accord, the Bhutias resumed their atrocities on the plains, leading to renewed conflicts. Colonel Jenkins, the company representative for the northeast region, suggested to the Indian administration that they occupy the entire Dooars region from the Bhutias in 1859. However, the British administration in India did not allow him to occupy any area from Bhutan at that time.

The atrocities committed by the Bhutanese worsened over the years. In 1863, Mr. Eden was sent to Bhutan as an envoy of the British government. He was not received well and was humiliated in Bhutan. Under duress, he was made to sign two peace accords stating that “The British Rule has handed over the entire Dooars area of Assam and Bengal to Bhutan.” After this incident, the British administration could no longer maintain patience. On November 12, 1864, the British government declared war against Bhutan with the aim of capturing the entire Dooars area. Numerous fierce battles took place between the two armies in various locations. When the British army entered the mainland of Bhutan, despite facing hardships in several places, Bhutan agreed to surrender and sign an accord. According to the terms of this accord, the entire Dooars region came under British India. This is known as the Sinchula Agreement of 1865.