Which of the following sites were obtained by the British East India Company under the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816?

Question

Which of the following sites were obtained by the British East India Company under the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816?

1. Kathmandu

2. Shimla

3. Ranikhet

4. Nainital

Select the correct answer from the code given below:

1. A. 1 and 2
2. B. Only 3 and 4
3. C. 2, 3 and 4 (Correct answer)
4. D. Only 1

Correct Answer

Option C — 2, 3 and 4

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is 2, 3 and 4.

Key Points

• The Treaty of Sugauli (1816) ended the Anglo-Nepalese (Gurkha) War of 1814-16. Under it Nepal ceded to the British the territories of Kumaon and Garhwal and the Terai, along with Sikkim's claims.
• The sites so obtained among those listed are 2. Shimla, 3. Ranikhet and 4. Nainital, giving option (c).
• 1. Kathmandu ✗ remained the capital of Nepal and was never ceded — Nepal was never annexed.

Additional Information

• The treaty also required Nepal to accept a British Resident at Kathmandu, the arrangement that opened the way to recruiting Gurkhas into the British Indian Army — a practice that continues in the Indian Army today.
• The hill stations acquired under it — Shimla, Nainital, Ranikhet, Mussoorie, Almora and Landour — were developed by the British as summer retreats. Shimla later became the summer capital of British India.
• The Anglo-Nepalese War was fought under Lord Hastings (Moira), whose tenure also saw the Third Anglo-Maratha War and the suppression of the Pindaris.
• The Sugauli boundary is the basis of the present India-Nepal dispute over Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura, which turns on identifying the true source of the Kali (Mahakali) river named in the treaty.