Although it was not a rebellion on the scale of Lakhan Thapa of Gorkha and Bakabir of the Far West, the reasons for Tule's rebellion were similar.
What you should know
The plan to write the story of Tulay Rohani is a very old one. Something didn't work out, it didn't work out. There was a lot of delay. Even after I had decided to write it, I ran into some difficulties.
The main reason was not being that familiar with the geography of Pakhapani. There was another difficulty. The story of ‘Tule Rohani’ had been heard. Whether or not ‘Rohani’ associated with Tule’s name was a surname also confused me for a long time. Some friends and relatives of Pakhapani advised that ‘it is not Rohani; it should be written as Paija’.
In the countryside, I heard that when I was a child, people from the Lekali settlement, including Chhantyals and Magars, were called Rohani (Rwani, Ruini). I did not know that Rohani was called in a bad sense. Even from conversations with some learned friends of the Magar society, the secret of why Rohani was actually called could not be revealed. Perhaps Rohani was a word used as an insult. While writing
, I heard that a group of Punis had started a campaign saying “Our caste is different, not Magar”. Therefore, it became inappropriate to associate not only Rohani with Tule, but also Magar. Many Pun friends came up with both arguments and suggestions that Rohani should be written/not written, Magar should be called/not called. The Puns' squabble created a situation like 'one asks for water, another asks for sun, where should I go, unfortunate one'.
Whether anyone believes it or not, it is true that the neighboring villagers around Pakhapani have known Pakhapani as a Magar settlement.
When a woman from Jhiguruk, Pakhapani, was asked if she knew anything about Tule Rohani, she respectfully called him 'A, Tulu Raja'. The local residents consider Tule to be a real king. They love and respect him. The book 'Pun Jati Ra Bhasha' published by the Pun Society also includes some legendary stories about Tule Raja.
Looking at the current situation of Pakhapani, which is estimated to be about two hundred years ago, it is difficult to imagine that a kingdom was established with Pakhapani as its capital at that time.
The book ‘Pun Jati Ra Bhasha’ published by the Pun Society states that there was a palace of Tule Raja at a place called Deurali, one kilometer above Pakhapani. Locals say that place was called ‘Barban’. Today, Siddhasthan is located at the place where Tule was killed. No one can tell whether Siddhasthan is old or newly established.
It was said that Barban was not a palace, but a temporary fort built to fight the Gorkhalis. In a letter written by the then Baglung-Beni employees to the government, it is written that Tule Rohani used to live in a tent on the Deurali hill.
Neither the ruins of the palace remain, nor can it be believed that tents could have been arranged in the villages at that time. The remains of the fort are not even visible. No one can be found who can tell which is the source of the water known as “Rajapani”.
It was learned that a little below the village, near the Bari, it rains in the rainy season, but it is only cold in the winter. It is likely that the banned use of 'Rajapani' is what it means.
It was true that Tule Paija of Pakhapani and half a dozen other people were killed in the context of the people's dissatisfaction with the government of the Gorkha state at that time, small and large rebellions, and repression by the state.
Although it seemed natural for the villagers to be dissatisfied, it was difficult to guess what was the reason for the strong resistance and killings against the rebellion. The story of 'Tulu Raja' has been written based on the possible reasons found through meticulous study and analysis. Many of the characters in the story are real. Although the characters' characters are fictional, an attempt has been made to take the names from history as much as possible.
Although it was not a rebellion on the level of Lakhan Thapa of Gorkha and Bakabir of the Far West, the reasons for Tule's rebellion were the same. In terms of age, Tule's rebellion is older than the previous rebellions. It can be easily assumed that the reasons were also different.
Most of the rebellions in Nepal are seen after the establishment of the Rana Shahi dynasty. Tule's rebellion dates back to the Rana period. After the fall of Bhimsen Thapa, the power in Kathmandu was unstable for a long time. The incident of the second Mukhtiyari period of Kazi Ranjung Pandey, who played an important role in the fall of Bhimsen Thapa, was the 'Pakhapani Rebellion'.
Documentary evidence calls Tule Rohani. The application of the Baglung Goshwara office employee clearly states 'Tule Rohani'. These days, the surname Rohani is not in vogue. It cannot be determined whether it is a surname or not.
At present, Pakhapani has been transformed into the Saptarangi Magarvasti. Locals say that it was originally inhabited by the Paijas at that time. Therefore, it should be said that Tule's hereditary surname was Paija.
The idea was to name the novel 'Pakhapani Rebellion', 'Tule Rohani' or 'Tule Paija'. It seemed appropriate to name the novel after the sweet address 'Tulu Raja' that came from the mouth of an ordinary woman from Pakhapani. The credit for the novel goes to him. But his name is not remembered. Perhaps the name was not asked.
The historical aspect of Tule Paija's story has been taken from Gyanmani Nepal's 'Mahabharat of Nepal', Dr. Karna Bahadur Baniya's 'History, Culture and Heritage of Myagdi' and Chandra Prakash Baniya's 'Pakhapani Rebellion'. And the social aspect has been prepared based on Mejan Pun's novels 'Dhaulasiri', 'Anusandhanpatra' and 'Pun Samajwadi: Ek Adhyayan' and Pun Samaj's 'Pun Jati Ra Bhasha'.
Ganga Bahadur Baniya of Toripani, Krishna Baniya, the principal of Amar Mavi Pakhapani Yuva Garbuja and teacher Sushila Paija have provided great support in obtaining detailed information about the geography of Pakhapani.
There were complaints that the old Parbat dialect used in the novel 'Maharani' was uncomfortable for the reader. Therefore, this time, the dialect of the surrounding Raugad area was not used. The subject may be offensive to the local reader. I apologize for that.
Although a little, an attempt has been made to use the language spoken in Pakhapani as a model in the story. Some things did not match, did not match. Even if I was born in Pakhapani, that language has become incomprehensible to people who have migrated elsewhere. I could not get help from those who know the language. This is my weakness.
Even if it may be offensive to the reader, the intention was to provide a detailed description of the local culture by combining the context. A friend from this region had said that I had written an MA thesis on the subject. However, the friend probably got carried away by the argument that the writer should do the research himself, why should others help.
If I were to do the research myself, I would have had to live in the region for at least a year. That was not possible. I thought I would never write it. But I did not want to. What would happen if it was complete? Even if I write as much as I find, the partial history is preserved. The story remains alive.
When will people stop interrupting? They raise questions about what is not written, they also raise questions and complaints about what is written.
Even if they raise questions about what is not written, I can confidently say that an honest effort has been made to ensure that questions and complaints about what is written are not raised. Enough.
