A volume titled “State and Craft: Readings on the 1923 Nepal-Britain Friendship Treaty” offers a detailed examination of Nepal’s sovereignty and independence in the early twentieth century, focusing on the landmark treaty signed on December 21, 1923, at Singha Durbar. Edited by Tika Prasad Dhakal, the collection of essays explores the historical context and significance of the treaty, which defined Nepal’s relationship with Britain and shaped the nation’s subsequent diplomatic course.
The treaty came about amid a complex backdrop of Nepalese efforts to secure formal recognition of its sovereignty. Despite Nepal’s pro-British stance following the Anglo-Nepal War (1814-1816), the British government held varied and sometimes conflicting views concerning Nepal’s independent status. While some British officials, including the Secretary of the Foreign Office, acknowledged Nepal’s full sovereignty, others such as Lord Curzon resisted this position. These conflicting perspectives influenced the course of negotiations in the years following World War I, during which Nepal’s then Prime Minister Chandra Shamsher seized the opportunity to cement Nepal’s sovereignty amid appreciation for Nepal’s military support to Britain during the conflict.
Chandra Shamsher first proposed a formal treaty during the Prince of Wales’ visit to Nepal in 1921. The drafting process, however, proved contentious. British officials in Delhi opposed early drafts that recognized Nepal’s complete independence without conditions, fearing a loss of influence. They sought to insert provisions for British mediation in Nepal’s dealings with Tibet and demanded a clause on mutual military assistance—stipulations that faced firm resistance from Kathmandu. After extended negotiations and correspondence, both sides reached an agreement that addressed Nepal’s key concerns.
The volume’s essays track shifts in British attitudes toward Nepal’s status over several decades. Early British imperial records described Nepal as an independent foreign state, but by the early twentieth century, some British authorities categorized Nepal as a state under political influence or even direct political relations akin to Indian princely states. These characterizations deeply offended Nepal’s leadership, prompting a stronger push for clear and unequivocal recognition of independence during the 1923 treaty discussions.
Beyond formal recognition, Prime Minister Chandra Shamsher sought rights such as the freedom to import arms and establish military self-sufficiency, which the British opposed out of concern that a better-armed Nepal might assert greater autonomy in foreign relations. The resulting treaty allowed Nepal to maintain a degree of autonomy that had been ambiguous in prior decades.
Some scholars view the 1923 treaty not as establishing Nepal’s independence but reaffirming a status it had long exercised. Prior diplomatic engagements and treaties with Britain, China, and Tibet demonstrated Nepal’s assertion of sovereignty well before 1923. Article I of the treaty, emphasizing mutual recognition of internal and external independence, later served as a foundation for Nepal’s demands for international recognition, including in its pursuit of United Nations membership.
The treaty also had lasting regional implications. Notably, it is argued that the existence of this formal treaty of friendship influenced India’s approach toward Nepal after India’s independence in 1947, deterring any ambitions to annex Nepal into the Indian Union.
Overall, the 1923 Nepal-Britain friendship treaty stands as a pivotal document affirming Nepal as an independent and sovereign state amid evolving imperial dynamics. It reflected Nepal’s effort to assert its status on its own terms, balancing British concerns with a desire for unambiguous recognition that sustained its autonomy through the twentieth century and beyond.