British Gurkha Memorial Park. Dharan, Nepal

GURKHA MEMORIAL PARK
DHARAN
The Gurkha Memorial Park is located north west of Dharan bazaar. It nestles on a verdant
600-meter-high ‘Machha Mara Danda’ about 4 km from ‘Mangalbare’. A small river, Sardu
Khola, has to be crossed to get there. The local governing body has already sanctioned
construction of a bridge over Sardu Khola as well as a motorable road up to the park. This
may take 4 years to be fully completed. For now, there is a rough unpitched road suitable for
4-wheel drive vehicles and cars with high ground clearance that leads up to the park.
Although the idea of establishing a memorial park was brought up by GAESO in 2007, it never
got off the ground. Ten years later, in 2017, a committee of 11 members, comprising of
retired Gurkha Officers and all ranks and members of the Gurkha Contingent Singapore
Police Force (GCSPF), was formed to take up the task under the chairmanship of Captain Hari
Bahadur Limbu 10 GR. This committee is an independent body and is not affiliated to any
organization political or otherwise. All members are unpaid volunteers residing in Dharan.
The aim of the Gurkha Memorial Park is to preserve the legacy of Brigade of Gurkhas in Dharan for
posterity before it is forgotten and lost forever. Historically, Dharan hosted the Brigade of Gurkhas
recruiting depot for Eastern Nepal from 1960 until its closure in 1989. (I, too, had passed through its
hallowed gates in 1973). It is also the place where a large number of former Brigade personnel, mostly
from Eastern Nepal, chose to settle on retirement. Today, Dharan has transformed from a sleepy town on
the way to Dhankuta to a bustling and vibrant mini city with a teaching hospital located in the former
British Gurkha Camp area.
The Gurkha Memorial Park covers an area of more than 12 bighas and was acquired from donations and
contributions from serving and retired members of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Currently construction at the
main focal point of the park, located at the highest point, is in full swing. When completed, visitors on
entering the main gate, under a massive ‘Victoria Cross’, will be greeted by statues of two soldiers in No.
2 Dress uniform before walking on a bridge over a small artificial pond and arriving at the main square. In
the main square, there is a gigantic statue of a charging Gurkha soldier from WW II carrying a rifle in one
The Main Entrance the Arena
Ayo Gorkhali
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hand and a ‘khukuri’ in the other, raised to strike the unseen enemy. The statue sits atop
a large plinth which in due time will feature the Gurkha ‘motto’ and ‘ethos’:
• ‘Better to Die than be a Coward’
• ‘When you go home, tell your family, we gave our today for your better tomorrow’
• ‘If a man says he is not afraid, he is either lying or a ‘Gurkha’
High on the wall, behind the statue, there will be a gallery with 13 slots honouring the 13
Gurkha Victoria Cross recipients. Recently it was suggested a further 13 places be
allocated for 13 ‘none – Gurkha VC recipients’ (for those who were attached to Gurkha
units when they were awarded the VC). Lieutenant General P T C Pearson late 10 GR has
kindly volunteered to seek funds for this additional task. All work in the park is financed
by donations and grants from individuals and the Gurkha Brigade Association UK.
.