British India Relations with Bhutan

When the British East India Company began ruling parts of India, relations with Bhutan were tense and often hostile. The Bhutanese conducted frequent raids into the Dooars plains—fertile lowlands on the Bengal–Assam border—which were part of British-controlled territory.

Early Contact – Treaty of 1774

• Trigger: In 1772, Bhutan invaded Cooch Behar (present-day West Bengal), which was a dependency of the EIC.
• Response: Warren Hastings sent forces to assist Cooch Behar and negotiated a settlement.
• Treaty (25 April 1774):
  • Ended hostilities.
  • Allowed the EIC to trade with Tibet via Bhutan’s territory.

Tensions Rise Again

• The Treaty of Yandabo (1826), after the First Anglo–Burmese War, gave the British control over Assam, bringing them into direct contact with Bhutan.
• Political instability in Northeast India allowed Bhutan to encroach into the Dooars region and commit border raids.
• This led to a steady deterioration in relations.

The Duar War & Treaty of Sinchula (1865)

• Background: In 1863, tensions escalated into a brief war. By 1864, the British launched a full-scale campaign—the Duar War.
• Outcome: Bhutan was defeated.
• Treaty of Sinchula (also called Ten Article Treaty of Rawa Pani):
  1. Bhutan ceded all Bengal and Assam Duars to British India.
  2. Britain agreed to pay an annual subsidy of ₹50,000 to Bhutan.

Significance: This marked the beginning of warmer ties—Bhutan’s king even accompanied Col. Younghusband to Lhasa in 1904 for a convention where Tibet ended its special relationship with Bhutan in favour of Britain.

Treaty of Punakha (1910) – Friendship and British Protection

• Bhutan agreed to:
  • Let British India control its foreign relations.
  • Accept British arbitration in disputes with Cooch Behar and Sikkim.
• Britain agreed to:
  • Increase the annual subsidy to ₹100,000.
  • Refrain from interfering in Bhutan’s internal affairs.

Post-Independence Changes

• Treaty of 1949: Signed between independent India and Bhutan.
  • India increased the annual payment to ₹500,000.
  • Maintained Bhutan’s internal autonomy while guiding its foreign policy.
• Treaty Revision (2007): Replaced the 1949 treaty’s provision on India guiding Bhutan’s foreign policy with a commitment to mutual cooperation on issues of national interest.
  • Both nations reaffirmed respect for each other’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
  • The fixed annual subsidy arrangement was replaced with broader development assistance programme

UPSC Key Pointers

Year	Treaty / Event	Significance
1774	Treaty with Warren Hastings	Ended hostilities; allowed trade with Tibet via Bhutan
1826	Treaty of Yandabo	Brought British into direct contact with Bhutan via Assam
1865	Treaty of Sinchula	Bhutan ceded Duars; British subsidy of ₹50,000
1910	Treaty of Punakha	Britain took over foreign relations; subsidy raised to ₹100,000
1949	Treaty with India	Annual payment ₹500,000; friendship treaty post-independence