The Raja of Harsil: The Legend of Frederick 'Pahari' Wilson

by Robert Hutchison

A young British officer deserted during the First Afghan War (1839-42) and went to ground in the wilds of Tehri-Garhwal. Frederick 'Pahari'Wilson changed the face of the region forever and became a Himalayan legend. He played a daring role in the Great Game, was witness to the Anglo-Sikh War of 1845 - when the British nearly lost India - and became a pioneering force in the great Indian Railways adventure. Capturing the humour of the petty world of officers'clubs in Meerut, Mussoorie and Shimla, the chill of stiff winds on the high passes into Tibet, and the hardships of life in the remote valleys of Garhwal, The Raja of Harsil is a thrilling account of that tumultuous and exciting period. Driven by personal ambition, Frederick Wilson introduced commercial timbering to the Himalayas and became India's first timber magnate. An avid hunter, ornithologist and botanist, he settled at Harsil, near the source of the Ganges, and shared the lives and destinies of the Garhwali people. He acquired enormous wealth - becoming the richest man in northern India - and famous as the 'raja'of Harsil before falling into disfavour - termed a pariah for plundering Garhwal of its wildlife and natural resources.

Genres: History

290 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Robert A. Hutchison was born in Canada and studied at McGill University in Montreal. He was a correspondent for the London Sunday and Daily Telegraph, and his articles for the Toronto Financial Post won him four National Business Writing Awards. He is the author of four other investigative non-fiction books covering a range of subjects: Vesco, Off the Books, Juggernaut and In the Tracks of the Yeti. For the past fifty years he has lived in Switzerland. His website can be found at roberthutchison.ch

Reviews

[Vikas Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a thrilling account of Frederick ‘Pahari’ Wilson, a deserter from British army in the first Afghan war. A adventurist to the core, he introduced commercial timbering in the Tehri-Garhwal while playing a significant role in the Great game and the Anglo-Sikh war. He was to be, later, the inspiration for Kipling’s story- ‘The Man who would be the king’. His adventures after deserting the army began at Mussoorie where he met Colonel Young and joined the Degchi brigade.

[Divya Pal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fictionalized account about the British adventurer could have been titled “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”. Wilson was a soldier in the East India Company till he deserted (out of cowardice) and went on the lam.
He was a spy and claimed to have thwarted the nefarious designs that Tsarist Russia had on Indian territory – he single-handedly caught two Russian spies in the icy heights of Nelang (Neylong), and led to the capture of a Russian prince. He also allegedly played a crucial role in defeating the Sikh Army. He is said to have protected Mussoorie and Dehradoon from the mutineers of 1957 – the tallest of his claims.
He tailored his own currency and tinkered with the flora and fauna of Garwhal leading to the decimation of centuries old deodar forests and extinction of animals like the ibex, mountain goats etc. He guided blood-thirsty British officers in conducting hecatombs in the frigid regions ranging from Harsil, Himachal, Ladhak to Kashmir.
The systematic ornithocide and felling of trees led to the extinction of birds like the ‘monal’. The Brits looted India under the veneer of “development”, but Wilson raped and ravaged the sylvan Garwhal hills for his personal wealth. His felled of centuries old deodar trees and transported them free by floating them down the Bhagirathi to feed Cautley's brick klins for his Upper Ganges Canal and to provide sleepers for the burgeoning rail network in India.
He wanted to start a dynasty in the “Kingdom of Harsil” but (spoiler alert!) the hills had their revenge – his progeny turned out to be either wastrels or criminals and his lineage, thankfully, petered out.
There is a lot of duplication from the author’s other book “Garden Of Fools” and the “Himalaya Club” episodes is lifted straight from John Lang's The Himalaya Club.
Still, the book is engrossing.

[Mayank Bawari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would’ve been a better fit if it changed its title from Biography/Non-Fiction to Fiction. The book details the exploits of Pahari Wilson also called The Raja of Harshil, who according to local people was a swindler and fraudster to the highest degree, he captured land - women - trees - resources to his name and plundered them beyond recognition.

Garhwal wildlife and forests were used by an Englishman to make himself rich and setup English trading posts to plunder the nation, and what locals got was an ecological disaster that is still paying dividends. In a few short years he single handedly destroyed forests and local wildlife beyond repair.

Now coming to his exploits as a spy for the British Raj, and how he managed to find himself in glorious company of all the important people of that time is still beyond comprehension. It’s like all the names that he could remember were his friends and close acquaintances and in rare cases rivals.

The book only recounts his made up exploits in Garhwal and never mentions his land grab and forest plunder in Kumaon, which is still a bone of contention to the present day.

Alas I would recommend the book but only with a bag of salt, and not relying on accounts by the direct beneficiaries of the fraudster.

The writer has done an amiable job and no discredit to his effort, but it’s just the white washing of a man whom history is quite ready to forget and not romanticise the Gora Sahib.

Also I read the Himalayan Garhwal Gazetteer at the same time just to see if he is at all mentioned, but can’t find a single mention of this legend.

[Ajitabh Pandey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very well researched and very well written biography of Frederick Wilson who lived a great life.

'Pahari' did a lot to improve the life style of people of Harsil. He was a loyal citizen of the empire and was willing to do anything in the service of the Queen.

It is quite surprising that such an amazing entrepreneur, innovative, and administrative leader is remembered by few.

Unfortunately he could not be a good parent to his own children and people say that due to the curse of "Lord Someshwar" his bloodline vanished from earth.

This book is definitely worth a read for those who want to know more about India during the company raj and especially how Wilson shaped the modernization of Garhwal region in Uttarakhand.

[Shyamal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed by the book. Firstly it is largely fiction, supposedly based on historical facts, but a lot of the fact is plain incorrect. I wish the author had clearly footnoted the facts to make it stand apart from the fictional parts. Also perhaps going a little overboard with sex and violence.

For an example: "Wilson and Allan Hume saw a lot of each other during this period. Hume was about to be appointed home secretary and then director-general of agriculture. With Wilson’s help he was reassembling his massive collection of stuffed birds that would swell to over eighty thousand specimens, the largest collection of Asiatic birds in the world, by the time he donated it to the British Museum in the 1870s." - this is entirely faulty chronology!

[Anil Dhingra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the life of a britisher who came to India in 1840 and stayed here for the rest of his life. Parts of his life are fictionalized by the author.
Pahari Wilson stayed in the garhwal hills and was a true lover, exploring the high mountainous passes for decades. His acumen with wildlife got him involved with the ganga canal development project. In the process he was accused of plundering the timber from garhwal.
However he did raise the living standards of the Hill people. Married to two local girls, he employed vast numbers of locals.
The book gives an exciting account of the then mussoorie having only 3000 residents and it's subsequent development as the queen of the hills. Similar accounts of towns like dehradun, haridwar, rishikesh, tehri, roorkee and meerut abound.
The Anglo Sikh wars, including the mutiny and the Afghanistan conflicts are also part of the book.
All in all an interesting read.

[Deepak Singhanwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, the book looks like a boring long biography of some figure. The subtitle also lends to it the doubt that it is a legend not real. But it is not correct.
The book was a total joy to read. It takes the reader on a journey through the 1840s and 50s and the scenes play out in their mind as they read. Imagining that people walked over these paths and lived in the houses that still stand, after such a long time, is a different way of looking at the region's history. The people were well characterised and the writing engaging. Wilson couldn't get recognized in history books but his story is worth reading.

[Gurpreet Singh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fictionalised version of a historical personality .
Yes Pahari Wilson lived in blood and sweat but the book is a fanciful account whee it conveniently blurs into fiction to write a book to sell ..
Accounts have been picked up with abandon from the Sikh Raj and woven into Pahari Wilson's life to wove tales and diverges from what it proclaims to be a story of the Raja who set up his kingdom in Garwahal .
The writer seems too much in awe of Rudyard Kipling and carries his fanciful tales in the same vein albeit unconvincingly .

[Tisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Raja of Harsil(the story of Frederick 'Pahari' Wilson - a biography from Robert Hutchison, of the man who brought the first apple to Garhwal, reduced Harsil to near zero deodar forest, had two wives and an affair, was a Brit who was part of the Great Game spy troop, managed to counsel the raja of Garhwal to stay out of the 1857 mutiny and remained an outstanding trekker - When the subject matter is this interesting, how can the book not be.The story of one of the many buried in Mussoorie's graveyards.