Balbhadra Kunwar was the commander of the Nepalese forces in the fort of Nalapani.

Balbhadra Kunwar was handed responsibilty of defending the strategic hill fort with an army strength of 600 including women and children aginst the British stronghold of 3000 in the Anglo-Nepalese war. He killed General Gillepsie and Colonel Alice or the British troops. He turned down an incentive proposal of the British who would make him Governer of the Western Garhwal should he surrender or leave Nepal.

British, convinced that they could not win by legal ways, blocked the source of water to the fort so that Nepalese would die of thirst. Ultimately after 4 days of thirst, without surrendering, Balbhadra emerged out of the fort with naked khukries in his hands (along with other 25 survivors) and roared to the British - "You could have never won the battle but now I myself voluntarily abandon this fort. There is nothing inside the fort other than dead corpses of the children and women"!

Later, Balbhadra retired to Punjab to the service of King Ranjit Singh and was ultimately killed in battle, by the Afghan artillery. The British commomerated his bravery with a stone inscription in Dehra Dun inscribing "in salute to our great opponent General Balbhadra and his brave Gurkhas......"