But amidst this fanfare over the opening of the Nathu-la pass... a person credited for discovering large areas of Tibet is long has virtually slipped into oblivion. The man is none other than Late Pandit Nain Singh Rawat-- an indefatigable Indian explorer who traveled through inhospitable Tibetan plateau at a time when no other even dared to cross these high mountain passes to reach the Roof of the World - Tibet.
By the time British Army's Colonel Younghusband first crossed the Nathu-la pass in 1903; Pandit Nain Singh had already crossed several indomitable passes across Tibet (it is estimated that are about 17 passes connecting India and Tibet) and even undertook a staggering 1300 miles journey on foot from Ladakh to the Frontier post of Assam.
Born on 21st October, 1830 in a small village Milam in Uttranchal hills, Pandit Nain Singh was the first and perhaps the only Indian surveyor of his time who gained valuable insights into the Tibetan affairs from the legendary surveyor brothers Richard and Henry Strachey. Those were the days when any entry into Tibet was unauthorized. But Strachey brothers managed to slip into the Tibetan plateau in 1849 through the Niti Pass in Garhwal Himalayas (in Uttranchal). Later, the two brothers won the Royal Geographical Society's Patron's Medal for their excellent reports on the 'forbidden' region.
The 2400 km boarder of Tibet was permanently sealed in 1850 by the edict of the Chinese Emperor. The Edict said. 'No Moghul, Hindustani, Pathan or Feringhi (Eurasian) shall be admitted into the Tibet on pain of death.'
Nevertheless, explorers from the Indian side continued to make efforts to venture into the Land of the Lamas--- crossing the high Himalayan passes; often braving blizzards and mountain sickness.
In 1865-66 Nain Singh undertook an arduous journey from Kathmandu to Lhasa--- Tibet's capital. It was after his report on Tibet perhaps for the first time, a true picture on the geographical location and altitude of Lahsa emerged before the world. For his remarkable work the entire region around Kailash-Mansarover Lake and Lahsa in Tibet came to be called the 'Nain Singh Range'.
It also goes to Nain Singh's credit that the actual course of the Brahmaputra river could be ascertained. On his way back to India, the explorer also discovered a new route through the Tawang Pass in Assam.
A school teacher in an obscure hill village of North India, Nain Singh was a prolific writer too. He maintained travel diaries and his astute observations during his Tibet journeys give us a valuable insight into the culture and economy of the country; about which very little was known to the outside world then.
I happened to come across a rare diary of Pandit Nain Singh in a private Museum near Nainital. The diary gives a deep insight into the historic trade relations between Tibet and India. It is quite interesting to know how Indian traders crossed high mountain passes carrying food grains on Mules or Yaks to Hunadesh (Tibet was known by this name then). The Indian traders bartered the food grain for gold and high quality Tibetan wool.
On October 20, 1962 Chinese launched an attack on North-West and North-East India. An undeclared war on the Himalayas had begun; and historic trade between the two regions slowly came to a grinding halt. The hostilities between the two nations had its direct bearing on the lives of the hardy traders living on both the side of the boarder. Traders gave way to soldiers and grain was replaced by guns. Life almost froze on the boarders... quite like the snows of the Himalayan passes.
It was in late 1980s, following Late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's visit to Beijing that Chinese offered some relaxation. First train of mules climbed up the 17000-feet high Lepu-Leh Pass in West Uttranchal and Indian traders entered Tibet for the first time after a gap of almost three decades. While the volume of trade remained low...the locals had some reason to celebrate. Their great pass, more importantly their lifeline had at last opened.
And as the Nathu -la reopens after 44 years, hopes are high once again. It has been estimated that trade across this 14000 feet high pass could reach nearly $ 3 billion by 2015.
But somewhere in this euphoria is lost the dare-devil feats of explorers...like Nain Singh...who put their lives in peril and managed to give us first... the real face of Tibet.
About the AuthorAbhishek PatniAbhishek Patni is currently working as a Senior News Editor with CNN-News18 in Delhi-NCR and is handling news operations in the channel. In his 20-yea...Read Morefirst published:July 06, 2006, 20:33 ISTlast updated:July 06, 2006, 20:33 IST
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La - in Tibetan language means - "Pass" and the opening of the historic Nathu La pass on the Indo-China (read Tibet) boarder is not only a strong indication of improved ties between the world's two most populous nations but also a nostalgic moment for those who live along both sides of the Indo-Tibetan boarder --- a boarder that now stands as a living testimony to the centuries old trade relations between the two countries.
But amidst this fanfare over the opening of the Nathu-la pass... a person credited for discovering large areas of Tibet is long has virtually slipped into oblivion. The man is none other than Late Pandit Nain Singh Rawat-- an indefatigable Indian explorer who traveled through inhospitable Tibetan plateau at a time when no other even dared to cross these high mountain passes to reach the Roof of the World - Tibet.
By the time British Army's Colonel Younghusband first crossed the Nathu-la pass in 1903; Pandit Nain Singh had already crossed several indomitable passes across Tibet (it is estimated that are about 17 passes connecting India and Tibet) and even undertook a staggering 1300 miles journey on foot from Ladakh to the Frontier post of Assam.
Born on 21st October, 1830 in a small village Milam in Uttranchal hills, Pandit Nain Singh was the first and perhaps the only Indian surveyor of his time who gained valuable insights into the Tibetan affairs from the legendary surveyor brothers Richard and Henry Strachey. Those were the days when any entry into Tibet was unauthorized. But Strachey brothers managed to slip into the Tibetan plateau in 1849 through the Niti Pass in Garhwal Himalayas (in Uttranchal). Later, the two brothers won the Royal Geographical Society's Patron's Medal for their excellent reports on the 'forbidden' region.
The 2400 km boarder of Tibet was permanently sealed in 1850 by the edict of the Chinese Emperor. The Edict said. 'No Moghul, Hindustani, Pathan or Feringhi (Eurasian) shall be admitted into the Tibet on pain of death.'
Nevertheless, explorers from the Indian side continued to make efforts to venture into the Land of the Lamas--- crossing the high Himalayan passes; often braving blizzards and mountain sickness.
In 1865-66 Nain Singh undertook an arduous journey from Kathmandu to Lhasa--- Tibet's capital. It was after his report on Tibet perhaps for the first time, a true picture on the geographical location and altitude of Lahsa emerged before the world. For his remarkable work the entire region around Kailash-Mansarover Lake and Lahsa in Tibet came to be called the 'Nain Singh Range'.
It also goes to Nain Singh's credit that the actual course of the Brahmaputra river could be ascertained. On his way back to India, the explorer also discovered a new route through the Tawang Pass in Assam.
A school teacher in an obscure hill village of North India, Nain Singh was a prolific writer too. He maintained travel diaries and his astute observations during his Tibet journeys give us a valuable insight into the culture and economy of the country; about which very little was known to the outside world then.
I happened to come across a rare diary of Pandit Nain Singh in a private Museum near Nainital. The diary gives a deep insight into the historic trade relations between Tibet and India. It is quite interesting to know how Indian traders crossed high mountain passes carrying food grains on Mules or Yaks to Hunadesh (Tibet was known by this name then). The Indian traders bartered the food grain for gold and high quality Tibetan wool.
On October 20, 1962 Chinese launched an attack on North-West and North-East India. An undeclared war on the Himalayas had begun; and historic trade between the two regions slowly came to a grinding halt. The hostilities between the two nations had its direct bearing on the lives of the hardy traders living on both the side of the boarder. Traders gave way to soldiers and grain was replaced by guns. Life almost froze on the boarders... quite like the snows of the Himalayan passes.
It was in late 1980s, following Late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's visit to Beijing that Chinese offered some relaxation. First train of mules climbed up the 17000-feet high Lepu-Leh Pass in West Uttranchal and Indian traders entered Tibet for the first time after a gap of almost three decades. While the volume of trade remained low...the locals had some reason to celebrate. Their great pass, more importantly their lifeline had at last opened.
And as the Nathu -la reopens after 44 years, hopes are high once again. It has been estimated that trade across this 14000 feet high pass could reach nearly $ 3 billion by 2015.
But somewhere in this euphoria is lost the dare-devil feats of explorers...like Nain Singh...who put their lives in peril and managed to give us first... the real face of Tibet.
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