Nain Singh
Pundit who explored the Himalayas for the British
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Key Takeaways
- Nain Singh Rawat (21 October 1830 – 1 February 1882), was one of the first Indian explorers (dubbed "pundits") employed by the British to explore the Himalayas and Central Asia.
- He surveyed the trade route through Ladakh to Tibet, determined the location and altitude of Lhasa in Tibet, and surveyed a large section of Brahmaputra.
- He walked "1,580 miles, or 3,160,000 paces, each counted.
- Milam is in the Johar Valley, one of the Bhotia abodes in the Kumaon division, where the river Goriganga originates.
- In 1816 the British defeated the Gorkhas but maintained a policy of non-interference and friendship towards the Johar Bhotias.
Nain Singh Rawat (21 October 1830 – 1 February 1882), was one of the first Indian explorers (dubbed "pundits") employed by the British to explore the Himalayas and Central Asia. He came from the Johar Valley in Kumaon. He surveyed the trade route through Ladakh to Tibet, determined the location and altitude of Lhasa in Tibet, and surveyed a large section of Brahmaputra. His reports were initially made under the code name Number 9. He walked "1,580 miles, or 3,160,000 paces, each counted."
Early life
Nain Singh Rawat was born to Lata Burha in 1830 in Milam village, a Bhotia village at the foot of the Milam glacier on the India-China border in present day Uttarakhand state of India. Milam is in the Johar Valley, one of the Bhotia abodes in the Kumaon division, where the river Goriganga originates. The Rawats ruled over the Johar Valley, during the reign of Chand dynasty in Kumaon; this was followed by the Gorkha rule. In 1816 the British defeated the Gorkhas but maintained a policy of non-interference and friendship towards the Johar Bhotias. The famous Bhotia explorers mostly belong to the villages of Johar.
After leaving school, Nain Singh helped his father. He visited different centres in Tibet with him, learned the Tibetan language, customs and manners and became familiar with the Tibetan people. This knowledge of the Tibetan language, local customs, and protocol came in handy in Nain Singh's work as a "spy explorer". Due to the extreme cold conditions, Milam and other villages of the upper Johar valley are inhabited only for a few months from June to October. During this time the men used to visit Gya'nyima, Gartok and other markets in Western Tibet.
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