{A lonely India Check Post and China at the back- Shipki la in Himachal Pradesh}
{Shipki La on the Himachal Pradesh-Tibet Border}
And
Of the foolishness of the Inner Line, how it has retarded development and favours China's propaganda that our territory is theirs , &
then
Kibithoo (NE of India) to Karakorum (NW of India)
Of people & land routes to China from India
Six decades ago all these routes that I have mentioned below were open for people on either side of the border to trade, go for pilgrimage, take their flocks to graze, and visit relatives. Today, officially there are only three trading routes open. Nathu La (Sikkim), Garbayang-Lipu Lekh (Uttaranchal) and Shipki La (Himachal Pradesh). All the other wonderful paths and passes are closed shut. So the authorities would like to believe. But they are not.
Of people & land routes to China from India
Six decades ago all these routes that I have mentioned below were open for people on either side of the border to trade, go for pilgrimage, take their flocks to graze, and visit relatives. Today, officially there are only three trading routes open. Nathu La (Sikkim), Garbayang-Lipu Lekh (Uttaranchal) and Shipki La (Himachal Pradesh). All the other wonderful paths and passes are closed shut. So the authorities would like to believe. But they are not.
{Guan Liang at Tezu Police Station, Lohit, Arunachal Pradesh}
On the 23rd of May, 2010 a Chinese, Guan Liang, was detained while blundering around Digaru Ferry Ghat (bewteen Tezu and Chowkham), in Lohit District (Arunachal Pradesh, NE of India). He had travelled about 280 kms after crossing the Indo-China border at Kahao. He had been fed by friendly people all along the way. What is surprising is that not one of the many Army and para military and State police camps that he must have passed had apprehended him. His Chinese American English accent was a sure give way, and yet not till he was literally pushed into the surprised arms of our officials by a Mishmi youth Bisip Billai did any Government Agency (and there are many) knew of his daring trek . Sad commentary on the capability of our forces who are supposed to have the eyes of the hawk and the owl.
Right across the country to the North West, in Ladakh's SE, is Dumchulle, close to the right bank of the Indus is a big Chinese market. It is there only for Indians to come and buy in bulk. They would give goods on credit and take the money only after they were sold. To get to Dumchulle, which is Indian territory in Chinese hands, one has to travel about 80 kms inside the Inner Line. There are many posts there, and yet this brazen trade goes on and on.
Just goes to show how vigilant and effective our forces are, and how pointless the whole colonial concept of the Inner Line is. The Inner Line was first introduced in 1888 by the British in the North East Frontier Agency to prevent North India traders from the Assam plains to enter into what is now Arunachal Pradesh. These traders have entered any how and have collared most of the business and contracts in that state. The genuine visitors, with nothing but friendship in their hearts, and wanderlust in their eyes, have to go through a cumbersome process of filling forms, pasting pictures to get permission to visit these magnificent border lands for a few days.
Realising the foolishness of such controls the bureaucracy is timidly withdraing the Inner Line back- a few kms at a time. This blindness is well coordinated along the entire length of the mountainous border with China. At least in Ladakh and in Himachal Pradesh practical sense is now entering the bureaucrats' files in leaps and bounds. From last year border areas like Batalik, Shyok and Turtuk are now open for tourists, but they still have to get an Inner Line permit.
It took the bureaucracy six decades to realise that good roads to the border have to be built as soon as possible. All these years were wasted in worrying that if there were good roads the Chinese would find it easier to use them to invade India. Nothing could be more damming about our lack of confidence than this silly argument, which had till now prevented development in all the border areas.
Anyway, wisdom even if it dawns late, is very welcome. The Chinese had built roads along our borders more than 50 years ago!
Till about 50 years ago the routes mentioned below were the better known ones for traditional trade to Tibet. They have the most varied, gorgeous, awesome, magnificent and inspiring scenery on this earth. Yet they are closed to Indians. Of these routes only three are open officially, but several more unofficially;
1- The border crossing points from NE to NW are :
ARUNACHAL-
2- Dibrugarh-Tezu-Walong- Kibithoo (at 1371 m - it is the lowest crossing point into Tibet from India)-Kahao- along the Lohit river which enters India here. In Tibet is Rima, a large town, just 40 kms or so away from the border. It is at the confluence of Zayul chu and Rong To chu, which comes in from Kangri Karpo chu to its NW. The famous Rima Gap where within 100 kms the Salween, the Mekong, and the Yangtse flow is not far from here. This is one of the shortest motorable{Tinsukia to Tezu = 137 kms; Tezu to Hayuliyang=103 kms; Hayuliyang to Walong=103 kms; Walong – Kibithoo= 30 kms; Kibithoo-Kahao=1.6 kms} routes to the Tibetan border from the Indian plains. Reviving of this trade will immensely improve the economy of this area. Till 1950 a Tibetan Trade Agent used to be based at Sadiya and till 1952 in Tezu. An Indian Trade Agent used to be in Rima.
{ Kibithoo in the left foreground and Kahao below the hill in the front. This Rima thumb of China is south of the watershed which pierced by three las- Oti la (5023m), Ata Kang la (4878 m) & Cheti la (4338 m) , but has been traditionally with the Chinese. Till about 70 years ago it used to be a penal settlement for Tibetans. Thic could be the road North Easterners are looking for to reach out to China. }>
3- Dibrugarh-Ledo-Pangsau Pass (937 m)-Mytkina (Burma)- Kunming (Yunan, China). The WW II Ledo road to Kunming already has a solid foundation. It requires clearing of trees growing on it and resurfacing and it will be ready within a couple of years. Both Kunming and Calcutta are about 1700 kms by road from Ledo.
{Though not an Indo-China pass, it leads to the Ledo Road to Kunming in China for the opening of which a rather ignorant bleat erupts periodically. This one way road was used only once during WW II and then never again. It will take billions to repair till Mytkina. The Lohit Valley Road to Rima is a much better and cheaper alternative. Also, it is an all weather road. }
4- Dibrugarh-Roing-Anini-Mipi- Yongop La or Zeklu La- (all around 3000 m) to Shuden Gompa (4175 m) ; (To the Idu Mishmis here Tibet is known as the place where the rivers are silent)
5- North Lakhimpur-Along-(or directly from Assam via Passighat too) –Yingkiong-Tuting (590 m)-Gelling (1829 m)-Tung la or Shouka la (3800 m) or Lamb la- Kemteng-Gya Dzong (2775 m)(Shimong Adis who inhabit this region are Lhobas in Tibet. In the village of Mankhota (1120 m) on the Yangsang chu near the border live some Khamba families from Tibet )
6- North Lakhimpur-Along-Mechuka (1890 m): means place of mediciane water that rises from the snows - up the Yagyap chu- Nepar la or Nyug La(4700 m)-Migyitun-Kyim Dzong (There’s a Kaying-Tato-Mechuka motor road now); (Pachakshiri Membas who inhabit this region are known as Moinbas in Tibet)
7- North Lakhimpur-Dapporijo-Nacho- Taksing (2400 m)-Limeking-Lhontse Dzong (This was one of the routes through which till about 40 years earlier amongst other goods Tibetan ornaments esp. brass carved bells known locally as majes used to be got- now its textiles on rare occasions)
8- Tezpur-Bomdila- Tawang-Bum la (4332 m)-Tsona Dzong (this is very close to Bhutan and Chinese goods in large quantities are being brought in through adjacent Mele La in Bhutan. Lhasa is about 600 kms away.)
9- The heights and names of the passes at S. Nos 4,5, & 6 may not be correct as they have been got from local sources, understanding whom requires a phonetically experienced ear.
SIKKIM-
10- Gangtok-Nathu la (4420 m)- Chumbi valley-Paro Dzong-Gyantse-Lhasa (3607 m). The closest port for Lhasa is Kolkatta which is about 1400 kms away. That is why the Chinese are keen on opening up the Nathu la route. Shanghai is more than 4000 kms away. Yangon about 2500 kms.
UTTARANCHAL-
11- Pithoragarh-Tawaghat-Garbyang (villages on this route that were dying have revived and old houses are looking sturdy once again. Some old customs of serais in homes have started again) -Lipu Lekh (5453 m) (This is one of the two official trade routes open now. The Customs station is at Garbyang 30 kms before Lipu Lekh)- Taklakot (where now there is an Indian and Nepali market)-Darchen
{Approaching Lipu Lekh from the Indian side}>
12- Munsiari-Milam (a large village of attractive houses with patiently and tastefully carved doors and windows that was inhabited till 1982 is now abandoned and a lot of history is over)-Unta Dhura-Topidunga (4500 m) (till this point foreigners are being allowed in for treks)-Kungribingri La (5357 m)- Gyanima mandi- Tirthapuri (which is on the River Satluj)-Gartok (on the Lhasa-Sinkiang highway & on the River Garlung, which is a tributary of the Indus))
{Path going down from Unta Dhura towards Milam }>
13- Joshimath-Bara Hoti Plains-Niti Pass (5060 m)-Tralung-Tirthapuri Gompa;
14- Joshimath-Badrinath-Mana pass (5608 m)-Tsaparang-or Totling Gompa-(to Gartok also)-or Tralung
15- Uttarkashi-Harsil-Jadh Ganga valley- Tsangchok la (or Thag la) -Tsaparang-Gartok
{ From a ridge on the Indo-China border to the south of Thaga la- looking into Tibet}>
+at+400+dpi-293.jpg)
HIMACHAL PRADESH-
16- Sangla-Chitkul-Yamrang La (5487 m)- {or Uttarkashi-Harsil-Lamkhaga La-Yamrang la}- Tsaparang. From colonial times till 1950 duty used to be levied on goods crossing the border. This had forced people to use little known & dangerous routes like this one, which passed through a valley nick named Chor Gad.
17- Kalpa-Moirang-Khimokul la (4331 m)- Tsaparang
18- Shimla-Kalpa-Pooh-Shipk la (4000 m) (on the Hindustan – Tibet road and for centuries was one of the 4 most prominent trade routes along the entire border. It is open again. This is the 2nd route which has a Customs station and is right on the pass)-Shipki vlg.- Kuukh (earlier
1- The border crossing points from NE to NW are :
ARUNACHAL-
2- Dibrugarh-Tezu-Walong- Kibithoo (at 1371 m - it is the lowest crossing point into Tibet from India)-Kahao- along the Lohit river which enters India here. In Tibet is Rima, a large town, just 40 kms or so away from the border. It is at the confluence of Zayul chu and Rong To chu, which comes in from Kangri Karpo chu to its NW. The famous Rima Gap where within 100 kms the Salween, the Mekong, and the Yangtse flow is not far from here. This is one of the shortest motorable{Tinsukia to Tezu = 137 kms; Tezu to Hayuliyang=103 kms; Hayuliyang to Walong=103 kms; Walong – Kibithoo= 30 kms; Kibithoo-Kahao=1.6 kms} routes to the Tibetan border from the Indian plains. Reviving of this trade will immensely improve the economy of this area. Till 1950 a Tibetan Trade Agent used to be based at Sadiya and till 1952 in Tezu. An Indian Trade Agent used to be in Rima.
{ Kibithoo in the left foreground and Kahao below the hill in the front. This Rima thumb of China is south of the watershed which pierced by three las- Oti la (5023m), Ata Kang la (4878 m) & Cheti la (4338 m) , but has been traditionally with the Chinese. Till about 70 years ago it used to be a penal settlement for Tibetans. Thic could be the road North Easterners are looking for to reach out to China. }>
{Though not an Indo-China pass, it leads to the Ledo Road to Kunming in China for the opening of which a rather ignorant bleat erupts periodically. This one way road was used only once during WW II and then never again. It will take billions to repair till Mytkina. The Lohit Valley Road to Rima is a much better and cheaper alternative. Also, it is an all weather road. }
5- North Lakhimpur-Along-(or directly from Assam via Passighat too) –Yingkiong-Tuting (590 m)-Gelling (1829 m)-Tung la or Shouka la (3800 m) or Lamb la- Kemteng-Gya Dzong (2775 m)(Shimong Adis who inhabit this region are Lhobas in Tibet. In the village of Mankhota (1120 m) on the Yangsang chu near the border live some Khamba families from Tibet )
6- North Lakhimpur-Along-Mechuka (1890 m): means place of mediciane water that rises from the snows - up the Yagyap chu- Nepar la or Nyug La(4700 m)-Migyitun-Kyim Dzong (There’s a Kaying-Tato-Mechuka motor road now); (Pachakshiri Membas who inhabit this region are known as Moinbas in Tibet)
7- North Lakhimpur-Dapporijo-Nacho- Taksing (2400 m)-Limeking-Lhontse Dzong (This was one of the routes through which till about 40 years earlier amongst other goods Tibetan ornaments esp. brass carved bells known locally as majes used to be got- now its textiles on rare occasions)
8- Tezpur-Bomdila- Tawang-Bum la (4332 m)-Tsona Dzong (this is very close to Bhutan and Chinese goods in large quantities are being brought in through adjacent Mele La in Bhutan. Lhasa is about 600 kms away.)
9- The heights and names of the passes at S. Nos 4,5, & 6 may not be correct as they have been got from local sources, understanding whom requires a phonetically experienced ear.
SIKKIM-
10- Gangtok-Nathu la (4420 m)- Chumbi valley-Paro Dzong-Gyantse-Lhasa (3607 m). The closest port for Lhasa is Kolkatta which is about 1400 kms away. That is why the Chinese are keen on opening up the Nathu la route. Shanghai is more than 4000 kms away. Yangon about 2500 kms.
UTTARANCHAL-
11- Pithoragarh-Tawaghat-Garbyang (villages on this route that were dying have revived and old houses are looking sturdy once again. Some old customs of serais in homes have started again) -Lipu Lekh (5453 m) (This is one of the two official trade routes open now. The Customs station is at Garbyang 30 kms before Lipu Lekh)- Taklakot (where now there is an Indian and Nepali market)-Darchen
{Approaching Lipu Lekh from the Indian side}>
{Path going down from Unta Dhura towards Milam }>
13- Joshimath-Bara Hoti Plains-Niti Pass (5060 m)-Tralung-Tirthapuri Gompa;
14- Joshimath-Badrinath-Mana pass (5608 m)-Tsaparang-or Totling Gompa-(to Gartok also)-or Tralung
15- Uttarkashi-Harsil-Jadh Ganga valley- Tsangchok la (or Thag la) -Tsaparang-Gartok
{ From a ridge on the Indo-China border to the south of Thaga la- looking into Tibet}>
+at+400+dpi-293.jpg)
HIMACHAL PRADESH-
16- Sangla-Chitkul-Yamrang La (5487 m)- {or Uttarkashi-Harsil-Lamkhaga La-Yamrang la}- Tsaparang. From colonial times till 1950 duty used to be levied on goods crossing the border. This had forced people to use little known & dangerous routes like this one, which passed through a valley nick named Chor Gad.
17- Kalpa-Moirang-Khimokul la (4331 m)- Tsaparang
18- Shimla-Kalpa-Pooh-Shipk la (4000 m) (on the Hindustan – Tibet road and for centuries was one of the 4 most prominent trade routes along the entire border. It is open again. This is the 2nd route which has a Customs station and is right on the pass)-Shipki vlg.- Kuukh (earlier
{Looking from Shipki La in India into Tibet- Drongmar Ridge's base can be seen girdling the Satluj at the left of this picture}
parts of Spiti and of Western Tibet till Tsaparang-Tolingmath were part of one kingdom known as Kuukh)-Karkuncham (Hqrs of Chumurti distt.)-Nortok [where there’s a 18th C stone marking a trade treaty between the kings of Rampur Bushair (where the Lavi fair, attended by traders from Tibet, Central Asia and our plains used to be held every November) and of Kuukh]- or Tsaparang or Gartok;
19- Kalpa-Pooh-Sumdoh-Kaurik-Gargunsa on the river Garlung & thence SSE for 30 kms to Gartok or 20 kms NNW to Tashigong where the river Indus meets the Garlung, and which is 35 kms by motorable road from Demchok in Ladakh.
LADAKH-
20- Leh-Nyoma (4207 m)-Dumchulle (4412 m)-Rudok on the south bank of Nyak Tso, which is a kind of continuation of Ladakh’s Pangong Tso,
{This is a picture of Dumchule. It was Indian territory till October 1962. Now its under Chinese occupation. They have built a huge solid structure in which about 80 shops function. All these shops are meant for Ladakhi Changpas who roam this part of the Indus Valley with their pashm goats.
I can understand the reluctance of babus to allow Indians to visit this area. Its an awful reminder of what we lost in 1962. And Indians, even after 50 years ought not to know how badly led they were at that time. Forget Aksai Chin. Get these areas on our side of the watershed back!}
20 (a)-
{ A Ladakhi Changpa shepherd crossing the frozen Indus near Dumchule after shopping at the Mall there. This is perhaps the only place across the almost 4000 kms long border where there is 'official' trade, without officialdom checking any one. Its official as people walk across to Dumchulle and buy whatever they want to and bring them in back packs or horse back under the watchful eyes of not too very distant ITBP posts -Hena and Tygar Male-. The ITBP posts do not interfere much with this activity which according to very rough estimates could be around Rs. 100 crores from here alone. }
21- Leh-Nyoma-Demchog (4322 m)-Tashigong and along the Indus to the east to Thok Yalung gold fields (16330’),
{This is Demchog. Chinese side. Also occupied after October, 1962. That big structure has been there for more than a decade. It could easily be used offensively! Yet we have not objected.
But the Chinese do even if we put up a tin shed or repair a canal on the nearby Charding chu. And guess what we do? We agree and stop all activity. They have the temerity to protest and we have the timidity to succumb. Incidentally that building the Chinese hope would eventually be a trade market for the two countries.)
22- Leh-Nyoma-Tiggar-Kyun la (or via Hanle too)-Chumar on the Pare chu river which flows into Tibet from here (this leads to an extremely isolated & backward corner of Tibet for which getting supplies from India will be most convenient.)
23- Leh-Nyoma- Tcahaga- (& also via Chang la-Chushul to)- Tchaga la (5060 m)- Rudok.
24- Leh- Khardung la-Nubra-Saser La-Daulat Beg Oldi-Karakorum (5724 m) - Kashgar and Yarkand in Sinkiang, which are now being supplied with a lot of their essentials through Mintaka pass on the Karakorum highway from Gilgit in Pakistan. It is also the shortest way to a sea port for this part of China. The only possible advantage that a route through India’s Karakorum pass could have would be its round the year accessibility)
25- Its in Ladakh that the affects of Chinese economic offensive can be brazenly seen. At the Moti Market Chinese goods are sold in about 50 shops. In the Changthang where the Changpa shepherds tending their pashmina flock close to the border use Chinese jackets, jeans, cutlery, confectionery, torches and thermos flasks and meat in winter.
26(a)- Another often used pass till a decade ago was this Imis la. It is the small saddle below the outcrop at 10 O'clock. It joins an old trade route from Gartok to Shipki village in Tibet. In the foreground is the ITBP Post of Zarsar- about 50 kms south of Hanle.
25(b)- Chulung la at the head of Koyul lungpa. Close by are Dulung and Charding las. This photograph was take from below Photi la. >
Age old routes but Indians are not allowed to visit these areas unless they have an Inner Line Permit, to get which one has to undergo questions and suspicions as if we are would be traitors.. The Chinese have good roads to their side of the pass, and even foreigners are allowed. These roads are clearly visible on Google Earth!
25 (c):
{Umlung above the Indus on the left. The road to Demchog all the way from Leh hugs the left bank of the Indus below the yardangs (wind abrasion formed structures in deserts). AND across the Indus is now Chinese occupied Ladakh. They have, since October 1962, occupied more than 20 kms to the south of the Zara la and till this point on the right bank of the Indus. That it is indubitably Indian territory is proved by an ancient 17th C fort made by the Ladakhi King Sengge Namgyal the ruins of which still stand on a hill a bit to the right of the picture. This was also an old trade route. It is possible to drive all the way to Lhasa from here, but politically it is impossible-} >
25 (d)-
{Pangong tso at Lukung. Above it, a bit below 12 O'clock, is Ane la, which is the border between India and China. The Line of Actual Control from the right ridge meets the International Border here. }
25 (e)-
{At the back is Spangur Gap. Hiding behind the first ridge toi the right is the picturesque lake of Soangur. Till October 1962 all this and half the lake was India's. Now its Chinese Occupied Ladakh! An old trade route to Rudok from Leh used to pass this way. No more.}
Related Information:
26- Chinese have a Singkiang - Lhasa Higway running north of and quite close to very nearly the entire Himalaya from east of Sikkim westwards. They want supply routes to some points along this route from India.
27- There were Trade Agents till 1952 in Tezu in Lohit District of east Arunachal & Rima in Tibet’s Pemyangtse or Pemako district.
28- The following 29 goods can be "exported freely" to China as border barter trade: 1- Agricultural implements; 2- Blankets; 3- Copper Products; 4- Clothes; 5- Textiles; 6- Cycles; 7- Coffee; 8- Tea; 9- Barley; 10- Rice; 11- Flour; 12- Dry Fruit; 13- Dry & fresh vegetables; 14- Vegetable oil; 15- Gur and Misri; 16- Tobacco; 17- Snuff; 18- Cigarettes; 19- Canned food; 20- Agro Chemical; 21- Local herbs; 22- Dyes; 23- Spices; 24- Watches; 25- Shoes; 26- Kerosene oil; 27- Stationery; 28- Utensils; & 29- Wheat (Ua & buck). This is according to India's Export Trade Control Public Notice No. 5(PN)/92-97 issued on 20th of July, 1992.
INFORMALLY there are now many more goods to trade with than could have been dreamt of by the drafters of this notification. E.g. coarse wool, pashm wool, tiger eye & other precious and semi precious stones, gold pellets, daggers, boots, hats, blankets, quilts, jeans, jackets, fur caps, felt hats, inverters, electronic equipment, cycles, foot wear, confectionery, crockery, thermos flasks, raw meat (during winter in Ladakh), saddles, yaks, and horses come into India and liquor esp. rum, medicines (large quantity of Indian medicines go through Kyrghystan and Kazakhstan to Sinkiang), woollen carpets, petrol and diesel, car parts, tool kits, solar panels, shawls, bicycles & sometimes even cement go from India.
In Ladakh the Chinese indirectly finance dumping of their goods by giving long term interest free credit. They demand payment only after the goods have been sold by their Indian customers. For Indian goods they pay in Rupees immediately on delivery.
The goods that are now in demand are no longer traditional, and demand for traditional goods like wool is now on a commercial scale. No longer for local use by cross border communities. The routes and methods of carrying these goods is however still largely traditional. Earlier needs were few and localized thus salt e.g. used to be a very important item to be brought in. Now as can be seen from the list above preferences have outstripped basic needs.
Despite our bureaucracy’s whimsical reluctance to acknowledge it Chinese goods are being brought in large quantities all along the border, and that State controls and monitors it closely.
29- It’s not only for Lhasa that the Chinese could be interested in opening up trade routes with India. They want traditional trade routes connecting each part of Tibet that has filial and old trade links with India to be resumed. This way they can ensure cheaper supplies. Providing these from mainland China takes time and is expensive. Even with the opening of the Sikang – Lhasa rail link Indian goods will still be required in South Tibet.
30- Across the border areas of Sikkim & Arunachal there are more populated areas in Tibet than across the border in the NW and yet very little trade activity.
31- According to an old treaty people living on either side of the Indo-China border are allowed to go fairly deep into each other’s territory. Tho’ hardly any Chinese come this way to our side, many Indians used to go far inside Tibet at least across Shipki La (7 days march inside) till 2002. From 2005 they were not allowed to go beyond Shipki village which is 1.5 kms inside Tibet. The reason was that people from these villages have become smart. They want to have their horses hired to take these goods further into Tibet. This had affected the volume of barter trade too and villages further away in Tibet had been protesting against the high handedness of the villagers from Shipki. This is what makes border life an exciting one. Never a dull moment. The pity is that very few get to live it , experience it, or report it.
32- Chumar- The village is on a gompa hill. Inside the gompa is a preserved body of a lama. Instead of being put inside a chorten its in a glass cage. Across a tributary of the Pare chu and above the former's right bank, around a small hill, is the ITBP post that occasionally causes heart burns for the Chinese. For many years the Pare chu was not bridged as the Indians were reluctant to offend the too sensitive Chinese even though the latter were putting up structures every where along the LAC elsewhere. Chumar borders a part of Tibet that is cut off from the rest of Tibet by the 6000 mtrs high Drongmar Ridge, which forces the Pare chu to divert again to India (H.P.) where it joins the Spiti river at Shugar. The Zanskar Range Gya peaks (highest is 6,833 m or 22,420 ft) that loom above Chumar are near the trijunction of Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Guge of Tibet. The 1500 sq. kms or so of Guge is the thumb like projection into Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh. It has about five or six or seven sparsely populated villages near about the Pare chu lake, and before the river bends into India. This 3 sq. kms. lake is in the only other somewhat flattish Plain in this unusually difficult, tortured and fissured mountainous area of Western Tibet. The lake has a large island that is increasing in size because of silting. There are more PLA camps than villages in this part of Tibetan Guge. .
Till about a decade or so ago these few Chinese villages used to get a lot of their supplies from Chumar. Pehaps that is why the Chinese are so aggressive here.
The disputed area of Chumar includes a Plain about 1.5 kms long and half a kilometre wide split in a N - S direction by the Pare chu. This Plain is hemmed in by mountains- few rolling, mostly precipitous rocky crags on all sides. After the Plain the Pare chu enters into a deep gorge. The long established International Border cuts in an E - W direction the jumble of mountains about 3 kms to the south of this Plain. The Chinese want the whole Plain till its North. They, I think, love to tease out conflicts where there were none. The present ITBP post is probably about 11 kms away from the International Border. Chumar is dominated by the trident of Gya peaks to its west across Pare chu. The Pare chu picks up waters from three (two are from the E) other tributaries and then wends a westward way around a spur, which is entirely in India, and then flows south into Tibet after at least 7-8 kms. This portion of Tibet is one of China's most isolated areas. But, judging by the number of incursions by the Chinese and the number of troops that make each of them it is obvious that a good road has been made by the Chinese for some distance over the Drongmar Ridge.
+above+Chumar.jpg)
Chumar- Under Gya (6833 m) where HP, Ladakh and Tibet meet. It is at the point where the Pare chu turns right. The post is away from the right bank on the other side of hill under the shade of a cloud. The village is to the left and not in the picture. The border is behind the first hill in the foreground after the Pare chu flats beyond the ITBP post. The Pare chu weaves around the hill in the foreground and then passing another small plain darts into Tibet. At this point the Chinese have disputed the border alignment. They want the whole Plain.
The attractive road to Chumar.
Gya (6833 m), a twister, Tegazung Plain and a Kyang. Before Chumar.
19- Kalpa-Pooh-Sumdoh-Kaurik-Gargunsa on the river Garlung & thence SSE for 30 kms to Gartok or 20 kms NNW to Tashigong where the river Indus meets the Garlung, and which is 35 kms by motorable road from Demchok in Ladakh.
LADAKH-
20- Leh-Nyoma (4207 m)-Dumchulle (4412 m)-Rudok on the south bank of Nyak Tso, which is a kind of continuation of Ladakh’s Pangong Tso,
{This is a picture of Dumchule. It was Indian territory till October 1962. Now its under Chinese occupation. They have built a huge solid structure in which about 80 shops function. All these shops are meant for Ladakhi Changpas who roam this part of the Indus Valley with their pashm goats.
I can understand the reluctance of babus to allow Indians to visit this area. Its an awful reminder of what we lost in 1962. And Indians, even after 50 years ought not to know how badly led they were at that time. Forget Aksai Chin. Get these areas on our side of the watershed back!}
20 (a)-
{ A Ladakhi Changpa shepherd crossing the frozen Indus near Dumchule after shopping at the Mall there. This is perhaps the only place across the almost 4000 kms long border where there is 'official' trade, without officialdom checking any one. Its official as people walk across to Dumchulle and buy whatever they want to and bring them in back packs or horse back under the watchful eyes of not too very distant ITBP posts -Hena and Tygar Male-. The ITBP posts do not interfere much with this activity which according to very rough estimates could be around Rs. 100 crores from here alone. }
21- Leh-Nyoma-Demchog (4322 m)-Tashigong and along the Indus to the east to Thok Yalung gold fields (16330’),
{This is Demchog. Chinese side. Also occupied after October, 1962. That big structure has been there for more than a decade. It could easily be used offensively! Yet we have not objected.
But the Chinese do even if we put up a tin shed or repair a canal on the nearby Charding chu. And guess what we do? We agree and stop all activity. They have the temerity to protest and we have the timidity to succumb. Incidentally that building the Chinese hope would eventually be a trade market for the two countries.)
21 (a)- { And this obviously temporary nissan hut is one of several for our troops at Demchog. The mountains in the foreground are now with the Chinese. They are to the east of Zara la, not in the picture. }
22- Leh-Nyoma-Tiggar-Kyun la (or via Hanle too)-Chumar on the Pare chu river which flows into Tibet from here (this leads to an extremely isolated & backward corner of Tibet for which getting supplies from India will be most convenient.)
23- Leh-Nyoma- Tcahaga- (& also via Chang la-Chushul to)- Tchaga la (5060 m)- Rudok.
24- Leh- Khardung la-Nubra-Saser La-Daulat Beg Oldi-Karakorum (5724 m) - Kashgar and Yarkand in Sinkiang, which are now being supplied with a lot of their essentials through Mintaka pass on the Karakorum highway from Gilgit in Pakistan. It is also the shortest way to a sea port for this part of China. The only possible advantage that a route through India’s Karakorum pass could have would be its round the year accessibility)
25- Its in Ladakh that the affects of Chinese economic offensive can be brazenly seen. At the Moti Market Chinese goods are sold in about 50 shops. In the Changthang where the Changpa shepherds tending their pashmina flock close to the border use Chinese jackets, jeans, cutlery, confectionery, torches and thermos flasks and meat in winter.
26(a)- Another often used pass till a decade ago was this Imis la. It is the small saddle below the outcrop at 10 O'clock. It joins an old trade route from Gartok to Shipki village in Tibet. In the foreground is the ITBP Post of Zarsar- about 50 kms south of Hanle.
25(b)- Chulung la at the head of Koyul lungpa. Close by are Dulung and Charding las. This photograph was take from below Photi la. >
Age old routes but Indians are not allowed to visit these areas unless they have an Inner Line Permit, to get which one has to undergo questions and suspicions as if we are would be traitors.. The Chinese have good roads to their side of the pass, and even foreigners are allowed. These roads are clearly visible on Google Earth!
25 (c):
{Umlung above the Indus on the left. The road to Demchog all the way from Leh hugs the left bank of the Indus below the yardangs (wind abrasion formed structures in deserts). AND across the Indus is now Chinese occupied Ladakh. They have, since October 1962, occupied more than 20 kms to the south of the Zara la and till this point on the right bank of the Indus. That it is indubitably Indian territory is proved by an ancient 17th C fort made by the Ladakhi King Sengge Namgyal the ruins of which still stand on a hill a bit to the right of the picture. This was also an old trade route. It is possible to drive all the way to Lhasa from here, but politically it is impossible-} >
25 (d)-
{Pangong tso at Lukung. Above it, a bit below 12 O'clock, is Ane la, which is the border between India and China. The Line of Actual Control from the right ridge meets the International Border here. }
25 (e)-
{At the back is Spangur Gap. Hiding behind the first ridge toi the right is the picturesque lake of Soangur. Till October 1962 all this and half the lake was India's. Now its Chinese Occupied Ladakh! An old trade route to Rudok from Leh used to pass this way. No more.}
Related Information:
26- Chinese have a Singkiang - Lhasa Higway running north of and quite close to very nearly the entire Himalaya from east of Sikkim westwards. They want supply routes to some points along this route from India.
27- There were Trade Agents till 1952 in Tezu in Lohit District of east Arunachal & Rima in Tibet’s Pemyangtse or Pemako district.
28- The following 29 goods can be "exported freely" to China as border barter trade: 1- Agricultural implements; 2- Blankets; 3- Copper Products; 4- Clothes; 5- Textiles; 6- Cycles; 7- Coffee; 8- Tea; 9- Barley; 10- Rice; 11- Flour; 12- Dry Fruit; 13- Dry & fresh vegetables; 14- Vegetable oil; 15- Gur and Misri; 16- Tobacco; 17- Snuff; 18- Cigarettes; 19- Canned food; 20- Agro Chemical; 21- Local herbs; 22- Dyes; 23- Spices; 24- Watches; 25- Shoes; 26- Kerosene oil; 27- Stationery; 28- Utensils; & 29- Wheat (Ua & buck). This is according to India's Export Trade Control Public Notice No. 5(PN)/92-97 issued on 20th of July, 1992.
INFORMALLY there are now many more goods to trade with than could have been dreamt of by the drafters of this notification. E.g. coarse wool, pashm wool, tiger eye & other precious and semi precious stones, gold pellets, daggers, boots, hats, blankets, quilts, jeans, jackets, fur caps, felt hats, inverters, electronic equipment, cycles, foot wear, confectionery, crockery, thermos flasks, raw meat (during winter in Ladakh), saddles, yaks, and horses come into India and liquor esp. rum, medicines (large quantity of Indian medicines go through Kyrghystan and Kazakhstan to Sinkiang), woollen carpets, petrol and diesel, car parts, tool kits, solar panels, shawls, bicycles & sometimes even cement go from India.
In Ladakh the Chinese indirectly finance dumping of their goods by giving long term interest free credit. They demand payment only after the goods have been sold by their Indian customers. For Indian goods they pay in Rupees immediately on delivery.
The goods that are now in demand are no longer traditional, and demand for traditional goods like wool is now on a commercial scale. No longer for local use by cross border communities. The routes and methods of carrying these goods is however still largely traditional. Earlier needs were few and localized thus salt e.g. used to be a very important item to be brought in. Now as can be seen from the list above preferences have outstripped basic needs.
Despite our bureaucracy’s whimsical reluctance to acknowledge it Chinese goods are being brought in large quantities all along the border, and that State controls and monitors it closely.
29- It’s not only for Lhasa that the Chinese could be interested in opening up trade routes with India. They want traditional trade routes connecting each part of Tibet that has filial and old trade links with India to be resumed. This way they can ensure cheaper supplies. Providing these from mainland China takes time and is expensive. Even with the opening of the Sikang – Lhasa rail link Indian goods will still be required in South Tibet.
30- Across the border areas of Sikkim & Arunachal there are more populated areas in Tibet than across the border in the NW and yet very little trade activity.
31- According to an old treaty people living on either side of the Indo-China border are allowed to go fairly deep into each other’s territory. Tho’ hardly any Chinese come this way to our side, many Indians used to go far inside Tibet at least across Shipki La (7 days march inside) till 2002. From 2005 they were not allowed to go beyond Shipki village which is 1.5 kms inside Tibet. The reason was that people from these villages have become smart. They want to have their horses hired to take these goods further into Tibet. This had affected the volume of barter trade too and villages further away in Tibet had been protesting against the high handedness of the villagers from Shipki. This is what makes border life an exciting one. Never a dull moment. The pity is that very few get to live it , experience it, or report it.
32- Chumar- The village is on a gompa hill. Inside the gompa is a preserved body of a lama. Instead of being put inside a chorten its in a glass cage. Across a tributary of the Pare chu and above the former's right bank, around a small hill, is the ITBP post that occasionally causes heart burns for the Chinese. For many years the Pare chu was not bridged as the Indians were reluctant to offend the too sensitive Chinese even though the latter were putting up structures every where along the LAC elsewhere. Chumar borders a part of Tibet that is cut off from the rest of Tibet by the 6000 mtrs high Drongmar Ridge, which forces the Pare chu to divert again to India (H.P.) where it joins the Spiti river at Shugar. The Zanskar Range Gya peaks (highest is 6,833 m or 22,420 ft) that loom above Chumar are near the trijunction of Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Guge of Tibet. The 1500 sq. kms or so of Guge is the thumb like projection into Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh. It has about five or six or seven sparsely populated villages near about the Pare chu lake, and before the river bends into India. This 3 sq. kms. lake is in the only other somewhat flattish Plain in this unusually difficult, tortured and fissured mountainous area of Western Tibet. The lake has a large island that is increasing in size because of silting. There are more PLA camps than villages in this part of Tibetan Guge. .
Till about a decade or so ago these few Chinese villages used to get a lot of their supplies from Chumar. Pehaps that is why the Chinese are so aggressive here.
The disputed area of Chumar includes a Plain about 1.5 kms long and half a kilometre wide split in a N - S direction by the Pare chu. This Plain is hemmed in by mountains- few rolling, mostly precipitous rocky crags on all sides. After the Plain the Pare chu enters into a deep gorge. The long established International Border cuts in an E - W direction the jumble of mountains about 3 kms to the south of this Plain. The Chinese want the whole Plain till its North. They, I think, love to tease out conflicts where there were none. The present ITBP post is probably about 11 kms away from the International Border. Chumar is dominated by the trident of Gya peaks to its west across Pare chu. The Pare chu picks up waters from three (two are from the E) other tributaries and then wends a westward way around a spur, which is entirely in India, and then flows south into Tibet after at least 7-8 kms. This portion of Tibet is one of China's most isolated areas. But, judging by the number of incursions by the Chinese and the number of troops that make each of them it is obvious that a good road has been made by the Chinese for some distance over the Drongmar Ridge.
+above+Chumar.jpg)
Had Indians been allowed to visit Inner Line areas without having to pierce a paper curtain there would be no conjectures about where the LAC and IB are and even journalists would be better informed. This is a colonial hangover (130 years or so old) that is best removed.
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