Nain Singh—Secret Surveyor of the By Brinda Gill On a cold winter morning in 1863, eigners, especially the British, who had be pressed through fine openings specially Major Smyth, a British Education Officer made many attempts to obtain geographi­ made in their prayer wheels! in Kumaon, in ’s western Himalayan cal information about the forbidden coun­ The cousins’ most important routine region, sent for Nain Singh, the headmas­ try. Wary of Russian efforts to establish during training was taking measure, daily ter of a government school in the village links with and cognizant of the coun­ walks. Each day they marched a precise of Milam. When Nain Singh entered the try’s fabulous gold mines, the British had number of equal, paced steps between office, Major Smyth welcomed him in, been continually thwarted by the Tibetan marked distances. The exercise prepared gestured to a chair and then turning to a government. them to measure the span between sites in large map on the wall said, Nain Singh would cross the rugged Tibet. Along with their unusual prayer ‘As you may already know Nain Singh, mountains not as a surveyor, but as a pious wheels, they would also carry Buddhist our trans-frontier maps are either blank or Tibetan Buddhist; making observations rosaries, strung with exactly 100 beads, delicately based on travellers tales. Gilgit, discreetly. In some ways the sojourn instead of the usual 108 beads, with every Chilns and Chitral on the north-west are seemed like a reckless adventure - walking tenth one a big bead. They would count unexplored; Yarkand though visited, from hundreds of miles to furtively gauge the each bead after 100 paces; a large one coordinating different observations, seems heights of mountains and the course of marked 1000 paces. With the sextant and to be a hundred miles out of position on rivers of an inhospitable, uninviting coun­ compass they would get their bearings, and the map. Central Tibet remains unknown - try. If caught, Nain Singh would be con­ with their measured paces they would the position of in longitude is large­ sidered a spy, and face dire consequences. position sites. They were also taught the ly speculative. Only one point on the River Did obtaining the physical statistics of rudimentary use of drugs and simple reme­ Tsangpo, Shigatse, has been charted’. another land, which had no bearing to his dies to further imitate the practices of Why this balance sheet? Nain Singh existence, necessitate such an expedition? Tibetan monks. wondered, as Symth continued with a short Despite any reservations, a week later account of British survey teams in the Nain Singh and his elder cousin Mani A Mild-Manner Monk region and their quest for information of Singh, also selected for the mission, left For two years Mani Singh and Nain lands beyond the Himalayas. ‘Nain Singh, their village Milam for . Both Singh refined their skills and sorted out we need you to tell us about Tibet’, he said Nain Singh and Mani Singh had worked possible obstacles. They set off in January directly, circling a sparsely marked space with the Schlagintweit brothers, German 1865, dressed in the multilayered flowing on the map - the forbidden highlands of scientist-explorers, in the Himalayan robes of Tibetans, carrying a rosary and a that windswept, and locked country. region a decade earlier, and both were prayer wheel like devout Buddhists. In this The rest of India, reduced to two-dimen­ familiar with the Himalayas. role Nain Singh was referred to as the sional space, was ablaze with hundreds of At 11,200 feet, Milam lay in the scenic ‘Chief ’ or simply ‘the Pundit’, little markings, but the barren Tibetan upper reaches of Kumaon in the north- which means teacher or wise man in Hindi; plateau seized Nain Singh’s imagination. Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, at the foot of and Mani Singh was GM. He was to cross those sublime mountains the . As a young boy Nain While passing Kumaon they met a to complete a lacunae which irked officials Singh had accompanied his father along group of Johari merchants who had been and nagged surveyors, and fill in the centuries old mountain paths, to trade robbed in Tibet. Hearing that Mani Singh details of an unknown world. marts in Western Tibet. They would ferry and Nain Singh were heading for Lhasa, Major Smyth’s voice cut through his cereals, cotton cloth, jaggery, sugar, tobac­ the merchants asked them if they could be thoughts. ‘With a little effort you could co and return with Tibetan wool, borax, their agents, to present their case to the pass off as a good Tibetan’, he observed. salt, butter, sheep, goats and fine horses. Government at Lhasa. The cousins con­ And he was right. Nain Singh was a Young Nain Singh would tie brightly sented, and they decided to approach Bhotia, a clan that had lived near the coloured ribbons on their manes and little Lhasa via Nepal, as there was frequent Tibetan border for centuries and seemed bells around their necks. The most impor­ travel between the two countries. They set like kindred cousins of the Tibetans, with tant of all imports -gold- would be carried off, piously murmuring the Buddhist similarities in race, custom and speech. on their person. prayer ‘Om mani padme hum’ (Oh Jewel ‘Are you willing, Nain Singh’ Symth In Dehra Dun the cousins trained in of the Lotus), turning the prayer wheel and asked anxiously. practical surveying under British Survey dropping beads to mark a hundred paces. ‘I am ready’, the thirty year old Nain officers. They learned to observe and rec­ Their minds automatically coordinated the Singh said instantly and there was no look­ ognize stars, take latitudes by the sextant, number of steps and the drop of a bead. ing back then. gauge direction with a compass, and deter­ Nobody questioned their identity as devout mine heights by observing a thermometer Buddhists. Pilgrimage of Precision in boiling water! They learned to make The travellers reached Kathmandu on Nain Singh’s journey was not an ordi­ terse notes of places, mountains, roads, the 7 March 1865. After making inquiries nary one. Tibetans were suspicious of for­ rivers and the locals. These notes were to about the best route, they decided to con­

18 The Ontario Land Surveyor, Spring 2001 tinue via the small town of Kerun Shahr. On March 27, they reached Temure, a Nain Singh would cross the rugged mountains Nepalese police and customs post, where not as a surveyor, but as a pious Tibetan Buddhist... they were scrutinized. The cousins had dis­ mantled the sextant, concealed the com­ Keeping an ear open for news, he heard droppings that had a peculiar smell. After pass in the prayer wheel, tucked away the that a Ladakhi caravan bound for Lhasa, a few nights of sleeping in the open this thermometers in a hollowed stave and hid sent by the Maharaja of Kashmir was smell, evocative of warmth, seemed most the mercury within coowrie shells. Their expected after thirty days and his carriage comforting! bags passed scrutiny, and they were in Tibet was being supplied by the Tibetan The caravan reached Shigatse on the allowed to proceed after paying pay poll government. Because Himalayan travel October 29 and took up residence at a large tax. But trouble was round the corner as was extremely dangerous, cold, desolate caravan-sarai. About half a mile to the they were delayed at the next halting post and plagued by highway robbers, pilgrims south-west of the city, stood a beautiful and permission to continue their journey and traders had to travel in groups. Nain monastery surrounded by a wall about a by way of Kerun Shahr was denied. Singh soon rented a house and feigned mile in circumference, ensconcing many With heavy hearts they retraced their sickness to avoid contact with the locals, houses and striking temples topped by steps to Kathmandu. They realized that to hoping to rest inconspicuously till the car­ gilded spires stood within this enclosure. increase their chances of success, they avan arrived. When it reached Tradon on Later Nain Singh visited them and saw would have to split up. Mani Singh decid­ October 2, Nain Singh joined it and idols studded with precious stones, gold ed to try a more circuitous route via marched eastward along the Jong-lam and silver. About 3,300 priests dwelt in the Muktinath in Nepal, but was unsuccessful Road, by means of which Tibetan officials monastery, the Chief being the Panchan as he took ill and subsequently returned to communicated for 800 miles along the top Lama. As Ladakhis deeply revered the Hindustan (as India was called in those of the Himalayan range from Lhasa to Panchan Lama, they were eagerly antici­ days). Nain Singh meanwhile approached Gartok. pating paying their respects to him. Nain a Bhot merchant, Dawa Nangal, who Though generally well defined, some Singh was terrified at the thought for it was intended to take the Kerun Shahr route. He stretches of the surrounding plateau resem­ believed that the Lama knew all the secrets promised to take Nain Singh to Lhasa, on bled the road, causing confusion. of the heart! A dramatic finish to his life the basis of which he borrowed money Travellers frequently left stone heaps, seemed imminent, but as he could offer no from Nain Singh. called lapcha, topped by flags on sticks. plausible excuse for not paying his They started off on June 3, with the The Tibetans regarded these as guide-posts respects to the Panchan Lama he nervous­ Pundit donning the dress of a Ladakhi (the as well as objects of veneration, often con­ ly went along. people of the high-altitude plateau in tributing a stone to the pile making them To his great relief the Panchan Lama northern India having a Tibetan population grow into immense mounds. Each lapcha turned out to be a young lad seated on a and culture) and sporting a pig-tail to his served as a focal point for Nain Singh to high throne covered with rich silks, sur­ head. He paced his steps, noted his bear­ take compass bearings. The sight of them rounded by priests. The devotees made a ings with a compass and measured latitude in the distance urged him on during the low obeisance and offered silk pieces. The with the sextant. They reached Shabru on three hundred miles journey to Shigatse. Lama placed his head on each of the wor­ June 20, but it soon became clear that He trudged along counting his paces, tak­ shipers and then beckoned to his priest to Dawa Nangal did not intend to keep his ing observations whenever he found a ask them to be seated. Then he asked every promise. Nain Singh explained his predi­ quiet moment, quickly slipping the chit worshipper three simple questions -‘Is cament to Dawa Nangal’s uncle, who lived into the prayer wheel, and always keeping your king well?’, ‘Is your country prosper­ in Shabru, and he intervened to sort mat­ a strict eye on this storehouse of notes. ing?’ and ‘Are you in good health?’. The ters out. They carried on to reach Kerun devotees replied in the affirmative and the Shahr July 7, and continued to Babuk, a Charting the Abode of God priest then placed a small strip of silk large trade mart where Nain Singh joined The band of travellers rested at staging round their necks and poured a a caravan to Tradon. (Though Dawa houses whenever possible, but sometimes little tea for each of them from a silver ket­ Nangal’s brother helped Nain Singh were compelled to halt between them, tle. The ceremony was soon over and Nain onward, the Pundit never recovered the when Nain Singh had to sleep in the open Singh breathed easier. money he had lent to Dawa). or in a rough tent that offered little protec­ Nain Singh noted the atmospheric tem­ On September 6, the Pundit finally tion from freezing winds. One morning he perature at Shigatse several times. It was reached Tradon and took in its beautiful awoke to find a black scorpion under his always below freezing point at night, even monastery surrounded by extensive plains. bedding. The staging houses had minimum inside the sarai. Though the snowfall was He placed its elevation at 14,200 feet by comfort, but provided a welcome roof and never more than twelve inches, he noted observing the boiling point of water. a supply of fuel made from dried animal the cold was intense often causing streams to freeze. He trudged along counting his paces, The group left Shigatse city on December 22, and crossed the lofty taking observations whenever he found a quiet moment, Kharola pass where Nain Singh very care­ fully took angles of elevation to its height quickly slipping the chit into the prayer wheel... and calculated its height at 17,000 feet.

The Ontario Land Surveyor, Spring 2001 19 In all he had travelled 1200 miles - from In all he had travelled 1200 miles - from Kathmandu to Kathmandu to Lhasa, back to the Lhasa, back to the Manasarovar Lake before crossing Manasarovar Lake before crossing into Hindustan. He had numerous details from into Hindustan. the slips stored away in the prayer wheel that would furnish information for a map Within a week they arrived at the Nan-kar- he was confronted by two Muslim mer­ of the southern trade route of Tibet and of tse village on Lake Palti. The thrill of tra­ chants who asked him who he really was. the River Tsang-po’s course for 600 miles. versing an unknown pass, of surveying the They refused to believe Nain Singh was a There were 31 observations of latitude and area and mapping it for the first time urged Tibetan. As they persisted, Nain Singh thirty of the boiling point of water to deter­ him on across the rugged mountain passes. meandered deeper in their shop and bind­ mine heights, numerous compass and dis­ He had walked five hundred miles from ing them to secrecy, revealed his true iden­ tance bearings, which laid down the 1200 Kathmandu and as he neared Lhasa he was tity. He managed to pawn his watch to miles of route survey. full of anticipation. them for a small sum of money and decid­ The officers were overjoyed to see him Nain Singh arrived at Lhasa, the Abode ed to leave Lhasa at the earliest. Lopchak and receive the information he had brought of God, on 10 January 1866. He was was sending his party back to Ladakh with back. This journey was greatly appreciated thrilled to see the city, situated majestical­ large quantities of tea and he quickly by the Royal Geographical Society and he ly on a generally level, spreading plain sur­ joined his caravan. was presented with a beautiful gold watch, rounded by mountains. He rented two They left Lhasa on April 21, and it at a ceremony, by the Society. rooms, one of which was perfect for taking required almost two months of continuous A few years later in 1873, Nain Singh observations of stars. He noted that Lhasa marching to cover the six hundred miles or was asked to undertake another survey, was at 11,400 feet, circular with a circum­ so to reach the holy Kailash Manasarowar which took him from Leh in Ladakh via ference of two and a half miles with a large Lake. Nain Singh was anxious to return to Lhasa to Assam. The journey stretching temple in the city center. The temple con­ Hindustan, but breaking off from the group across thirteen hundred miles was full of tained richly ornamented gilded idols and was unthinkable in those vast, lonely, hardship, skill, diplomacy and extremely was surrounded by lively bazaars run by inhospitable stretches of the Jon-lam. rewarding geographical results. In the pro­ Lhasan, Kashmiri, Ladakhi, Azimbadi and When they finally reached the serene, posal for an award for this effort, he was Nepali merchants frequented by Chinese blue lake on 16 June, the snow had melted. described by the British as ‘a man who had tradesmen. At the northern end of the city As much as Nain Singh would have added a greater amount of positive knowl­ on a low hill was Po-ta-la Fort, the resi­ wished to stay on at this site so sacred to edge to the map of Asia than any individ­ dence of the Great Lama of Tibet - who Hindus, the thought that news of his true ual of our time’. He was honoured with a was never referred to as the Dalai Lama in identity may catch up with him compelled gold watch by the Paris Geographical Tibet. As his companions were eagerly him to hasten to Hindustan. Society, the Founders’ Gold Medal of the waiting for audience with the Great Lama He parted company from his Ladakhi Royal Geographical Society in 1877 and they made their way there on the seventh companions and quickened his pace. He later appointed ‘Companion of the Indian of February. After making offerings of soon arrived at the Lam Thazing camp and Empire’. The gathering of geographical silks, sweets and money, the Dalai Lama was surprised to see the low hills in the and other scientific knowledge in the vast asked them the same questions as the vicinity covered with snow. The Niti pass and uninviting Himalayan reaches was a Panchan Lama had. Subsequently some of was also covered with snow, but there was slow process in those days, but Nain them were invited to inspect the fort, no time to wait for clearer weather. As he Singh’s courageous expedition contributed where they saw more gilded images draped rushed on he slipped and the thermometer immensely to the efforts of the A with rich silks. fell and broke. British Survey of India. As Nain Singh’s funds were running On the 29 June Nain Singh crossed the low, he decided to earn a little income by Unta-Dhura pass and made his way Brinda Gill is a freelance writer based in teaching bookkeeping to some Nepalese through to his beloved family and village. Pune, India. Her article “The Big Man - merchants. One afternoon while he took in It was then onwards to Dehra Dun to Surveying Sir George Everest appeared in the colour and bustle of the market place inform his seniors of his accomplishments. the Winter 2000 edition of the Ontario Land Surveyor magazine. She can be con­ tacted by email at [email protected]. Mark your calendar ... Further Reading Indian Explorers of the 19th Century: 110th Annual General Meeting Account of Explorations in the Himalayas, Tibet, Mongolia and . By February 20 - 22, 2002 Indra Singh Rawat. New Delhi. 1973. Publications Division, Ministry of Toronto Marriott Eaton Centre Information and Broadcasting, Govt, of India, Patiala House, New Delhi.

20 The Ontario Land Surveyor, Spring 2001