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| {{coord|36|16|23|N|78|46|50|E |
{{coord|36|16|23|N|78|46|50|E|display=title}} | ||
| ], and the Hindu- |
], ] and the Hindu-tagh Pass connecting them. The pass is marked in bright red.]] | ||
| ] (1878) showing the |
] (1878) showing the ] Pass and ] in ] as well as the northern border regions of the ] (which included the ]).<ref name=trotter1878-U8/> The international border is shown in the two-toned purple and pink band. The mountain passes are shown in bright red. Warning the lat/long information is not everywhere correct.]] | ||
| {{Infobox Mountain Pass | {{Infobox Mountain Pass | ||
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| | Caption = | | Caption = | ||
| | Elevation = (5,450 m or 17,879 ft) | | Elevation = (5,450 m or 17,879 ft) | ||
| | Location = {{ |
| Location = {{CHINA}} | ||
| | Range = ] | | Range = ] | ||
| | Coordinates = | Coordinates = {{coord|36|16|23|N|78|46|50|E|type:pass|display=inline,title}} | | Coordinates = | Coordinates = {{coord|36|16|23|N|78|46|50|E|type:pass|display=inline,title}} | ||
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| }} | }} | ||
| '''Hindutash''', also known as '''Hindu-tagh Pass''', is the name of a historical ] in the western ] (formerly, ]) of the ]. The pass cuts through the ] connecting the now-deserted town of ''Kangxiwar'', formerly Kengshewar, (36° 11' 58'' N, 78° 46' 50'' E) in the ] valley to the town of Pusha, (36.3833° N, 79° E), formerly Bushia, in the ] valley, and also connects to the road to the city of ], formerly Khotan. <ref name=trotter1878-U8> {{Harv|Trotter|1878|p=U8}} </ref> (See maps on right.) | |||
| ==History== | |||
| '''Hindutash''', also known as '''Hindu-tagh Pass''', is the name of a historical ] in north eastern ]. The pass cuts through the ] connecting the now-deserted town of ], (36° 11' 58'' N, 78° 46' 50'' E) in the ] valley to the town of Pusha, (36.3833° N, 79° E), formerly Bushia, in the ] valley, in the territory of ] and also connects to the road to the city of ]. <ref name=trotter1878-U8> {{Harv|Trotter|1878|p=U8}} </ref> (See maps on right.) In 1857, the explorer ] crossed this pass from camping grounds in Sumgal ( meaning "three fords" in Ladakhi ), on the banks of the Karakash river, approximately 7 miles upstream from Sumgal in Ladakh and estimated its height to be {{ft to m|17879|abbr=yes|precision=0}}. At the top of the pass (36° 16' 23'' N, 78° 46' 50'' E), there is a steep glacier with many crevasses. “The eastern (Kuenlun) range forms the southern boundary of ]”<ref>Gazetteer of Kashmir and Ladak compiled under the direction of the Quarter Master General in India in the Intelligence Branch. First Published in 1890</ref>, and is crossed by two other passes: the ''Sanju Pass'' near the town of Shahidulla, where the Maharaja of Kashmir had built a fort in exercise of his sovereignty in that area of Kashmir northwest of Hindutash, and the ''Ilchi Pass'' , southeast of Hindutash in the northern part of the ] area in ] (see second map on right). The Hindutash pass has been used historically as the point of entry into India Proper from the ancient Indian ] which only explains the literal meaning of the name Hindutash signifying border post . The latter was traversed in 1865 by W. H. Johnson of the ]. W.H. Johnson’s survey established certain important points. "Brinjga was in his view the boundary post" ( near the Karanghu Tagh Peak in the Kuen Lun in Ladakh ), thus implying "that the boundary lay along the Kuen Lun Range"<ref>Himalayan Frontiers by Dorothy Woodman. Pg.67-68 , published inter alia by London Barrie and Rockliff The Cresset Press 1969.</ref>. Johnson’s findings demonstrated that the whole of the ] valley was “ within the territory of the Maharaja of Kashmir” and an integral part of the territory of Kashmir . "He noted where the Chinese boundary post was accepted. At Yangi Langar, three marches from Khotan, he noticed that there were a few fruit trees at this place which originally was a post or guard house of the Chinese". “The Khan wrote Johnson ‘that he had dispatched his Wazier, Saifulla Khoja to meet me at Bringja, the first encampment beyond the Ladakh boundary for the purpose of escorting me thence to Ilichi’… thus the Khotan ruler accepted the Kunlun range as the southern boundary of his dominion.”<ref>Himalayan Battleground by Margaret W. Fisher, Leo E. Rose and Robert A. Huttenback, published by Frederick A. Praeger Pg.116. </ref> According to Johnson, “the last portion of the route to Shadulla (Shahidulla) is particularly pleasant, being the whole of the Karakash valley which is wide and even, and shut in either side by rugged mountains. On this route I noticed numerous extensive plateaux near the river, covered with wood and long grass. These being within the territory of the Maharaja of Kashmir, could easily be brought under cultivation by Ladakhees and others, if they could be induced and encouraged to do so by the Kashmeer Government. The establishment of villages and habitations on this river would be important in many points of view, but chiefly in keeping the route open from the attacks of the Khergiz robbers.”<ref>Report of the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, 1866, p.6. </ref> | |||
| In 1857, the explorer ] crossed this pass from camping grounds in Sumgal ("three fords"), on the banks of the Karakash river, approximately 7 miles upstream from Kengshewar and estimated its height to be {{ft to m|17879|abbr=yes|precision=0}}. At the top of the pass (36° 16' 23'' N, 78° 46' 50'' E), there is a steep glacier with many crevasses. The eastern Kunlun range, which is in the southern region of the ] ] of Xinjiang, is cut by two other passes: the ], near the small staging post of ], formerly Shahidulla, northwest of Hindu-tagh, and the ''Ilchi Pass'', southeast of Hindu-tagh, just north-east of the village of ], itself just north of the now disputed ] area (see second map on right). The former pass had been much used historically, and provided the traditional means of entry from the south into the ancient ]. The latter was traversed in 1865 by W. H. Johnson of the ]. "Hindu-tagh" means "Indian Mountain," and "Hindu-tash," "Indian stone" in the ] of Xinjiang. | |||
| The Chinese completed the reconquest of ] in 1878. Before they lost it in 1863, their practical authority, as Ney Elias British Joint Commissioner in Leh from the end of the 1870s to 1885, and Younghusband consistently maintained, '''''"had never extended south of their outposts at Sanju and Kilian along the northern foothills of the Kuenlun range. Nor did they establish a known presence to the south of the line of outposts in the twelve years immediately following their return".'''''<ref>Aksaichin and Sino-Indian Conflict by John Lall at pages 56-57, 59, 95, Allied Publishers Private Ltd, New Delhi. </ref> Ney Elias who had been Joint Commissioner in Ladakh for several years noted on 21 September 1889 that he had met the Chinese in 1879 and 1880 when he visited Kashgar. '''''“they told me that they considered their line of ‘chatze’, or posts, as their frontier – viz. , Kugiar, Kilian, Sanju, Kiria, etc.- and that they had no concern with what lay beyond the mountains”'''''<ref>For. Sec. F. October 1889, 182/197.</ref> i.e. the Kuen Lun range in northern Kashmir wherein the Hindutash pass is situate. | |||
| T.D. Forsyth who was entrusted with the rather unambiguous task of visiting the Court of Atalik Ghazi pursuant to the visit on 28, March 1870 of the envoy of Atalik Ghazi, Mirza Mohammad Shadi , stated that "...it would be very unsafe to define the boundary of Kashmir in the direction of the Karakoram…. Between the Karakoram and the Karakash the high Plateau is perhaps rightly described as rather a no-mans land , but I should say with a tendency to become Kashmir property". Two stages beyond Shahidulla, as the route headed for Sanju, Forsyth’s party crossed the Tughra Su and passed an out post called Nazr Qurghan.“This is manned by soldiers from Yarkand”.<ref>For. Pol.A. January 1871, 382/386, para58 </ref> In the words of John Lall, “Here we have an early example of coexistence. The Kashmiri and Yarkandi outposts were only two stages apart on either side of the Karakash river...<ref>Aksaichin and Sino-Indian Conflict by John Lall at pages57-58, 61,69 Allied Publishers Private Ltd, Nav Dehli</ref>" '''to the northwest of the''' Hindutash in the north eastern frontier region of Kashmir. This was the ] that prevailed at the time of the mission to Kashgar in 1873-74 of Sir Douglas Forsyth. “Elias himself recalled that , following his mission to Kashgar in 1873-74, Sir Douglas Forsyth ‘recommended the Maharaja’s boundary to be drawn to the north of the Karakash valley ''as shown in the map accompanying the mission report’''. Elias’ reasons for suggesting a boundary '''''that went against the situation on the ground and the recommendations of Sir Douglas Forsyth''''', who had been directed by the Government of India to ascertain the boundaries of the Ruler of Yarkand, seem to have been prompted atleast partly , by his ill- concealed contempt for the Ladakh Wazir’s plans”.This had been motivated by the discovery of a ] mine near the Kashmiri outpost at Shahidulla by a Pathan from Bajaur, not a Kashmiri, as if the nationality of the finder had anything to do with the rights to the territory. Lapis lazuli, he pointed out , had no value at the time. “So the only reason for raising the question is a worthless one, and prompted only by '''the usual Kashmiri greed for every thing they can lay hands upon'''.”<ref>For. Sec. F.Pros. November 1885, 12/14(12)</ref> | |||
| When the Government of Kashmir in 1885, at a time when the Chinese were least concerned or bothered of the alien trans- Kuen Lun areas in the ] of Kashmir , beyond their eastern Turkistan dominion and literally “had washed their hands of it<ref>Aksaichin and Sino-Indian Conflict by John Lall at page 60, Allied Publishers Private Ltd, New Delhi</ref>”, prepared to reunify Kashmir and the Wazir of Ladakh , Pandit Radha Kishen initiated steps to restore the old Kashmiri outpost at Shahidulla, Ney Elias who was British Joint Commissioner in Ladakh and spying on the Government of Kashmir raised objections. “This very energetic officer’ , he wrote to the resident, who duly forwarded the letter to the Government of India, “wants the Maharaja to reoccupy Shahidulla in the Karakash valley ….I see indications of his preparing to carry it out, and, in my opinion, he should be restrained, or an awkward boundary question may be raised with the Chinese '''without any compensating advantage'''<ref>Sec. F. November 1885,12/14(12) </ref>”. In the circumstances, since Elias had represented to the Supreme Government, it was a relatively simple matter for him to ensure that the plans were dropped. He told the Wazir that he had reported against the scheme to the Resident, and pretty soon the subservient Wazir succumbed and assured him that he did not intend to implement it. Elias was also promptly meticulously backed up by the Government of India. A letter dated 1st September was sent to the officer on Special Duty (as the Resident was called before 1885) instructing him to take suitable opportunity of advising His Highness the Maharaja not to occupy Shahidulla”. Elias had already killed the proposal. Kashmir, however never forfeited her territorial integrity, though she had been under ] and ] prevented from restoring the outpost at Shahidulla to command the Kuen Lun. | |||
| The Chinese Karawal or outpost, of Sanju was at the northern base of the Kuenlun, three stages from the pass of that name. Nevertheless, F.E.Younghusband could not disguise the objective fact that the Chinese considered the Kilian and ]es as the practical limits of their territory, although they ‘do not like to go so far as to say that beyond the passes does not belong to them….”<ref>For.Sec.F.Pros.October 1889,182/197(184)</ref>. | |||
| "Hindu-tagh" means "Indian Mountain," and "Hindu-tash," "Indian stone" in the ] of ]. | |||
| ==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
| <Gallery> | <Gallery> | ||
| Image:Chain-of-kuenluen-from-sumgal1857a.jpg|"The Chain of the Kuenlúen, from Súmgal, in |
Image:Chain-of-kuenluen-from-sumgal1857a.jpg|"The Chain of the Kuenlúen, from Súmgal, in Turkistán (Lat North 36° 8', Long. East of Green. 78° 5', Height 13, 215 Engl. feet)" by ], August 1856. Lithographed by Sabatier, printed in oil-colours by Lemereier, Paris. The Hindu-tagh Pass is the break in the mountains on the right. | ||
| Image:IMG_0542.jpg|Karakash River in the Western Kunlun Range, seen from the ] | Image:IMG_0542.jpg|Karakash River in the Western Kunlun Range, seen from the ] | ||
| <!--Image:Peak in Kunlun range.jpg|Peak in Kunlun range--> | <!--Image:Peak in Kunlun range.jpg|Peak in Kunlun range--> | ||
| Image:Kunlun_IMG_0541.jpg|View of Western Kunlun Range from the ] | Image:Kunlun_IMG_0541.jpg|View of Western Kunlun Range from the ] | ||
| </Gallery> | </Gallery> | ||
| ==Maps== | ==Maps== | ||
| <Gallery> | <Gallery> | ||
| Image:NWFP-Kashmir1909-a.jpg|A lower-resolution 1909 Map of the ]. Sumgal at the base of the |
Image:NWFP-Kashmir1909-a.jpg|A lower-resolution 1909 Map of the ]. Sumgal at the base of the Hindu-tagh Pass, ], is shown in the top right corner. | ||
| Image: |
Image:China India western border 88.jpg|US State Department Map of Aksai Chin. Hindutash is just north of the town of Kangxiwar, ] shown at the top of the map, north of Aksai Chin. | ||
| Image:Yangi-hindutash-aurel-stein-map-1911.jpg|Map of ] (1911) based on that of the Survey of India showing the "Hindutash Dawan" in the Kunlun Mountains in ] | |||
| </Gallery> | </Gallery> | ||
| <Gallery> | <Gallery> | ||
| Image:Johnson-journey-ilchi1865-mapa.jpg|Map of W. H. Johnson showing the route of his trip to Khotan from Leh; in this map, Johnson refers to the pass as "Hindotak diwan Pass." |
Image:Johnson-journey-ilchi1865-mapa.jpg|Map of W. H. Johnson showing the route of his trip to Khotan from Leh; in this map, Johnson refers to the pass as "Hindotak diwan Pass." | ||
| He himself traveled through the Yangi diwan Pass, some 20 miles up-river from Hindutash, on his outward journey, and returned via the Sanju diwan Pass near Shahdula (modern Xaidulla). | |||
| </Gallery> | </Gallery> | ||
| <Gallery> | |||
| Image:Hindutash_in_Kashmir.jpg| Extract from the Map referred to in Article 9 of the Simla Convention between Great Britain, China and Tibet dated the 5th July 1914, depicting the southern border of Khotan and East Turkistan with Kashmir on the Kuen Lun range in the area of Hindutash in Kashmir as a red line. The map was initialed by the British representative and signed by the Tibetan and Chinese representatives. The latter two did not merely initial the Convention but signed it. The map attached to the Simla Convention, July 3, 1914. | |||
| </Gallery> | |||
| ==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
| <references/> | <references/> | ||
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| | url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0266-6235%281878%2948%3C173%3AOTGROT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-N | | url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0266-6235%281878%2948%3C173%3AOTGROT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-N | ||
| }}. | }}. | ||
| * Gazetteer of Kashmir and Ladak compiled under the direction of the Quarter Master General in India in the Intelligence Branch. First Published in 1890 by the Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta. Compiled under the Direction of the Quartermaster -General in India in the Intelligence Branch. 1890 Ed. Pg. 520, 364 | |||
| * Report of the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, 1866, p.6. | |||
| * Map referred to in Art.9 of the Simla Convention between Great Britain, China and Tibet, 1914 signed by the Chinese representative. | |||
| * Atlas of the northern frontiers of India . Pg.20 | |||
| * Himalayan Frontiers by Dorothy Woodman. Pg.67-68 | |||
| * Himalayan Battleground by Margaret W. Fisher, Leo E. Rose and Robert A. Huttenback. Pg.116. | |||
| * Aksaichin and Sino-Indian Conflict by John Lall at page 95, Allied Publishers Private Ltd, New Delhi. | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | |||
| == External links == | == External links == | ||
| *. | *. | ||
| *. | |||
| *. | |||
| *. | |||
| *. | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 16:39, 25 June 2009
36°16′23″N 78°46′50″E / 36.27306°N 78.78056°E / 36.27306; 78.78056
| Hindutash Pass |
|---|
Hindutash, also known as Hindu-tagh Pass, is the name of a historical mountain pass in the western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (formerly, Chinese Turkestan) of the People's Republic of China. The pass cuts through the Kunlun Mountains connecting the now-deserted town of Kangxiwar, formerly Kengshewar, (36° 11' 58 N, 78° 46' 50 E) in the Karakash River valley to the town of Pusha, (36.3833° N, 79° E), formerly Bushia, in the Yurungkash River valley, and also connects to the road to the city of Hotan, formerly Khotan. (See maps on right.)
History
In 1857, the explorer Robert Schlagintweit crossed this pass from camping grounds in Sumgal ("three fords"), on the banks of the Karakash river, approximately 7 miles upstream from Kengshewar and estimated its height to be Template:Ft to m. At the top of the pass (36° 16' 23 N, 78° 46' 50 E), there is a steep glacier with many crevasses. The eastern Kunlun range, which is in the southern region of the Hotan prefecture of Xinjiang, is cut by two other passes: the Sanju Pass, near the small staging post of Xaidulla, formerly Shahidulla, northwest of Hindu-tagh, and the Ilchi Pass, southeast of Hindu-tagh, just north-east of the village of Dahongliutan, itself just north of the now disputed Aksai Chin area (see second map on right). The former pass had been much used historically, and provided the traditional means of entry from the south into the ancient Kingdom of Khotan. The latter was traversed in 1865 by W. H. Johnson of the Survey of India. "Hindu-tagh" means "Indian Mountain," and "Hindu-tash," "Indian stone" in the Uyghur dialect of Xinjiang.
Gallery
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"The Chain of the Kuenlúen, from Súmgal, in Turkistán (Lat North 36° 8', Long. East of Green. 78° 5', Height 13, 215 Engl. feet)" by Hermann Schlagintweit, August 1856. Lithographed by Sabatier, printed in oil-colours by Lemereier, Paris. The Hindu-tagh Pass is the break in the mountains on the right.
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Karakash River in the Western Kunlun Range, seen from the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway
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View of Western Kunlun Range from the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway
Maps
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A lower-resolution 1909 Map of the Princely State of Kashmir and Jammu. Sumgal at the base of the Hindu-tagh Pass, Chinese Turkestan, is shown in the top right corner.
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US State Department Map of Aksai Chin. Hindutash is just north of the town of Kangxiwar, Xinjiang shown at the top of the map, north of Aksai Chin.
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Map of Aurel Stein (1911) based on that of the Survey of India showing the "Hindutash Dawan" in the Kunlun Mountains in Chinese Turkestan
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Map of W. H. Johnson showing the route of his trip to Khotan from Leh; in this map, Johnson refers to the pass as "Hindotak diwan Pass."
- File:He himself traveled through the Yangi diwan Pass, some 20 miles up-river from Hindutash, on his outward journey, and returned via the Sanju diwan Pass near Shahdula (modern Xaidulla).
Notes
- ^ (Trotter 1878, p. U8) harv error: no target: CITEREFTrotter1878 (help)
References
- Template:Harvard reference.
- Template:Harvard reference.
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