中印察隅边境探险瓦弄发现中国人石刻.docx

中印察隅边境探险瓦弄发现中国人石刻.docx

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中印察隅边境探险瓦弄发现中国人石刻

TheEasternFrontierofIndia

authoredbyHarishKapadia  |  publishedin2008

TheLohitValley

Neitherme,normyhusbandareeconomists,butwebelievefirmlythatgoodmemoriesarethesoundestinvestment.Thatbeliefwasourjustificationforsettingoutin1950onamajorplanthuntingexpeditiontothebordersofAssamandTibet,onawicketthatfinanciallywasnonetoosound.Atthetimewestartedtherewasaconsiderablegapbetweenourestimatedexpensesandthefundswehadraisedtocoverthem.Whenwereturned,afterteneventfulmonthsthegapwaswider.Somewouldsaywewereimprovident.Perhapswewere,butwehavenocausetoregretourimprovidence,whichaslongaslifelastswillgoonpayingusrewardingtax-freedividends.

（Mrs）JeanKingdon-Ward.MyHillsSoStrong,page13.

（JonathanCape,London,1952）

WewerestandinginfrontofwhattheMishmiscalla‘bridge’.Inreality,itwasathintreelogfallenacrosstheSatTiriver.Tocross,onehadtojumpfromonebranchtoanother.Tomakemattersmoreexciting,theriverwasflowingabovethecentreofthebridge.Despitemonthsofplanning,excitementandastrongdesiretoreachtheDiphula,itwasimpossibletopersuadeourselvestocross.Ifwejumpedwronglyorthethinbranchbroke,wewouldreachsomewhere‘higher’thanthepass!

Tokeeptherecordstraight,I,withmyageandwobblyknees,wasthefirsttobackout.Despitehertrainingandyouth,Sangeethawasnext（justifyingmyfears）.ThatleftonlySashindrantocarryon,buthetoodecidedotherwise.

Therewereotherreasonsforourretreat.Theporterstalkedoftwomoresuchbridgesahead,oneparticularlyterrifying–almost100ftabovetheriver.Asweweremovingslowly,theportershadlessrationsthantheywouldneedforthenexttendays.Theywerereluctanttogodowntoferryrationsup,andtheirleader,GB（GaonBura）,wouldnotassuretheirsafereturn.Iftheunreliableportersdidnotreturnwithextrarationsasintended,wewouldbestrandedintheuppervalleywithricketybridgespreventingourquickreturn

ThefinalbasecampintheSatTivalleywasstillthreedaysaway.Fromhere,wehadtoclimbtothewatershedridgewiththeDichuvalleytothenorth.ThetrailwentpastafewlakestoreachahighpointandthendescendedtotheTalukpass.Thereturnwouldbetoclimbbackuptothehighpoint,pastthelakesandthenfinallydescendtobasecamp–about2330m（7600ft）in20km–allinoneday!

Therewasnowheretocampnearthelakes.Wewouldrequireatleasttwocampsonthehigherplateaubeforereachingthepassasacclimatisationwasalsoanissue.WewereonevalleysouthofthepassandtherewasnoeasyroutetoDiphula.Asthecrowflies,wewereonly10kmfromthepass,butwewouldhavetoclimbacrossahighridgetogetthere.Suchalongdaywasforaveryfitarmyofficerorjawanorevenourtroublesomebutfitporters!

[1]

Discretionisbetterpartofthevalour,always,andwedecidedtoreturn–tobesaferatherthanhavetroublelikewehadintheDibangvalley,wherewewerecaughtinafreakstorm.1

Butallwasnotlost,itneveris.Wehadtravelledthroughahistoricareaandhadbeenenchantedbylayoftheland.

TheLohitvalley,ineasternArunachalPradesh（formerlyNEFA）isdeepandthicklywooded.ItistheeasternmostvalleyofIndia.AtitseasternextremitythebordersofIndia,ChinaandBurma（Myanmar）meetatwhatiscalledthe‘Tri-Junction’.Northofthetri-junctionisJechepla（pass）,whichleadstoChinaandtothesouthliestheDiphula（alsoknownasTalukpass）whichleadstoBurma.

TheLohitValleyanditspeople

TheZayulchuandRongdochuflowfromthenorthintothevastvalleywhichgraduallyflattensasitreachesRima.[2]ItissoremotethattheChinesehadmadeRimaapenalsettlement.Later,asprisonersmarriedthelocalTibetansitspopulationgrew.TheriversmeetatChayulandflowpastRimatoKahao.NowinIndianterritory,theriveriscalledtheLohit.Itplungesdowntotheplainstakingmanyturnsenroute.

AMishmiladyatHayuliang.（HarishKapadia）

HeroineinhaledbyMishmiporterseverymorning.（HarishKapadia）

Ittakesanalmost90-degreeturnwestward,startingatMinozong（presentdaySamdul）andendingatChangwity.Notmanymajorriversareknowntotakesuchabend.WithmanytwistsandturnsitemergesintotheAssameseplainsattheholysiteofParshuramKund.AtHayuliang,twomajortributaries,theDeleiandDau,bothoriginatingneartheTibetanborder,mergewiththeLoliit.Fromtheeast,theSatTimergeswiththeLoliitatDongandGhalum（atSamdul）flowsfromthewatershedandtheborderwithBurma.Eachofthesevalleysleadstoapass,whichcrossesintoBurma.Onceintheplains,theLoliitspreadsoutandisarobustriver,especiallyinthemonsoons.ItmeetstheDibangandtheSiangriversnearSadiya,fromwhereitiscalledtheBrahmaputra.

ThelowervalleysareinhabitedbytheMislimis,atroublesome,fearlessandoftenviolenttribe.TheyarethoughttohavekilledChristianpriestsandbroughtslavesfromtheAssamplainstobesoldatRima.SituatedonthenorthwestextremityoftheinfamousGoldenTriangletheyhaveeasyaccesstoopium.AstherewerenoroadsintheupperLoliitvalley（tilltheearly1970s）,theywereisolatedandalawuntothemselves.

SomesettlerscrossedtheDiphupassfromBurmaintotheLoliitvalleyandsettledinitsupperreaches.TheyarecalledtheMeyors.Theyarequietfanners,agentletribe.Unlikeinotherborderareas.

theMeyorsandMishmisdonothavemuchcontactwiththeTibetansatRimaorelsewhere.TheravadaBuddhismflourishesinthevillageofChonkham,whichisintheplains.Chonkham,reputedtobeoneoftherichestvillagesinthenortheast,boastsauniqueculturalmixthathaskepttheirreligionalivesofarawayfromhome.[3]Whenwepassedthrough,thevillageitwasinafestivemoodcelebratingThadinyut.[4]

Exploration

TheLohitvalleyisofhistoricalsignificanceformanyreasons.Manyfamousnamesofexplorationvisitedthevalleyforitsnaturalwealth,butmoretodiscoverthepathtotheZayulprovince,northofhereandnowinChina.TheZayuliseasilyapproachablefromhereasthetrackisalongtheriverandnohighpassneedstobecrossed.

TheearliesttravellerwasthePanditexplorerA.K.（nicknamed‘Krishna’orRaiBahadurKishenSingh）.TheBritish,unabletoenterTibet,hadtrainedandsentnativeexplorerstotheseforbiddenareas.Theybroughtbackawealthofinformationfortheempire.AKenteredZayulprovincefromthenorth,havingcrossedTibetformanymiles.HehaltedatRimaandfinallywentdowntheLohittotheAssameseplains.Hecalculatedthealtitudeofmostplaces,fromtheboilingpointofwaterthathemeasuredonhisthermometer.Aslaterexplorationsconfirmed,thesewereveryclosetotheaccurateheights.F.M.Bailey,whohadbeenwithSirYounghusbandonthegreatTibetexpedition,（1903-04）wasintheLohitvalleyin1911-12.[5]HeenteredtheDichuvalleynearKahaoandstayedattheHotSprings.Hisaccountsofshootingtakinsinthevalleyarehair-raising.HealsoexploredtheDeleiandDauvalleys,reachingtheheadofthelatterandcrossingtheDau-Dakrupass.TheracetofindthebestroutetoChinabroughtthenextfewexplorershere.T.T.Cooper,WilliamGriffith,MrWilliamson,DrGregorson（thelasttwoweremurderedbytheAbors,afiercelyindependenttribe）,tonameafew.

Theperson,whopaidthemostattentiontotheLohitanditssurroundingvalleys,wasFrankKingdon-Ward.Hewasanaturalistofgreatrepute,whowasusuallysponsoredbytheRoyalGeographicalSociety,London.HeexploredtheLohitandZayulvalleys,andcrossedtheDichuvalleyandDiphupass（Talukpass）toPutao（FortHertz）inBurmathreetimes.Muchoftheinformationwehaveaboutthefloraandfaunaoftheareaarethankstohim.HisobservationsandplantsampleswerefaithfullyrecordedinbooksandstoredinthearchivesoftheRGS.Hiswife,JeanKingdon-Ward,accompaniedhimononeofhislatertrips.WalkingfromTezutheyreachedKahao,wheretheyspentsomedelightfuldaysintheDichuvalleyatHotSprings.TheyalsovisitedRimafromwheretheyobtainedsuppliesfromverytroublesomeandopium-fedporters.WhiletheywereatKibithuthegiantearthquakeof1950,whichdestroyedmuchofeasternArunachal,hitthearea.Theyhadaharrowingtimeretreatingthroughbrokentrailswithnosuppliesandnoporterswillingtoaccompanythem.ItisnotoftenthatascientistashighlytrainedasKingdon-Wardhasbeeninvolved,insuchacalamity–andlivedtotellthetale.Hiswritingontheeffectsoftheearthquake,areafinerecordforscience.[6]

1962–Indo-ChinaWarintheLohitValley

The1962ChineseinvasionwasatragicwatershedinthemilitaryhistoryofIndia.ItexposedanineptIndianstate,bothmilitarilyandpolitically.Formostofthewar,thefightingqualitiesoftheIndianjawansandyoungofficersremainedunchanged.Nostoryofthe1962wariscompletewithoutamentionoftheheroicresistanceofferedatWalong.

Atmidnighton22October1962,theHimalayancalmwasshatteredastheChineseattackedIndianposts.Till13November,fiercebattlesragedinmanyplacesincludingDongHill,eastoftheLoliit;theLaddersarea;andtheLachhmanRidge.AfterpayingaheavypriceintermsofmenlostontheNamtiplains,theChinesemadeadiversionarymovetoreachthewesternsideoftri-junction,aboveWalong.Indiantroopswereill-equippedandill-preparedforsuchbattlesandfinallyhadtowithdraw,havingpaidaheavyprice.

ParshuramKund（nearsmallrock）,astheLohitriveremergesintheplainsofAssam.（HarishKapadia）

Crossingasinglel