Cho La used to be the main mountain pass between Sikkim and the Chumbi Valley (Yadong County), [3] [4] [5] connecting the Sikkimese capital of Tumlong with the Chumbi town. Towards the end of the 19th century,the British developed Jelep La,and later Nathu La,as they were accessible from British India,and Cho La fell into relative disuse.
The Cho La pass was in regular used by the Sikkim royal family,which had a summer palace at Chumbi and used to spend summers there. The road between Tumlong and Chumbi via Cho La was kept in good condition. The route was also the main trading route between Sikkim and Tibet. [4] [6]
The first Europeans to visit the Chola Pass were Archibald Campbell (Darjeeling superintendent) and Joseph Dalton Hooker (botanist) in 1849,who attempted to travel to Chumbi in order to visit the Dewan who was staying there. Sikkim had an agreement with Tibet not to allow foreigners into the Tibetan territory. The two men were arrested at the Chola Pass and detained for several weeks. Sikkim had to face retribution from the British Raj for the insult caused. [7] [8]
The Cho La pass was one of the sites of the 1967 Nathu La and Cho La clashes between China and India,which concluded with Chinese withdrawal from both the Nathu La and Cho La passes. [9]
On the Indian side,there is a fair-weather mountain road linking the pass to Changgu on the Nathu-la road. [10] On the Chinese side,there is a border outpost at 4,783 metres (15,692 ft) above sea level. Road to the outpost was repaved in 2016. [11]
Sikkim is a state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast,Bhutan in the east,Koshi Province of Nepal in the west,and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siliguri Corridor,which borders Bangladesh. Sikkim is the least populous and second-smallest among the Indian states. Situated in the Eastern Himalaya,Sikkim is notable for its biodiversity,including alpine and subtropical climates,as well as being a host to Kangchenjunga,the highest peak in India and third-highest on Earth. Sikkim's capital and largest city is Gangtok. Almost 35% of the state is covered by Khangchendzonga National Park –a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Jelep La elevation 14,390 feet (4,390 m),is a high mountain pass between Sikkim,India and Tibet Autonomous Region,China. It is on a route that connects Lhasa to India. The pass is about 4 km (2.5 mi) south of Nathu La and is slightly higher. It was frequently used for trade between Tibet and India during the British Raj,with Kalimpong serving as the contact point. The Menmecho Lake lies below the Jelep La.
Nathu La(Tibetan:རྣ་ཐོས་ལ་,Wylie:Rna thos la,THL:Na töla,Sikkimese:རྣ་ཐོས་ལ་) is a mountain pass in the Dongkya Range of the Himalayas between China's Yadong County in Tibet,and the Indian states of Sikkim. But minor touch of Bengal in South Asia. The pass,at 4,310 m (14,140 ft),connects the towns of Kalimpong and Gangtok to the villages and towns of the lower Chumbi Valley.
The history of Sikkim begins with the indigenous Lepcha's contact with early Tibetan settlers. Historically,Sikkim was a sovereign Monarchical State in the eastern Himalayas. Later a protectorate of India followed by a merger with India and official recognition as a state of India. Lepchas were the main inhabitants as well as the Ruler of the land up to 1641. Lepchas are generally considered to be the first people,indigenous to Sikkim also includes Darjeeling.
Yadong County,also known by its Tibetan name Dromo/TromoCounty is a frontier county and trade-market of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China,part of its Shigatse Prefecture.
The Chumbi Valley,called Dromo or Tromo in Tibetan,is a valley in the Himalayas that projects southwards from the Tibetan plateau,intervening between Sikkim and Bhutan. It is coextensive with the administrative unit Yadong County in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The Chumbi Valley is connected to Sikkim to the southwest via the mountain passes of Nathu La and Jelep La.
Sherathang is a town in Gangtok district near the Nathu La Pass in Sikkim,India. The location has been identified as the site for excise,customs and checking for trade between India and China. Rinqingang is the corresponding location in China.
The Dongkha la or Donkia Pass(Chinese:东卡拉山口) is a high mountain pass in the Himalaya connecting Sikkim in India with Tibet.
The Nathu La and Cho La clashes,sometimes referred to as Indo-China War of 1967,Sino-Indian War of 1967,were a series of border clashes between China and India alongside the border of the Himalayan Kingdom of Sikkim,then an Indian protectorate.
Yatung or Yadong,also known as Shasima,is the principal town in the Chumbi Valley or Yadong County in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It is also its administrative headquarters.
The Sikkim expedition was an 1888 British military expedition to expel Tibetan forces from the Kingdom of Sikkim. The roots of the conflict lay in British–Tibetan competition for suzerainty over Sikkim.
Gipmochi is a mountain in the Lower Himalayas in south central Asia. Rising to a height of 14,523 feet (4,427 m),the mountain sits on the border between the northern Indian state of Sikkim and Bhutan. China claims Gipmochi as the China–India–Bhutan tri-junction point. Bhutan and India,however,claim that the tri-junction is 6.5 km to the north,at Batang La.
Dzuluk or Zuluk or Jhuluk or Jaluk is a small hamlet located at a height of 9,400 feet (2,900 m) on the rugged terrain of the lower Himalayas in Rongli Subdivision of Pakyong District,which lies in the Indian state Sikkim. This place is relatively an emerging and offbeat destination in Sikkim. Today it is a tourist destination for the view of the eastern Himalayan mountain range including the Kanchenjunga.
Doklam,called Donglang by China,is an area in Bhutan with a high plateau and a valley,lying between China's Chumbi Valley to the north,Bhutan's Ha District to the east and India's Sikkim state to the west. It has been depicted as part of Bhutan in the Bhutanese maps since 1961,but it is also claimed by China. The dispute has not been resolved despite several rounds of border negotiations between Bhutan and China. The area is of strategic importance to all three countries.
Chumbi is a historic village in the Chumbi Valley or the Yadong County of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It is in the valley of the Amo Chu River,where the route from Sikkim's Cho La Pass meets the Amo Chu Valley. The "Chumbi Valley" of the European nomenclature derives its name from the village of Chumbi. It was the administrative center of the lower Chumbi Valley until the Chinese take-over of Tibet in 1950,after which Yatung became its headquarters. Chumbi is also associated with the Sikkim's royal family,which had a summer palace in the village.
Rinchengang (Tibetan:རིན་ཆེན་སྒང,Wylie:rin chen sgang,THL:rin chen gang,ZYPY:Rinqêngang) or Renqinggang (Chinese:仁青岗村;pinyin:Rén qīng gǎng cūn) is a town in the Chumbi Valley and the headquarters of the Xia Yadong Township of Yadong County,Tibet region of China. It is in the valley of Amo Chu where the route from Sikkim's Jelep La pass meets Amo Chu. It is also close to the Bhutan–China border,which is currently in dispute. In December 2018,Rinchengang village had a population of around 550 people. The inhabitants are engaged in animal grazing or work as forest rangers. Some also carry supplies to Chinese border troops.
Dongkya or Dongkhya range, is a mountain range in the lower Himalayas that forms the eastern border of Sikkim,a state of India. Its northern tip extends to Dongkha La,and as it moves southwards,sometimes referred to as the Chola range,it is cut by Cho La,Yak La,Nathu La and Jelep La passes.
Old Yatung,originally just "Yatung",with a native Tibetan spelling of Nyatong or Myatong,is a location 2 miles west of Rinchengang in the lower Chumbi Valley in the present day Yadong County of Tibet. It is in the valley of Yatung Chu,the river that flows down from Jelep La to join the Amo Chu river near Rinchengang. But according to travel writer John Easton,Yatung is actually a hill top location adjoining the valley,which has a historic Kagyu monastery. The monastery itself lies along the route from the Nathu La pass via Champithang.
Chema or Phema (Tibetan:བྱེ་མ,Wylie:bye ma,THL:jéma,ZYPY:Qêma;Chinese:切玛;pinyin:Qièmǎ),is a village in the Chumbi Valley or Yadong County in the Tibet region of China. It is in the valley of Amo Chu where the route from Sikkim's Nathu La pass meets the Amo Chu valley. Chema is in the Xiayadong Township.
Kupup is a hamlet in the Indian state of Sikkim near the border with China. It lies in a transverse valley below the Dongkya Range,close to the Jelep La pass. A nearby moraine ridge across the valley forms part of the watershed between the Teesta and Dichu river basins. To the southeast of the ridge is the lake Bitang Tso,also called the Elephant Lake or Kupup Lake,from which the Dichu river is conventionally believed to originate.
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