The Nain Singh Expeditions Describe Tibet | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

The Nain Singh Expeditions Describe Tibet

Overview

Any attempt to establish a chronological opening and closing of Tibet's borders during the eighteenth century will produce conflicting reports—depending on whether they originate in England, India, Nepal, China, or Tibet itself. One fact remains constant, however. No one disputes the enormous contributions of Nain Singh, an Indian Pundit who explored the secret world of Tibet and gave the world valuable geographical and cultural information about one of the most tightly guarded and protected countries in the world.

Background

Early in the seventeenth century, both the Jesuits and Capuchins were thrown out of Tibet. However, in 1846, two French Lazarist priests, Evarist Huc and Joseph Gabet, entered the gates to Lhasa and became the first missionaries to see the Tibetan capital for almost a full century. Lhasa had long been the official seat of government for Tibet but, because of strong religious ties to central China, they were not entirely autonomous.

From the initial subjugation of India by the British in the seventeenth century, the new rulers had been aware of the commercial possibilities that awaited them and their goods in the neighboring Himalayan states. They remained passive until they were finally in control of territory that encompassed all the land from the Bay of Bengal to the foothills of the mighty mountain barriers to the north.

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