INFLUENCE OF PUNDIT NAIN SINGH RAWAT’S EXPEDITION ON THE 21ST CENTURY

Nain Singh Rawat single-handedly mapped and explored the vast horizons of the Himalayas and
Tibet that were previously untouched. His important contributions in cartography have been vital in
our understanding of the geography of Asia and most importantly the Himalaya-shrouded Tibet. This
short and stocky man from Johar valley impressed the British government with his determination
and grit. With the passage of time, Nain Singh Rawat and his adventures were lost among pages of
history. An explorer of legendary status, Nain Singh is still widely unknown to the outside world. His
almost-surreal journeys should encourage new generation to get closer to the ever so fragile nature
which we take for granted.

Many people worked for the successful completion of the Great Trigonometrical Survey, but the one
who is mainly responsible for it, was Pundit Nain Singh Rawat, who dedicated most part of his life to
the field of exploration and cartography.

The Great Trigonometrical Survey was a project which aimed to measure the entire Indian
subcontinent with scientific precision. It was begun in 1802 by the infantry officer William Lambton,
under the auspices of the East India Company. Under the leadership of his successor, George
Everest, the project was made a responsibility of the Survey of India.
Among the many accomplishments of the Survey were the demarcation of the British territories
in India and the measurement of the height of the Himalayan giants: Everest, K2, and Kanchenjunga.
The Survey had an enormous scientific impact as well, being responsible for one of the first
accurate measurements of a section of an arc of longitude, and for measurements of the geodesic
anomaly which led to the development of the theories of isostasy.
In the Great Trigonometrical Survey, Nain Singh surveyed 2000 km long trade route
from Nepal to Tibet in around 21 months. He was first to determine the exact location and altitude
of Lhasa town. Nain Singh measured 31 latitudes and 33 altitudes of different places during this
survey. He travelled the length of 800 Km of Tsang Po river in Tibet, and was the first person to find
that the Tsang Po and Brahmaputra rivers are one. He successfully completed his expeditions in the
disguise of a Lama as the entry of foreigners in Tibet was forbidden by the Chinese Iron Curtains.
A common belief is that science heads in a direction of progress, and thus leads to more accurate
representations of maps. In this belief European maps must be superior to others, which necessarily
employed different map-making skills. "There was a 'not cartography' land where lurked an army of
inaccurate, heretical, subjective, valuable, and ideologically distorted images.
Pundit Nain Singh’s methodology of survey of the Himalayas and the Tibet has proved to be very
influential, such that may of the cartography and navigation techniques used today are derived from
it. The methodology included them using a pace-stick, to take steps of a fixed length which remained
constant even while climbing up, down or walking on plain surface. They were trained to record the
distances by an ingenious method using a rosary. This rosary unlike a Hindu or Buddhist one, which
has 108 beads, had just 100 beads. At every 100 steps the Pundit would slip one bead, so a complete
length of the rosary represented 10000 steps. It was easy to calculate the distance as each step was
31½ inches and a mile was calculated to be around 2000 steps. To avoid suspicion, these explorers
went about their task disguised as monks or traders or whatever suited the particular situation. Many
more ingenious methods were devised for this expedition. The notes of measurements were coded in
the form of written prayers and these scrolls of paper were hidden in the cylinder of the prayer wheel.
The Pundit kept this secret log book up to date. The compass for taking bearing was hidden in the lid
of the prayer wheel. Mercury used for setting and artificial horizon, was kept in Cowri shells and for
use poured into the begging bowl carried by the Pundit. The thermometer found place in the topmost
part of the monk’s stave. There were workshops, where false bottoms were made in the chests to
hold sextant. Pockets were also added to the clothes used during these secret missions.
Though cartography has been a target of much criticism in recent decades, a cartographer's 'black
box' always seemed to be naturally defended to the point where it overcame the criticism. However,
to later scholars in the field, it was evident that cultural influences dominate map-making. For
instance, certain abstracts on maps and the map-making society itself describe the social influences
on the production of maps.
Cartographers in general tools, from basic writing implements to complex satellites for aerial
photography, to design and develop maps. Modern mapping has taken traditional handwritten
blueprints and turned them into digital versions for online and mobile viewing. Many cartographers
specialize in maps for use in vehicles or cellular navigation systems the GPS system, while others
focus on detailed depictions of regions. They rely on various tools to obtain information specific to
their map, such as population density or other socioeconomic data.

Telescopes and compasses were the first tools used in cartography and have remained useful
throughout the ages. Cartographers use all kinds of compasses, from the folding pillar compass to
the sundial, which indicates directions and relies on solar power to align its plate to point North.
Other essential tools include triangles and pens with adjustable needle points.

Digital cameras and scanners are frequently used in addition to satellite images to capture visuals for
a map. They may utilize drafting equipment, such as lighting tables, straightedges, stencils, lettering
aids, drafting scales, T-squares, protractors and dividers, to sketch and develop rough drafts. Despite
the growth in online mapping, many cartographers still rely on printing machines to make hard
copies. Cartographers need reference materials when developing their maps, such as almanacs or
ephemerides guides, which are published predictions of locations and times that atmospheric and
astronomical phenomena may occur. They use various gazetteers to help them determine locations
of area features, like bodies of water, buildings and landforms. For example, The Fuzzy Gazetteer
database helps identify geographic features without the exact name. Cartographers also use
calculators for distance and time, such as the World Time Zone Map of standard time zones.

Cartographers use several technologies, including radar-based surveillance systems such as global
positioning system (GPS) and Geographic information system (GIS). With GPS we can find certain
location information on earth with the aid of satellite support and some devices. And so on the basis
of that information, any area can easily be mapped. We can receive the latitude, longitude, altitude,
etc. and use those basic facts to draw the map. Apart from these systems, computers and mobile
communication software use Google Earth and GPS as the modern geographic information sources,
while GIS method communicates with the satellites in earth’s orbit and special computer software.
The information received from the satellites is used to generate accurate maps. Mapping is done by
processing the information collected from the satellites. The mapping method has been modernized
because of this method, as the data is accurate and clear. They also take advantage of web tools
available through cartographic computer programs. For example, most cartography software
includes a latitude and longitude tool that indicates details for a selected location. Programs also
include options to mark, move or calibrate specific points or areas on maps to highlight special
landmarks or calculate distances between two locations.

No matter how modern and effective and less tedious todays mapping and navigation techniques
may have become we Indians have this century long tradition of sticking to the roots. Similarly The
Survey of India has tried their level best to appreciate the massive contribution that Pundit Nain
Singh Rawat has made by bringing the forbidden land of Tibet to the map of the world and exploring
the unexplored parts of the mighty Himalayas. On our behalf all we can do is bring to notice the
work of these unknown pioneers of our country to the general public.