The Indian ambassador in Tibet: Why Lhasa matters for India

During the first weeks of October 1950, as Tibet was invaded by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Communist China repeatedly stated that it was just ‘liberating’ Tibet. More than seven decades later, the Tibetans, particularly those first ‘liberated’ in Eastern Tibet, continue to strongly disagree with this imperialist interpretation.

It is true that Tibet, a peaceful Buddhist nation, was neither militarily nor tactically able to oppose Mao’s seasoned troops (and some of China’s brilliant commanders). From the start, The Land of Snows stood no chance.

At that time, many in Tibet still believed that increasing the number of japa (recitations) or parikramas (circumambulations) around the monasteries and stupas would be sufficient to make the truth prevail.

Robert Ford, the British radio operator posted in Chamdo, the capital of Kham Province, remarked: “‘The gods are on our side’ was the mantra most oft-repeated in the town, but it seemed to me that something more Churchillian was needed.”

More from Opinion

Turning Point for the Himalaya

The above event became a turning point in the modern history of Asia and heralded two great tragedies. One, the Dalai Lama, the uncontested leader of the Tibetan people, soon lost his temporal power and ultimately had to take refuge in India in March 1959. During the following months, he was followed by nearly a lakh of his fellow countrymen.

But it was also a tragedy for recently independent India, which lost a friendly Buddhist neighbour and a peaceful frontier, which was not even guarded, not even by police.

The Indian Ambassador in Tibet

These thoughts came to mind when I came across an article in The South China Morning Post (SCMP): “Why India’s new envoy to China is visiting Tibet soon after taking up the job”.

It is important to note that after taking up his new assignment, it was the first visit outside Beijing by India’s new ambassador to China. China watchers believe that it was a sign of thawing relations between the two Asian neighbours. Only the future will tell.

In a statement posted on social media by the Indian embassy in Beijing, Ambassador Vikram Doraiswami, who speaks fluent Mandarin, mentioned his visit to Lhasa, Tibet’s capital (a few days earlier, another post had gone viral when the ambassador gave a guided tour of the Indian embassy on social media).

The Kailash Yatras

The object of Doraiswami’s visit to Tibet was to monitor the arrangements for the first pilgrims to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, who were due to leave India later in June.

What the article does not say is that the yatris can either go with the Ministry of External Affairs’ scheme (in 20 batches of 50 yatris each from Lipulekh in Pithoragarh district or Nathu La in Sikkim) or go through private travel agents from western Nepal; the latter are unfortunately facing serious problems with the Chinese authorities.

Nepali travel agents say that Beijing has fixed a quota of 24,000 Indian pilgrims to be allowed to travel to the sacred site via Nepal this season, although applications have already crossed 40,000 (40 times more than the MEA’s yatra accommodates).

Quoted by The Kathmandu Post, Basu Adhikari, managing director of Touch Kailash Travel and Treks, asserted: “Inquiries are growing rapidly. We have requested the Chinese authorities to allow an additional quota of 15,000, and they appear positive,” he said.

But will Beijing allow even 24,000 yatris? Nothing is certain.

The yatras resumed last year for Indian citizens after Beijing and New Delhi agreed to restore the pilgrimage following a five-year suspension linked to diplomatic tensions and the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Nepali Way

Many Indian pilgrims prefer to travel privately through Nepal, where they have a greater chance of being selected. Officially, there are four routes to Kailash via Nepal: Tatopani (Zhangmu), Rasuwagadhi (Kyirong in Tibet), Hilsa in Humla district, Karnali Province of western Nepal, and the Kathmandu-Lhasa air route (much longer and more complicated); three of them are presently difficult or impossible.

The easiest, the Hilsa route, significantly boosts economic activity in the remote Karnali region. Ram Bahadur Bhandari, chair of the Humla Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told The Kathmandu Post: “People are working as porters, guides and hotel staff. Local products such as apples, walnuts, beans and buckwheat now have a market, and farmers are increasingly shifting towards commercial vegetable farming.”

Unfortunately, the yatris are at the mercy of the Chinese authorities, who issue the permits. One can hope that this issue has been taken up by Doraiswami.

Visit to Lhasa

The Indian ambassador was received in Lhasa by a rather junior officer of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Zhao Peng, one of the vice-chairmen of the TAR government, a PhD holder (something rare in Tibet), is listed No. 11 out of 12 members (all known as vice-chairmen) of the TAR government. He apparently briefed the ambassador about the preparations currently being undertaken for the Indian pilgrims; later, he hosted a dinner for the visiting Indian delegation.

Of course, one can regret that the ambassador did not meet Karma Tseten, a Tibetan national who heads the TAR government. It could have been an interesting encounter; perhaps on another occasion.

The SCMP commented: “While Indian ambassadors have previously visited Tibet, such trips were rarely seen in the decade up to 2025 because of border frictions and the Covid-19 pandemic.” The previous Indian ambassador, Pradeep Kumar Rawat, had spent one week in Tibet last year, but no publicity was given to his visit. This time too, the Chinese media did not cover the event.

Two Interesting Details

Ambassador Doraiswami has a Chinese name, Wei Jiameng (Wei phonetically matches the ‘Vi’ in Vikram; Jia means ‘auspicious’ or ‘praiseworthy’, and Meng means an ‘alliance’ or a ‘pact’). It could translate as ‘auspicious’ or ‘praiseworthy ally’, a message that both sides would like to project. But perhaps Delhi should think of asking the Chinese ambassador in Delhi to take an Indian name while serving? It is worth considering.

The second detail is the gift offered by Zhao to his guest, a Tibetan thangka representing the ‘Four Harmonious Friends’, inspired by the famous Tibetan Buddhist fable featuring an elephant, monkey, rabbit and bird helping each other with their respective qualities. It symbolises cooperation, respect for seniority and interdependence by showing the animals stacking themselves to reach fruit from a tree. Let us hope that the tale will translate into concrete actions.

Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination

The visit of the ambassador followed the 35th Meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs held in Beijing on 27 May. According to an Indian communiqué, the Indian delegation, led by Sujit Ghosh, Joint Secretary (East Asia), had a constructive and forward-looking discussion: “The two sides… expressed satisfaction with the progress made in maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas, which has enabled progress towards gradual normalisation of bilateral relations.”

More importantly, India raised the issue of the mega hydropower plants on the Yarlung Tsangpo. They “stressed on (the) early meeting of the next Expert Level Mechanism on Trans-border Rivers”. This is certainly the most serious bone of contention between the two countries today.

Kailash Free for All Indians

This reminded me of the days when any Indian could visit the holy sites around Mount Kailash without any permission or even identification papers. Swami Pranavananda (1896-1989) symbolises those days. A yogi and Himalayan explorer, the Swami was known for his deep spiritual mastery and great geographical knowledge of the area around Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. He is said to have completed 23 parikramas (circumambulations) of Mount Kailash and 25 of Lake Manasarovar. Seven of his yatras took place during winters when Lake Manasarovar was completely frozen.

The Swami mapped the geographic sources of four major Himalayan rivers: the Brahmaputra, the Indus, the Sutlej and the Karnali, and authored the seminal guide titled Kailas-Manasarovar, still today the most comprehensive spiritual and scientific book describing the region’s rituals, flora, fauna and local monasteries. And all this without the need to ‘register’ with the Tibetan authorities.

At that time, China probably did not know much about Kailash or even the fact that there was an Indian principality belonging to the state of Jammu & Kashmir, called Minsar, in the vicinity of the holy mountain.

One can only hope that the efforts of Ambassador Doraiswami will lead to a progressive reopening of these sacred places for every Indian.

(The writer is Distinguished Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (Delhi). Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.)