Himalayan Times (1962)

Six

Himalayan Times

July 8, 1962

forced upon proved, rather
a mixed blessing to the
country, and under Gam-
po's suooessor Tibet rose
to the zenith of her power.
Her territory touuhed the
empires of the Arabs and
the Turks across the Pa-
mirs and she exacted tri-
bute from China. After
the death of the King
Harsa the Tibetans in-
vaded India and extended
their influence to the
gulf of Bengal.

As Buddhism deve-
loped, the war-like spirit
of the Tibetans declined,
and the conquests of
Genghis Khan reduced
Tibetan influence. A kind
of agreement was made
in which the great Mon
gol aooepted Tibetan mo-
nastic system, and Tibet
acknowledged Khan's su
zerainty. His grand son
Kublai Khan, the first
Mongol Emperor of China,
adopted lamaism as a
means of oementing his
empire and in 127U invi-
ted the grand lama i f
Sakya to his com t, made
him a tributory king of
Tibet and gave him the
right of consecrating the
Emperors of China Upon
the accession of Ming fly
nasty in 1368 the power
of the lama was broken,
and the Chinese gradually
oonquered the whole of
Tibut. In 1720 Tibet.be-
oame a vassal state of
China, and the Chinese
garrisons watohed all the
passes in the frontier moun-

tains. The tributes which
Tibet paid to China were
composed of a great many
local artioles, but the na-
tional government of Tibet
was supported by perfectly
organised hierarchy, en-
joying full autonomy. In
1791 the Gurkhas of Ne-
pal invaded Tibet and
oapUured Shigatse where-
upon the Chinese sent an
army which utterly de-
feated the Gurkhas and
dictated a peace treaty
whereby Nepal agreed to
pay an indemnity. As a
result of the invasion the
Chinese increased their
control over Tibet. Sinoe
the Chinese believed that
the British had instigated
the Gurkhas, they closed
Tibet to all foreigners.
Kven the Indian pilgrims
to Kailash & Mansarover
were not allowed.

In 1841 a Dogra force
under Zoraver Singh in-
vaded Western Tibet from
Kashmir, but was sub-
dued by the ruggedness
of the country rather
than annihilated by the
Tibetans; but a second
Gurkha invasion in 1855
possibly helped by the
Britiaw> gained for Nepal
by direot negotiations
with Tibet, the right to
establish a political agency
at. Lhasa, and an annual
subsidy of Rs. 10,000/.,
and the right of free
trade in Tibet.

From the last quarter
of 19th century there has
been a series of attempts

to bring about an agree-
ment on the Tibetan ques-
tion. Tibet claims auto-
nomy, but has on occasions
being prepared to aoknow
ledge a speoial relationship
with China, on condition
of agreed frontier and
practical autonomy both
in internal and external
affairs.

In 1896 Tibetan troops
crosssd the border into
Sikkim which had bean
allied by treaty to India
in 1S61. The Chinese
were asked to compel the
Tibetans to withdraw; but
as the Chinese did not
act an Indian army was
sent which drove out the
Tibetans. Eventually, a
treaty was made between
the British government in -
India and the Chinese;
but the Tibetans made
the agreement ineffective.
Thereupon, an armed mis-
sion under Col. Young-
husband advanced to
Gyantse in 1903 and
finally pushed on to Lhasa,
whence the Dalai Lama
fled to Urga.

A convention was
concluded with the Tibe-
tans in 1904 whereby
Tibet would pay an in-
demnity of £ 1.66.C0O:
In 1906 China oonfirmed
Indo-Tibetan treaty of
1904 and paid the indem-
nity; but the Tibetan
government did not re-
cognise the convention.
In 1908 a Chinese army