Global Positioning System Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 7.12. NASA image of the Himalayas (including Mount Everest) from the north.
The pundits had to survey the Himalayas in the 1860s for the Great Trigonometric
Survey of India.
Of the many pundits who were employed in this e√ort, one in particular
stands out: Nain Singh Rawat (fig. 7.11). Nain Singh was from the Johaar
Valley in northern India, and he and his cousin Mani set out from the
survey headquarters at Dehradum for Nepal in 1865. They separated, and
Mani traveled through western Tibet, recording his data on the way and
then returning to India. Nain Singh walked to the forbidden city of Lhasa,
after being robbed of his money and begging for food en route. He met the
Dalai Lama but spent most of his time in hiding. By day he recorded the
temperature at which water boiled and concluded from his measurements
that Lhasa was at an altitude of 3,420 m (close to the actual value of
3,540 m). By night he would emerge from hiding and make celestial obser-
vations to estimate his position. After several weeks in the capital, Nain
Singh left hurriedly, in fear of his life, and traveled with a caravan for two
months before leaving it and returning to India. Disguised as a pilgrim, he
had traveled 2,000 km, almost entirely on foot; had made 31 latitude and
33 elevation measurements; and provided a detailed description of the
mysterious Tibetan capital.
Nain Singh Rawat undertook a second expedition in 1867, to western
Tibet. For his exertions, in 1868 he was recognized by the Royal Geograph-
 
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