TRANS-HIMALAYAN POLITICS: CHINA, BRITAIN AND TIBET, 1842-1914

This is the study of the inter-relationship of the major powers, Britain, China and Russia, with Tibet and the kingdoms of Sikkim, Bhutan and Nepal in the trans-Himalayan political arena from 1842 to 1914.; Once the British Empire was consolidated in India, Tibet was an excellent buffer state against the expanding Russian influence. Tibet's isolation was broken by the British who penetrated for trade, but with ulterior political motives.; The suzerainty of China in Tibet was gradually weakening during 1842-1914. The British believed that the recognition of Chinese suzerainty over Tibet and not Tibetan independence would best serve their interests. The "fiction" of Chinese suzerainty was kept alive in Tibet by Great Britain.; With the arrival of Curzon as Viceroy of India in 1899, coinciding with increased Russian activities, the trans-Himalayan politics radically changed. Curzon's direct intervention in Tibet alarmed not only China but all the Himalayan kingdoms. According to Peking's interpretation, the British effort to bring Tibet within their sphere of influence was a violation of Chinese territory.; By 1914, Great Britain had achieved their goal of an autonomous Tibet under moderate British influence. By a series of agreements with Tibet, China and Russia between 1904-1907, the Chinese suzerainty in Tibet was revived by the British with the pledge not to intervene in Tibet.; The tripartite conference at Simla ended with the agreement on April 27, 1914, between Britain, China and Tibet. With the creation of an Outer Tibet under Dalai Lama's full control, and an Inner Tibet under Chinese influence, a new pattern of trans-Himalayan politics emerged with no major changes for more than three decades.