, 1878) The first European to traverse Gogra was
Adolf Schlagintweit in 1857, accompanied by his Yarkandi guide Mohammed Amin. It is said that his men had to dig steps in the Changlung valley for the ponies to ascend the slope. Schlagintweit went on to Nischu and the Aksai Chin plateau via this route. Then he proceeded to Yarkand, where he was killed in an insurrection. Amin later entered the service of the Punjab department of trade in
British India. With his information, the British were inspired to develop a trade route between Punjab and Yarkand via this route, which came to be called the "Chang Chenmo route". They signed a treaty with the Maharaja of
Jammu and Kashmir, who was persuaded to "develop" the route. The route was in use between 1870–1884, but did not prove to be popular with the traders. It was abandoned in 1884. The Kugrang valley and Gogra also formed a popular hunting spot for British officers on leave.
Sino-Indian border dispute After India became independent in 1947 and China took control of Tibet in 1950, both the countries laid claim to the
Aksai Chin plateau. In its 1956 border definition, China claimed the Chang Chenmo Valley up to the
Kongka Pass, near Kayam Hot Springs, but excluded the majority of the eastern Karakoram range. In particular, the Changlung valley, Shamal Lungpa campsite and the Wenquan hot spring were all left as Indian territory. (Map 4) Not recognising Chinese claims, India continued to send border patrols in "all directions". In 1957, one party went via Gogra and Shamal Lungpa to
Dehra Compass, Sumdo and Karatagh Pass. Finding telltale signs of Chinese activity, the border police decided to strengthen outposts by stocking them with essentials at Kayam Hot Springs and Shamal Lungpa. In 1958, the border police again used this route to go to the Sarigh Jilganang lake and to the Ladakh border, planting an Indian flag at the latter location. In 1959, a police party sent to set up police posts at Tsogtsalu, Hot Springs and Shamal Lungpa was confronted by Chinese troops when it tried to reconnoitre in the Chinese claimed area, and a serious clash occurred. The ensuing
Kongka Pass incident exacerbated tensions between the two countries. After the Kongka Pass incident, the two countries engaged in serious negotiations. A summit between the prime ministers
Jawaharlal Nehru and
Zhou Enlai was held in 1960, where Zhou is believed to have proposed an "east west swap" of disputed territories. India is believed to have rejected such a barter. Sector-by-sector border discussions were held later in 1960 between the officials of the two countries, where China enlarged its border claims. (See Map 4.) In the vicinity of the Kugrang valley, the Chinese officials declared: The new "1960 claim line" meant that China laid claim to the entire basin of the Changlung river, stopping just before its confluence with the Kugrang river. Even then, the "approximately" described coordinates, , are problematic in that they lie within the Kugrang river valley, dropping below the watershed. The place where the "watershed between the Kugrang Tsangpo River and Changlung River" crosses the Changlung River is determined by Indians to be , where a post called "Nala Jn" was established by them. China gave the coordinates of the post as , which lie along the ridge dividing Kugrang and Changlung. The date of establishment of the post was 3 July 1962. However, a de-escalation has not yet taken place. Both the sides continue to claim the area in dispute, and continue to deploy troops in strength behind the forward lines. India has demanded the status quo ante April 2020 to be restored, while China is believed to insist upon imposing the "
1959 claim line", either by physical denial or via a "buffer zone". ==See also==