The Jaguar Smile

SARAT CHANDRA DAS
My Himalayan Journeys

Sarat Chandra Das was one of the greatest pioneers of exploration and discovery in Tibet in nineteenth century. In 1879 – 82, when Tibet was a forbidden land for foreigners, Das went to Tibet twice in the disguise of a Buddhist lama crossing passes higher than 20,000 ft without the aid of modern mountaineering equipment and surveyed unknown regions of Kangchenjunga massif and Tibet on behalf of British Government of India. Apart from a remarkable contribution on the geographical research, Das, a scholar of Tibetan language and Buddhism, collected and later dispersed huge information on the cultural and social life, religion and politics of Tibet. This book presents Das’s rare travelogues, on how he crossed the Himalayas in both the journeys he made to Tibet.