MAIN SINGH, known to geographers as the Pandit. He was employed with Robert Schlagentweit, under Major Montgomerie and others, in the middle of the 19th century, in exploring the Himalaya. He was born about the year 1825, and was Robert Schlagentweit's assistant. After the murder of his master, he settled down as a schoolmaster in his native village. From this retirement he was called in the year 1863 to become one of the staff of trained native explorers under the orders of Colonel Montgomerie of the Trigonometrical Survey. In 1866 he determined the true position of Lhassa ; in 1867 he visited the celebrated gold mines of Thok Jalung ; and seven years later he began his most celebrated tour of all, that through Tibet from west to east. During this he visited the capital of the Dalai Lama, took numerous observations, and threw much fresh light on the question of the Sanpu river, and whether its lower course is the Brahmaputra or not. He left Leh in July 1874, and succeeded in crossing the Tibetan frontier, in the disguise of a Lama or Buddhist priest. Passing about 15 miles to the north of Rudokh, he travelled nearly due east for a distance of more that 800 miles, over a new line of country, separated from the valley of the Tsampo, or Great River of Tibet, by an almost continuous range of spur mountains, which trends eastwards from the Gangri peaks, in long. 81° E., up to the Thangla peaks, south of the great Tengri Nur lake, in long. 90° 30' E. His road lay, throughout, over an extensive table-land ranging in height from 13,900 to nearly 16,000 feet above the sea-level, a region containing some gold fields, and numerous lakes and streams, and almost covered with rich pastures. The inhabitants are bands of nomades,
who dwell in tents, and regulate their movements by the supply of grass and water available for their flocks and herds. The Pandit struck the Tengri Nur lake at its N.W. corner, and travelled along the northern coast of the lake—a distance of nearly 50 miles—to the opposite corner, whence he turned southwards to Lhassa. He had spent three months at Lhassa on the occasion of his first visit, without being discovered to be a British employ& On the present occasion, one of the first men he met was a Muhammadan merchant, who'se acquaintance he had made at Leh. Fear ing that he might be betrayed, he hurried away at once. He followed the Tsampo (or Brahmaputra) river for a distance of 30 miles, in a portion of its course through Tibet about 50 miles lower down than the lowest which had been reached by previous explorers, and his observations enabled the course of the river to be laid down approxi mately for a farther distance of about 100 miles, so that the part which still remains un known is now materially reduced. He crossed the Bhutan Hills by the route from Chetang via Tawang into Assam, which lies nearly north and south on the meridian of •92°. And finally he brought his work, to a close, at, the town of Odalguri in British territory, and, going down the Brahmaputra river by steamer, reached Calcutta on the 11th March 1875. This exploit closed Nain Singh's public career, He was awarded the Royal medal .by the Royal Geographical Society, and the Indian Government granted him a small estate, where he died towards the end of January 1880.