Asia

[Visited: March 2024]

We are on our way south from Tawang, when my driver tries to tell me the story of the Sino-Indian war that took place in the region in 1962. Unfortunately, his English is not sufficient enough to tell me everything, so I decide to delve into this story. It turns out that Jaswanth Singh Rawat withstood the Chinese army during their invasion of Arunachal Pradesh in 1962. Initially, he was with two fellow soldiers, who were killed in action. He continued to hold off the Chinese, and was helped by two Monpa girls Sela and Nura. Monpa being one of the tribes in Arunachal Pradesh. Eventually, Sela also got killed, Nura captured, and Jaswanth Singh Rawat died in combat, although it is not clear if he was shot by the Chinese, or killed himself when he realized his fight was over. He was 22 years old.
In any case, the story made him a war hero, and he posthumously got several awards. Sela had the Sela Pass named after her, and Nura had the Nuranang Falls named in her honour. The brave soldier has a memorial, and my driver parks the car on the roadside. Snow is coming down as I cross the road and walk towards the memorial. I see a courtyard with Buddhist symbols and quotes, something I had not expected. There also is a statue with a soldier and a rifle in the middle, and near the stairs on the other side, plaques naming the organizations involved in the establishment of the war memorial. I walk the red stairs, and come to a small building in which a bust of Jaswanth Singh Rawat is prominently displayed in the centre. In a display on the side, I find more items and explanations of the history of the Nuranang battle.
Looking at the pictures, seeing his bust, and reading the story makes me realize the sacrifice this young man made for his country. And the futility of war; as the Chinese invasion was called off and Arunachal Pradesh remained Indian. The Chinese lost many men; outside the memorial hall, I find a cemetery where hundreds of Chinese men are buried. They also perished during the Nuranang battle. I walk a little uphill, and find a smaller house, a smriti sthal with inside a tree which is where Jaswanth Singh Rawat is believed to have drawn his last breath. I walk the fields, and find a reconstructed command post that gives a slight idea of how it must have been to serve here six decades earlier. I walk down to the road: it is time to get going again. On the way to Tawang, we have already visited Nuranang falls, and we are now on the way to drive up Sela pass.

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Jaswanth Garh War Memorial (India)

Jaswanth Garh War Memorial > India > Asia

[Visited: March 2024]

Around the World in 80 Clicks