Last updated August 6, 2026

Nain Singh Rawat

Scientist1830 – 1895

Notable figure from Uttarakhand

Explorer and cartographer who mapped Tibet and the trade route to Lhasa

“The mountains called, and I answered.”

— Nain Singh Rawat

Timeline

1830
Born in Milam village, Pithoragarh district, in the Johar valley
c. 1863
Recruited and trained by the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India as a "Pundit" explorer — taught to covertly measure distance using a modified rosary and hidden compass
1865–66
Undertakes a covert survey journey to Lhasa disguised as a trader, mapping a route through Tibet closed to official British surveyors
c. 1873–75
Leads further exploratory surveys across Western Tibet, extending the mapped route and measuring the heights of Himalayan peaks
1877
Honoured by the Royal Geographical Society for his explorations, becoming one of the first Indians to receive such recognition from the Society
1895
Dies, leaving behind survey records that remained a key source for maps of Tibet for decades afterward

First Indian woman to climb Mount Everest

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”

One of the most celebrated Hindi poets, recipient of Jnanpith Award

“वियोगी होगा पहला कवि, आह से उपजा होगा गान”