Nain Singh Rawat

19th-century Indian explorer who mapped Tibet's forbidden territories for the British Empire

Known as the 'Pundit Explorer', Nain Singh Rawat (1830-1895) risked execution to clandestinely survey Tibet during its isolationist era. Using disguised Buddhist pilgrim caravans, he walked 1,580 miles while secretly measuring latitudes through rosary bead counting—each bead representing 100 paces.

His missions for Britain’s Great Trigonometric Survey revealed Lhasa’s exact location and proved the Tsangpo River was the Brahmaputra’s source. He developed covert tools: mercury-filled coconut shells as sextants, prayer wheels hiding compasses, and coded journals written in Tibetan script.

Despite frostbite and interrogation by Tibetan guards, Rawat’s data filled crucial gaps in Himalayan cartography. His 1865-67 expedition calculated Everest’s height within 30 meters of modern measurements—all achieved without GPS or proper winter gear.

Honored with the Royal Geographic Society’s Patron’s Medal in 1877, Rawat’s espionage maps guided 20th-century mountaineering expeditions and remain archived in London’s India Office Records.