
Today marks the 187th birth anniversary of Nain Singh Rawat (October 21, 1830 – February 1, 1882). He was one of the first of the late 19th century Indian explorers (pundits) who explored the Himalayas for the British. He hailed from the Milam village in the Johar Valley of Kumaon in present day Uttarakhand. He mapped the trade route through Nepal to Tibet, determined for the first time the location and altitude of Lhasa, and mapped a large section of the Tsangpo (Brahmaputra River).