Kampa | |
Other Name: | Kampa Dzong |
Kampa or Kamba Dzong,(Gampa Dzong in Standard Tibetan,[1] and Gangba Xian in Chinese)is a Tibetan town north of Sikkim.[2] It is the headequarters Kamba County in the Shigatse Prefecture. It is marked by an iconic hill-top fort, much admired by the expeditions travelling to Mount Everest during the early 20th century. It also used to be a border trading post for Sikkimese traders from North Sikkim, prior to the Chinese annexation of Tibet.
Traditional Tibetan carpet making is thought to have originated in Kampa Dzong.[3] In June 1903, Colonel Francis Younghusband, serving as British commissioner to Tibet, led a diplomatic mission consisting of five officers and five hundred troops to Kampa Dzong.[4] The objective of the mission was to meet Chinese and Tibetan representatives and discuss mutual non-aggression and trade agreements. After being kept waiting for five months before the Chinese and Tibetan representatives arrived, the mission was recalled.[5]
The Sino-Indian border along the Sikkim is well-defined by the 1890 Convention of Calcutta signed by Britain and China. Despite this, frenetic construction of border infrastructure and troop deployment has been witnessed along the border.[6] During the 2020–2021 China–India skirmishes, one of the first clashes was reported at the Naku La pass, where a scuffle broke out between the Chinese and Indian forces, resulting in injuries to eleven soldiers.[7] [8] During the 12th round of disengagement talks, the commanders of the two sides agreed to establish a hotline between the PLA base at Kampa Dzong and the Indian Army base at . It was meant to enhance ties between the two armies and maintain peace and tranquility along the border.