Was Kalimpong a Smugglers Den and centre for espionage?

At a time when the West Bengal government is ambitiously promoting tourism in the hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, a recent revelation from a US based historian on Asia might come as a shocker to tourists wishing to visit the legendary hills and Buddhist monasteries of Kalimpong in picturesque north Bengal.

The town of Kalimpong (Image Courtesy - Yuvachit Tours)

According to Tansen Sen, an associate professor of Asian history and religions at Baruch College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, USA, the settlement of Kalimpong has traditionally been a centre of Indo-Tibetan smuggling, outlaws and hub of espionage which may have played a crucial role in the Indo-China War in 1963.

View of the hills from Kalimpong (Image Courtesy - www.defenceforumindia.com)

“Kalimpong was a hub for trading between India and China which finally resulted in an increased amount of smuggling in the area… There’s a whole lot of refugees particularly in 1950s but it also becomes a spying centre later on in the ’50s and 60s”, the scholar said.

He said the development of the hill-station is based on the trade between Tibet and India which resulted in smuggling becoming a prominent activity in the region. However, it was also important as it was a centre through which Muslims from Xinjiang, an autonomous region in China went for Haj as well as it sheltered defectors from China which finally resulted in an increased level of espionage activity during 1950-1960.

Historically, Kalimpong handled cargo worth Rs. 100,000 in the year 1900 which rose to Rs. 600,000 in 1921. Medicinal drugs, cigarettes, gold, silk, cotton, fountain pen and watches were the primary components of the historical trade; contrary to the belief that Kalimpong only handled silk and woolens originating from the ancient Silk Route.

The ancient Silk Route showing prominent halt points for traders (Image Courtesy & Copyright - www.sikkimsilkroute.com)

Presently, tourism and ginger cultivation account for the major chunk of livelihood for the 42,998 odd people living in the area.

Bengal, under the British Raj had played a crucial role in linking India with China.

“Bengal was the epicenter of Indo-China relations in the first half of the 20th century and three centres in the state were very important – Kolkata, the capital and hub of British trade, Shantiniketan, where a centre for Chinese studies (China Bhavan) was set-up and Kalimpong which drew its legacy from the ancient Silk Route”, the Silk Road archaeologist said.

The Taxi Stand at Kalimpong in modern times

Sen claimed Chinese banks and firms were operating in the British controlled Kalimpong which had extensive branches in Kolkata, Lhasa in Tibet, Nepal and China which made the Chinese well acquainted with the topography of north Bengal; a decisive move which resulted in Chinese victory in the war in 1963.

“Before 1942, there were only 70 Chinese in the area which rose significantly to 300 to 400 in 1944. Bank of China was operational in the area besides the Kuomintang, the ruling party in Taiwan (Nationalist China)… Leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Mao Zedong spoke about spies operating in the area”, he said.

An example of Kalimpong's wildlife (Image Courtesy - www.wildinida.com)

According to the historian, events which happened in the strategic hill-station bordering China, Bhutan and India in the past has implications in modern times particularly in India’s relations with China and it’s stand on Tibet.