The name “Aksai Chin” translates to the “White Desert of the True Gorge,” a title that conveys its historical identity as a rugged, high-altitude extension of the Indian subcontinent. Situated at the junction of the Himalayas and the Karakoram Range, it sits at an average elevation of 4,300 meters. For centuries, this region was a vital part of the cultural and economic fabric of Ladakh. It used to be a corridor for Indian traders and pilgrims long before it became a point of modern geopolitical contention.
Ancient Roots and Indian Sovereignty
Historically, Aksai Chin was never a ‘no-man’s land’. It was an integral part of the Maryul (Ladakh) kingdom. Rock carvings found across Ladakh indicate that the area has been inhabited since Neolithic times. The early residents, the nomadic Kampa and later the Brokpas, used these high plateaus for grazing and trade. By the 17th century, the powerful King Sengge Namgyal of Ladakh secured control over these northern territories–populating the region with yaks and sheep and setting the customary boundaries that India recognizes today.
Throughout this period, the region functioned as a segment of the Silk Road, specifically a route connecting the Indian trade hubs of Ladakh to Central Asia. Boundaries were defined by ‘customary usage’. The Ladakhi villagers traditionally harvested salt from the alkaline lakes and grazed their livestock on the Lingzi Tang plains.
The 19th Century: Formalizing the Frontier
The modern administrative history of Aksai Chin is rooted in the expansion of the Sikh Empire and the subsequent Dogra rule. In 1834, the armies of Raja Gulab Singh conquered Ladakh, and by 1842, a treaty was signed between the Sikhs and the Tibetans affirming the “old, established frontiers.”
After the British defeated the Sikhs in 1846, Ladakh joined the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. To define borders, W.H. Johnson’s 1865 line along the Kunlun Mountains placed Aksai Chin within Kashmir. The 1897 Ardagh Line refined this, creating a defensible frontier upheld by British India until 1947.
During this era, the Maharaja of Kashmir maintained a fort at Shahidulla to protect Indian trade caravans and revenue records (Jamabandi and Girdawari) from the Ladakh Wazarat consistently included these northern pastures as part of Indian administrative jurisdiction.
The Mid-20th Century: Encroachment and Conflict
The stability of the plateau was disrupted in the 1950s. While India focused on peaceful post-independence nation-building, the newly established People’s Republic of China (PRC) began a covert project to link Xinjiang and Tibet. Between 1951 and 1957, China surreptitiously constructed a road through Aksai Chin territory that had been depicted as Indian in the Postal Atlas of China as late as 1933.
The Indian government, relying on historical maps and the lack of any prior Chinese presence in the region, only discovered this illegal infrastructure in 1958. This discovery turned a previously agreed-upon border into a national crisis. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru insisted that the border was clear and firm, prompting the Forward Policy to restore India’s presence in the disputed areas.
This resulted in the Sino-Indian War of 1962. After the war, China retained possession of the western sector and demarcated the Line of Actual Control (LAC). However, despite China’s possession of the region through its military might, India has never relinquished its claim over the region. The country still considers Aksai Chin an integral part of Ladakh.
Aksai Chin, despite its harsh and inhospitable climate, has immense strategic value for India.
The vitality of the region is in its control over the headwaters of important rivers and lakes in the Karakoram range, which is vital for the region’s water security. It lies close to the Kunlun Mountains Range and is an important component of the territorial integrity of India. Its high-altitude position also provides important surveillance over Ladakh–which is vital for securing India’s northern borders in the long term.
In recent years, especially following the 2020 Galwan Valley incident, India has significantly ramped up infrastructure in the Ladakh region to ensure that the historical link to Aksai Chin remains a living reality—signalled by the construction of all-weather bridges and airfields that assert India’s intent to uphold its territorial integrity.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
