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Kupup is a hamlet in the Indian state of
Sikkim
Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siligur ...
near the border with China. It lies in a transverse valley below the Dongkya Range
Dongkya or Dongkhya range, is a mountain range in the lower Himalayas that forms the eastern border of Sikkim, currently a state of India. Its northern tip extends to Dongkha La, and as it moves southwards, sometimes referred to as the Chola ra ...
, close to the Jelep La
Jelep La (; ) elevation , is a high mountain pass between Sikkim, India and Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is on a route that connects Lhasa to India. The pass is about south of Nathu La and is slightly higher. It was frequently used for ...
pass. A nearby moraine ridge across the valley forms part of the watershed between the Teesta
Teesta River is a long river that rises in the Pauhunri Mountain of eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal through Rangpur, and enters the Bay of Bengal. It drains an area of . In India, it flows through ...
and Dichu river basins. To the southeast of the ridge is the lake Bitang Tso, also called the Elephant Lake or Kupup Lake, from which the Dichu river is conventionally believed to originate.
Beyond the valley of Dichu to the east is the Mount Gipmochi
Gipmochi (Gyemo Chen or Gamochen, 'The Great Queen') is a mountain in the Lower Himalayan Range, Lower Himalayas in south central Asia. Rising to a height of , the mountain sits on the Bhutan–India border, border between the northern Indian st ...
, which China claims as the trijunction between India, Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
and itself, but this is disputed by Bhutan and India. The Doka La
Doklam (),
called Donglang () by China, is an area in Bhutan with a high plateau and a valley, lying between China's Chumbi Valley to the north, Bhutan's Ha District to the east and India's Sikkim state to the west. It has been depicted as ...
pass, next to Gipmochi where India has a border outpost
A border outpost, border out post, border observation post or BOP
Kupup lies in a transverse depression between the
''State of Environment – Sikkim'', 2007, p. 58. A road to the
Ground Report from last Post to Doklam, Latest Sore Point in India-China Ties
News18, 29 July 2017.
The New Indian Express. Has photographs of Bitang Tso and the Kupup village. China–India border Gangtok district
Kupup lies in a transverse depression between the Dongkya Range
Dongkya or Dongkhya range, is a mountain range in the lower Himalayas that forms the eastern border of Sikkim, currently a state of India. Its northern tip extends to Dongkha La, and as it moves southwards, sometimes referred to as the Chola ra ...
that forms the border of Sikkim, and the mountains to the southwest. The Bitang Tso or Elephant Lake, a glacial lake
A glacial lake is a body of water with origins from glacier activity. They are formed when a glacier erodes the land and then melts, filling the depression created by the glacier.
Formation
Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,0 ...
that is regarded as the source of the Dichu river, is next to Kupup in the same depressioin. Kupup lies on the higher ground to the northwest of the Bitang Tso lake.
Darjeeling superintendent J. W. Edgar, who surveyed the area for the construction of a road to Tibet in 1874, described Kupup as "a grassy and rather marshy valley". It was said that 1,500 men could encamp in the valley. Fuel and rhododendron scrub were plentiful in the locality. To the northeast of the valley is a steep hill called "Tent Hill", which rises to 1,000 ft. A stream flows down from the Jelep La pass and bends around the Tent Hill to the northwest, and drains into Menmecho Lake, which was described by Edgar as being especially beautiful. The river flowing from here is called Rangpo Chu
Rangpo Chu is a tributary of the River Rangpo, a tributary of the Teesta River in the Indian state of Sikkim. It originates near the Jelep La pass in East Sikkim district. It feeds the high-altitude Lake Menmecho. The word ''chu'' means "little r ...
, which is an upstream tributary of the Teesta River
Teesta River is a long river that rises in the Pauhunri Mountain of eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal through Rangpur, and enters the Bay of Bengal. It drains an area of . In India, it flows through ...
.
To the southeast of Kupup, the Bitang Tso is considered the source of the Dichu River
The Jaldhaka River (Pron:/ˌdʒælˈdɑːkə/) ( bn, জলঢাকা নদী), also known as Dichu, a tributary of Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river flowing through India, Bhutan and Bangladesh with a length of 233 kilometres. It ori ...
, even though other streams flowing down from the Dongkya Range provide a greater volume of water. Dichu flows southeast until Mount Gipmochi
Gipmochi (Gyemo Chen or Gamochen, 'The Great Queen') is a mountain in the Lower Himalayan Range, Lower Himalayas in south central Asia. Rising to a height of , the mountain sits on the Bhutan–India border, border between the northern Indian st ...
on the western shoulder of the Doklam
Doklam (),
called Donglang () by China, is an area in Bhutan with a high plateau and a valley, lying between China's Chumbi Valley to the north, Bhutan's Haa District, Ha District to the east and India's Sikkim state to the west. It has been ...
plateau, where it turns south and enters Bhutan.
The cart road to Jelep La
Jelep La (; ) elevation , is a high mountain pass between Sikkim, India and Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is on a route that connects Lhasa to India. The pass is about south of Nathu La and is slightly higher. It was frequently used for ...
on Sikkim–Tibet border, eventually laid by the British, ran on the watershed between Teesta and Dichu rivers. The watershed continues on to the moraine ridge above Bitang Tso. British explorers noted that, from here on, the road to Jelep La had a gentle ascent, which was no more than above.
Current status
After the independence of India, a motorable road was constructed betweenGangtok
Gangtok is a city, municipality, the capital and the largest populated place of the Indian state of Sikkim. It is also the headquarters of the East Sikkim district, Gangtok District. Gangtok is in the eastern Himalayas, Himalayan range, at an e ...
and Nathu La
Nathu La
(, ) is a mountain pass in the Dongkya Range of the Himalayas between China's Yadong County in Tibet, and the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal in Bengal, South Asia. The pass, at , connects the towns of Kalimpong and Gangtok to ...
(up to Sherathang
Sherathang is a town in East Sikkim district, Gangtok district near the Nathula Pass in Sikkim, India. The location has been identified as the site for excise, customs and checking for trade between India and People's Republic of China, China. ...
) during 1954–1958. The use of Jelep La was also continued, via the old British cart road as well as along the Nathu La road via Sherathang (8 km from Kupup).
Trade relations between India and China were suspended during the 1962 Sino-Indian War
The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tib ...
and the passes were closed. In 2006, Nathu La was reopened by mutual agreement. A motorable road along the old British alignment has been constructed between Kalimpong
Kalimpong (Hindi: कलिम्पोंग) is a town and the headquarters of an eponymous district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located at an average elevation of . The town is the headquarters of the Kalimpong district. The re ...
and Kupup, which continues on to Sherathang and Nathu La.
A second settlement of Kupup has grown up on the high ground above Bitang Tso, to support the Indian armed forces.Wetlands of Sikkim''State of Environment – Sikkim'', 2007, p. 58. A road to the
Doka La
Doklam (),
called Donglang () by China, is an area in Bhutan with a high plateau and a valley, lying between China's Chumbi Valley to the north, Bhutan's Ha District to the east and India's Sikkim state to the west. It has been depicted as ...
pass near Mount Gipmochi
Gipmochi (Gyemo Chen or Gamochen, 'The Great Queen') is a mountain in the Lower Himalayan Range, Lower Himalayas in south central Asia. Rising to a height of , the mountain sits on the Bhutan–India border, border between the northern Indian st ...
, 5 km distant, runs from Kupup on the northeast side of the valley. During the 73-day Doklam standoff
Doklam (),
called Donglang () by China, is an area in Bhutan with a high plateau and a valley, lying between China's Chumbi Valley to the north, Bhutan's Ha District to the east and India's Sikkim state to the west. It has been depicted as ...
in 2017, Kupup formed a key link for the Indian military.Karma PaljorGround Report from last Post to Doklam, Latest Sore Point in India-China Ties
News18, 29 July 2017.
Notes
References
Bibliography
* * * * * * {{citation , first=Richard , last=Temple , author-link=Sir Richard Temple, 1st Baronet , title=The Lake Region of Sikkim, on the Frontier of Tibet , journal=Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography , date=June 1881 , volume=3 , number=6 , pages=321–340 , doi=10.2307/1800507 , jstor=1800507 , ref={{sfnref, Temple, The Lake Region of Sikkim, 1881External links
The New Indian Express. Has photographs of Bitang Tso and the Kupup village. China–India border Gangtok district