Rezang La | |
---|---|
रेजांग ला | |
Elevation | 5,500 m (18,045 ft) |
Location | Ladakh, India |
Range | Himalaya, Ladakh Range |
Coordinates | 33°24′50″N 78°52′29″E / 33.41389°N 78.87472°E |
Rezang La is a mountain pass on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) dividing the Indian-administered Ladakh and the Chinese-controlled, but Indian-claimed, Spanggur Lake basin, administered as part of the Rutog County. It is 11 miles south of the Spanggur Gap, on the ridge line that China claimed as its 'traditional customary boundary' during the 1960 border talks. It has an elevation of 5,500 metres (18,000 ft), and forms the source of the Rezang Lungpa stream that drains into the Spanggur Lake.[1]
About 2–3 km northwest of Rezang La is another border pass Rechin La (or Reqin La) (Chinese: 熱欽山口) 33°25′N 78°51′E / 33.42°N 78.85°E, which is also on the Line of Actual Control, and forms the source of another stream. This pass has roads leading to it on both the Chinese and Indian sides of the LAC.
1962 battle
Rezang La was the site of the last stand of the 13 Kumaon, comprising the Charlie company, during the Sino-Indian War in 1962. The company was led by Major Shaitan Singh, who won a posthumous Param Vir Chakra for his actions.[2][3][4] From the Indian point of view, Rezang La had the drawback that an intervening feature blocked artillery operation, so that the Indian infantry had to do without artillery cover.[4]
In this action on 18 November 1962, 114 Indian soldiers out of a total of 120 were killed. A memorial in Rewari, where most of the Ahir soldiers came from, mentions that 1,300 Chinese soldiers were killed in the battle.[5] The Indian side was led by Major Shaitan Singh (IC 7990), who was later posthumously awarded Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest gallantry award for conspicuous bravery and self-sacrifice in the face of the enemy.
Memorials
Rezangla war Memorial
Coordinates: 33°31′07″N 78°43′51″E / 33.51861°N 78.73083°E
The inscription on the War Memorial at Chushul, Ladakh raised by the Indian Army in memory of the soldiers who died in the Battle of Rezang La, reads:[6][7]
How can a man die better,
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And temples of his gods.
To the sacred memory of
the heroes of Rezang-La
114 martyrs of 13 Kumaon
who fought
to the last man last round
against hordes of Chinese
on
18 November 1962.
Built by all ranks
13th Battalion the Kumaon Regiment.
The first four lines are quoted from Horatius, a poem by Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay, member of the Governor-General of India's Supreme Council from 1834 to 1838[8]
- In his book 'Param Vir, Our Heroes in Battle' Major-General Ian Cardozo writes:
When Rezang La was later revisited dead jawans were found in the trenches still holding on to their weapons... every single man of this company was found dead in his trench with several bullets or splinter wounds. The 2-inch mortar man died with a bomb still in his hand. The medical orderly had a syringe and bandage in his hands when the Chinese bullet hit him... Of the thousand mortar bombs with the defenders, all but seven had been fired and the rest were ready to be fired when the (mortar) section was overrun.
- General T.N. Raina said:[9]
You rarely come across such example in the annals of world military history when braving such heavy odds, the men fought till the last bullet and the last man. Certainly, the Battle of Rezang La is such a shining example.
General K S Thimayya remarked wished for a memorial to be built in Ahirwal in their memory. He felt generations to come would seek inspiration from the immense courage and valour of their forefathers.[9]
Other memorials
Another memorial was constructed near Dharuhera Chowk in Rewari city, Rezang La Park in Rewari City by Rezangla Shaurya Samiti. Every year, memorial functions are held by the Samiti in collaboration with district administration and the Kumaon Regiment, and family members of those who died at Rezangla also take part.
2020 border standoff
As part of the border standoff in summer 2020, the Indian Army deployed troops along the Line of Actual Control south of the Pangong Tso, including at Rezang La and Rechin La. This was said to give them a commanding view of the Spanggur Gap and China's "Moldo sector" (the deployments around the Spanggur Lake).[10]
References
- ^ Sinha & Athale 1992, p. 334 (The source gives the distance incorrectly as 11 km instead of 11 miles.)
- ^ Press Information Bureau, Government of India (7 January 2007). "Remembering Rezang La heroes". Sainik samachar.
- ^ Col Dilbag Dabas (Retd) (15 December 2018). "Heroes of Rezang La 1962". The Tribune.
- ^ a b Mohan Guruswamy (20 November 2012). "Don't forget the heroes of Rezang La". The Hindu.
- ^ Shekhar Gupta (30 October 2012). "'Nobody believed we had killed so many Chinese at Rezang La. Our commander called me crazy and warned that I could be court-martialled'". The Indian Express.
- ^ "Photograph of the memorial". bharat-rakshak.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2014.
- ^ "War Memorial of 13 Kumaon". Bharat Rakshak. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014.
- ^ Thomas Babbington Macaulay. "Lays of Ancient Rome". Gutenberg.org. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ a b Atul Yadav, Injustice to Ahir martyrs of 1962 war, Tribune India, 18 November 1999.
- ^ Manu Pubby, Chushul tense: Chinese troops within firing range of Indian soldiers, The Economic Times, 1 September 2020.
Bibliography
- Sinha, P.B.; Athale, A.A.; Prasad, S. N. (1992), History of the Conflict with China, 1962 (PDF), History Division, Ministry of Defence, Government of India