{{Short description|Mountain in India/Bhutan}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}} {{Infobox mountain | name = Gipmochi | other_name = Gyemochen | image = Bidantso-sketch-Richard-Temple.png | image_size = | image_upright = | image_alt = Sketch of Bitang Tso with Gipmochi in the background (Sir Richard Temple, 1881) | image_caption = Sketch of Bitang Tso with Gipmochi in the background (Sir Richard Temple, 1881) <!-- MAP CODE from 5th October 2024 --> | image_map = {{OSM Location map | coord = {{coord|27.276|88.95}} <!-- Map center --> | float = center | zoom = 10 | width = 280 <!-- width and height of the frame. numeric input - do not add px --> | height = 300 | caption = <!-- Prevailing border of Bhutan on OpenStreetMap; Sikkim to the west and Chumbi Valley to the north --> | minimap = file | mini-file = Bhutan location map.svg | mini-width = 100 | mini-height = 73 | minipog-x = 8 | minipog-y = 41 | scalemark = 120 | shape = image | label-colorD = hard gray | label-sizeD = 10 <!-- Mount Gipmochi --> | mark-coord1 = {{coord|27.272328|88.901061}} <!-- Gipmochi --> | mark1 = Maki-mountain-15.svg<!-- better than BlackRedMountain.svg ---> | mark-size1 = 20 | label1 = Gipmochi | label-size1 = 14 | label-color1 = black | label-pos1 = bottom | mark-title1 = Mount Gipmochi | mark-image1 = | mark-description1 = {{cvt|4427|m}} <!-- Batang La --> | mark-coord2 = {{coord|27.327083|88.920928}} <!-- precise pass coordinates appropriate and checked at high scale---> | mark2 = Mountain pass 12x12 n.svg | mark-size2 = 12 | label2 = Batang La | label-size2 = 10 | label-pos2 = left|ldy2=4|ldx2=4 | mark-title2 = Batang La | mark-image2 = | mark-description2 = Bhutanese claim of trijunction point {{cvt|4600|m}} <!-- Doka La --> | mark-coord3 = {{coord|27.294902|N|88.913102|E}} <!-- precise pass coordinates appropriate and checked at high scale---> | mark3 = Mountain pass 12x12 e.svg | mark-size3 = 12 | label3 = Doka La | label-size3 = 10 | label-pos3 = left |ldx3=2 | mark-title3 = Doka La | mark-image3 = | mark-description3 = Position of standoff <!-- Sinche La --> | mark-coord4 = {{coord|27.310497|88.961772}} <!-- precise pass coordinates appropriate and checked at high scale---> | mark4 = Mountain pass 12x12 ne.svg | mark-size4 = 12 | label4 = Sinchela | label-size4 = 10 | label-pos4 = bottom |ldx4 = 3 |ldy4 = -2 | mark-title4 = Sinchela | mark-image4 = | mark-description4 = Part of the prevailing border with pass height {{cvt|4429|m}} <!-- Amo Chu --> | mark-coord5 = {{coord|27.349324|88.988679}} <!-- Amo Chhu river --> | mark-size5 = 0 | label5 = Amo Chu | label-color5 = hard blue | label-pos5 = top | label-angle5 =55 | mark-title5 = Amo Chu river | mark-description5 = Part of the prevailing border between Tibet and Bhutan | ldx5=12 | ldy5=8 <!-- Di Chu --> | mark-coord6 = {{coord|27.1746|88.8427}} | mark6 = | mark-size6 = 0 | label6 = Di Chu (Jaldhaka) | label-color6 = hard blue | label-pos6 = top | label-angle6 =85 | mark-title6 = Di Chu (Jaldhaka River, Dichu) | mark-image6 = | mark-description6 = River valley leading to Indian plains. River originates in Bhutan and flows into India <!-- Merug La peak --> | mark-coord7 = {{coord|27.3382507|88.9364553}} | mark7 = Maki-mountain-15.svg | mark-size7 = 12 | label7 = Merug La | label-pos7 = top |ldx7 = 0 |ldy7 = 0 | mark-title7 = Merug La | mark-image7 = | mark-description7 = At {{cvt|4653|m}} the highest point in Doklam <!-- Dongkya range --> | mark-coord8 = {{coord|27.3853|88.8434}}<!-- moved coordinates along ridge for better rendering and checked at high scale---> | mark8 = Geobox Mountain Range.svg | mark-size8 = 14 | label8 = Dongkya^range | label-pos8 = top|ldx8=5|ldy8=4 | mark-title8 = Dongkya range | mark-image8= | mark-description8= border between Sikkim and Tibet <!-- Zompelri ridge --> | mark-coord9 = {{coord|27.270636|88.930006}} | mark9 = Geobox Mountain Range.svg | mark-size9 = 18 | label-size9=9 | label9 = Zompelri ridge | label-pos9 = bottom |ldx9 = 26 |ldy9 = 0 | label-angle9 = 55 | mark-title9 = Zompelri (Jampheri) ridge | mark-image9= | mark-description9= claimed by China <!-- Chumbi Valley --> | mark-coord10 = {{coord|27.445|88.913}} | mark-size10 = 0 | label10 = Chumbi valley | label-pos10 = right|ldx10=-23 | mark-title10 = Chumbi Valley | mark-image10 = | mark-description10 = Disputed area to the south <!-- Doklam area --> | mark-coord11 = {{coord|27.2598|88.986}} | mark-size11 = 0 | label11 = Doklam | label-size11 = 12 | label-pos11 = center | label-angle11 = 45 | mark-image11 = | mark-title11 = Doklam (Donglang) | mark-description11 = claimed by China <!-- Sikkim area --> | mark-coord12 = {{coord|27.34|88.80}} | mark-size12 = 0 | label12 = Sikkim^State | label-size12 = 12 | label-pos12 = center | mark-image12 = | mark-title12 = Sikkim | mark-description12 = State of India <!-- Samtse --> | mark-coord13 = {{coord|27.17|88.92}} | mark-size13 = 0 | label13 = Samtse^District | label-size13 = 12 | label-pos13 = center | mark-image13 = | mark-title13 = Samtse District | mark-description13 = District of Bhutan <!--Haa District---> | mark-coord14 = {{coord|27.35|89.1}} | mark-size14 = 0 | label14 = Haa^District | label-size14 = 12 | label-pos14 = center | mark-image14 = | mark-title14 = Haa District | mark-description14 = District of Bhutan <!---add flags---> | mark32 =Nuvola Buthanese flag.svg| mark-size32 =28 | mark-coord32 = {{coord|27.242|89.1}} | label32 =Bhutan| label-size32 =20 | label-color32 = | label-angle32 = | label-pos32 = bottom|ldy32=2|ldx32=0| mark-title32=none | mark33 =Nuvola Chinese flag.svg | mark-size33 =28 | mark-coord33 = {{coord|27.405|88.925}} | label33 =China | label-size33 =20 | label-color33 = | label-angle33 = | label-pos33 =bottom| mark-titles33=none |ldy33=2|ldx33=5 | mark34 =Nuvola Indian flag.svg| mark-size34 =28 | mark-coord34 = {{coord|27.31|88.80}} | label34 =India | label-size34 =20 | label-color34 = | label-angle34 = | label-pos34 = bottom|ldy34=2|ldx34=3| mark-title34=none }} <!----------------------- HIGHEST POINT --> | highest = | highest_location = | elevation_m = | elevation_ft = 14523 | elevation_ref = <ref name="Geological Survey"/> | elevation_system = | prominence = | prominence_m = | prominence_ft = | prominence_ref = | parent_peak = | isolation_km = | isolation_mi = | isolation_parent = | isolation_ref = | listing = | coordinates = {{coord|27.2740|88.9001|format=dms|display=inline,title}} | coordinates_ref = <!----------------------- DIMENSIONS --> | length = | length_km = | length_mi = | length_orientation = | length_ref = | width = | width_km = | width_mi = | width_orientation = | width_ref = | area = | area_km2 = | area_mi2 = | area_ref = | volume = | volume_km3 = | volume_mi3 = | volume_ref = <!----------------------- NAMING --> | etymology = | nickname = | native_name = <!-- {{native name}} or {{native name list}} --> | native_name_lang = <!-- not used by |native_name= --> | translation = The Great Queen | pronunciation = | authority = <!----------------------- GEOGRAPHY --> | country = {{enum|India|Bhutan}} | state_type = | state = {{enum|Sikkim|Samtse}} | part = | settlement_type = | settlement = | range = Eastern Himalayas | borders_on = <!----------------------- ATTACHED --> | embedded = | module = }}

'''Gipmochi''' ('''Gyemo Chen''' or '''Gamochen''', 'The Great Queen')<ref>{{citation |last=Bell |first=Charles |author-link=Charles Alfred Bell |title=Tibet Past and Present |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RgOK7CgFp88C&pg=PR14 |year=1992 |orig-year=first published 1927 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-1048-8 |page=14 |ref={{sfnref|Bell, Tibet Past and Present|1992}}}}</ref> is a mountain in the Lower Himalayas in south central Asia.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mount Gipmochi: Bhutan|publisher=National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency|url=http://www.geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-3058787&fid=846&c=bhutan |accessdate=2 September 2015}}</ref> Rising to a height of {{convert|14,523|ft}},<ref name="Geological Survey"/> the mountain sits on the border between the northern Indian state of Sikkim and Bhutan. China claims Gipmochi as the China–India–Bhutan tri-junction point. Bhutan and India, however, claim that the tri-junction is 6.5&nbsp;km to the north, at Batang La.

== Geography == thumb|left|280px|Map 1: Gipmochi, Doklam plateau and vicinity, shown along with the Dichu river basin in orange Mount Gipmochi is a Himalayan peak rising to {{convert|14,523|ft}},<ref name="Geological Survey"> {{citation |first=P. N. |last=Bose |chapter=Notes on the Geology and Mineral Resources Of Sikkim |title=Records of the Geological Survey of India |volume=24 |publisher=Kegan, Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co |location=London |year=1890 |page=217 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ea9FAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA2-PA217}} </ref> on the southwestern shoulder of the Doklam plateau. The plateau is at the intersection between India, Bhutan and Tibet, and is formed by the joining of two ridges, Dongkya Range in the north and Zompelri ridge (or Jampheri ridge) in the south, via a Doka La pass in the middle.

Technically Gipmochi is part of the Zompelri ridge, which is a curved semicircular formation on the southern side of the plateau. The Dongkya Range, on the northern side, forms the dividing line between Sikkim (part of India) and the Chumbi Valley (part of Tibet), with numerous passes such as Cho La, Nathu La and Jelep La. The Doklam plateau is to the east of all these passes. In the 19th century, the existence of the plateau was not recognised, and the Dongkya Range itself was thought to be curving south and dividing into a western and an eastern branch.<ref name="Imperial Gazetteer"/> In the modern view, the Dongkya Range is seen to continue beyond Sikkim to the east, passing through the Batang La, Merug La and Sinche La peaks and gradually descending down to the plains.<ref>Ankit Panda, [http://thediplomat.com/2017/07/the-political-geography-of-the-india-china-crisis-at-doklam/ The Political Geography of the India-China Crisis at Doklam], The Diplomat, 13 July 2017. "However, as the thick red line on the map above demonstrates, the ridge line [of Dongkya Range] appears to terminate at Batang-la, the point India and Bhutan claim as the triboundary point, even though the convention's text explicitly says 'Mount Gipmochi.'"</ref>

To the west of the Mount Gipmochi and the Doklam plateau lie the headwaters of the Dichu river (also called the Jaldhaka river). The Teesta river basin of Sikkim is further west, the dividing line being a moraine at Kupup, below the Jelep La pass. A lake called Bitang Tso (or Bidan Tso, also called the Kupup Lake), just to the east of Kupup, is traditionally regarded as the origin of the Dichu river.<ref> {{harvp|Blandford, Journey through Sikkim|1871|pp=380–381}}: "A line of watershed crossed the valley just where our road traversed it, the [Bidan-Tso] lake discharging its waters to the south-east, whilst a stream [Jelep Chu], coming down from the frontier range just above the head of the lake, runs to the north-west down the valley." </ref> Dichu flows southeast towards the Mount Gipmochi and turns south, entering the Bhutanese territory. A tributary of Dichu called Asam Khola rises below Mount Gipmochi on its southern shoulder, and joins Dichu near the village of Khentong.

To the northeast of Gipmochi lies the basin of the Amo Chu river, which rises in the Chumbi Valley and flows into Bhutanese territory near Sinche La. A stream called Torsa Nala (or Doklam River) issues from the Doka La pass, flowing through the Doklam valley between the Zompelri and Dongkya ridges. It joins the Amo Chu river about 8 miles downstream.

== References during the British Raj == === Initial survey === thumb|left|View of Himalayan peaks from Darjeeling (1885 photograph)

Mount Gipmochi received a prominent position in British geography of the region because it is one of the peaks visible from Darjeeling,<ref> [http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/g/019pho000752s15u00053000.html General view, Darjeeling], British Library, retrieved 22 November 2021. </ref> which the British leased from the Chogyal of Sikkim in 1835 in return for an annual subsidy. They had free access to the tract around Darjeeling, but not to Sikkim proper.<ref> {{harvp|Huxley Life and Letters of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, Volume 1|2011}}: Quoting Hooker – "We paid 3000 rupees for the freehold, stipulating also that merchants should have a right to trade to Sikkim, but made no agreement of the sort for travellers, surveyors, or any other class of people, whom the saucy Rajah excludes from his kingdom." </ref> Numerous Himalayan peaks were however visible from Darjeeling. Surveyor Reginald Walker, who was in charge of the Eastern Himalayan survey in 1847, suggested that a suitable base line at sufficient distance can be used to measure the locations and heights of the high Himalayan peaks.<ref> {{harvp|Phillimore, Historical Records of the Survey of India, Volume 5|1968|pp=185–186}} </ref> After Walker's premature death, Andrew Scott Waugh, the Surveyor General of India, joined the Darjeeling survey party and fixed the positions and heights of all the visible peaks using trigonometric methods.<ref> {{harvp|Phillimore, Historical Records of the Survey of India, Volume 5|1968|pp=185–186}}: "The principal peaks round Darjiing were trigonometrically determined by Lt. Col. Waugh...in 1847-48" </ref> Despite the great distance from which the peaks were measured, the positions were said to be correct to within quarter of a second in latitude and half a second in longitude.<ref> {{citation |last=Markham |first=Clements R. |title=A Memoir on the Indian Surveys |publisher=India Office, Great Britain |year=1871 |url=https://archive.org/details/memoironindiansu00mark |via=archive.org |pages=90–91}} </ref>

{{clear left}}

=== Misplacement of Gipmochi === [[File:Southeast Sikkim (Joseph Dalton Hooker, 1854).jpg|thumb|right|280px|Map 2: Section of the Sikkim map showing southeast Sikkim by Joseph Dalton Hooker (1854); marked on the far right is "Gipmochi of Col. Waugh, 14,509".]] thumb|right|280px|Map 3: Map accompanying Richard Temple's paper

Mount Gipmochi started appearing British maps around 1850 in the process of illustrating the travels of the noted British botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker. Hooker toured the then independent state of Sikkim to explore and collect samples of Himalayan plants. After touring the northern Sikkim (Lachung area), he returned to the then Sikkimese capital Tumlong, and along with Archibald Campbell, the superintendent of Darjeeling, attempted to go to Chumbi via the Cho La pass. The Sikkimese authorities prohibited them from entering Tibetan territory, and arrested them near the pass.{{sfnp|Huxley Life and Letters of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, Volume 1|2011|loc=Chapter XV: "Captivity and Release"}} Evidently, Mount Gipmochi was visible from their route, and Hooker remarked that the Dongkya Range gradually sinks into Bhutan near Gipmochi.<ref> * {{harvp|Hooker, Himalayan Journals, Volume 1|1854|p=151}}: "To the north-west towards Nepal, the snowy peaks of Kubra and Junnoo (...) rise over the shoulder of Singalelah; eastward the snowy mountains appear to form an unbroken range, trending north-east to the great mass of Donkia (23,176 feet) and thence south-east by the fingered peaks of Tunkola and the silver cone of Chola, (17,320 feet) gradually sinking into the Bhotan mountains at '''Gipmoochi''' (14,509 feet)." * {{harvp|Hooker, Himalayan Journals, Volume 2|1854|pp=109–110}}: "The general form of Choombi valley is triangular, the broader end northwards: it is bounded by the Chola range on the west from Donkia to '''Gipmoochi''', and by the Kamphee or Chakoong range to the east; which is, I believe, continuous with Chumulari." </ref> Hooker placed Gipmochi directly on the Dongkya range, and attributed its position to Waugh.<ref name="ReferenceA">See the notes imprinted on the side of Map 2.</ref>{{efn|Hooker did not visit Mount Gipmochi, or anywhere southeast of Cho La. Hooker's exploration of the terrain was thus incomplete. The notes attached to the map state, "The country [west] of Gipmochi, [the] position of Yakla Pass, [the] frontier of Sikkim [south] of Chola and lower course of Teesta River are unknown."<ref name="ReferenceA">See the notes imprinted on the side of Map 2.</ref> Despite these limitations, successive British maps of the region continued to show Mount Gipmochi as a peak on the Dongkya Range for the rest of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th century.}} For several decades after this, the Mount Gipmochi continued to be shown on the Dongkya range despite other evidence to the contrary.

After the Hooker episode, the British signed the Treaty of Tumlong (1861) with Sikkim, bringing the state under their protectorate. All the previous restrictions on travel in Sikkim were removed. In 1864, the Anglo-Bhutan War was fought, at the end of which, through the Treaty of Sinchula, the British gained control over the present day Kalimpong district. This paved the way for a direct trade routue from Darjeeling to the Sikkim passes.

Richard Temple, the lieutenant-governor of the Bengal Presidency during 1874–1877, states that the British had begun to construct a cart road to the Jelep La pass for trade with Tibet.<ref> {{harvp|Temple, The Lake Region of Sikkim|1881|p=323}}: "Now, the interesting point, from a commercial and political point of view, is this: that through Sikkim the British Government is gradually constructing a trade road from Northern Bengal to Eastern Tibet... This road is to pass through British Sikkim first, then Native Sikkim, then on to the Jyelap Pass, which is one of the passes leading over the Chola range of hills, and then into the valley of Chumbi..." </ref> Temple explored the lake region of Sikkim and presented his findings at the Royal Geographical Society in 1881. One of his sketches showed Bitang Tso (or Kupup Lake) viewed from Kupup in Sikkim, with Mount Gipmochi in the background.{{sfnp|Temple, The Lake Region of Sikkim|1881|loc=p. 323, Fig. III}} His cartographer however continued to show Mount Gipmochi on the Dongkya range, in the tradition of Joseph Hooker, and placed the Bitang Tso to its south in Bhutanese territory.{{sfnp|Temple, The Lake Region of Sikkim|1881|loc=pp. 341–342}}{{efn|The map is titled "Map of Sikkim and Parts of Adjacent Territories to illustrate Sir R. Temple's paper" and signed "W. J. Turner, R.G.S. Det."}} (Map 3) Temple himself invoked the authority of Hooker, stating, "In Sir Joseph Hooker's 'Himalayan Journals' the name Gipmochi is always applied to the mountain which terminates the Chola range [Dongkya range]."{{sfnp|Temple, The Lake Region of Sikkim|1881|loc=pp. 335–336}}

=== Convention of Calcutta === {{expand section|date=July 2022}}

=== 20th century === ''The Imperial Gazetteer of India'' states that the Dongkya range (or Chola range) that divides Sikkim from the Chumbi Valley bifurcates at Gipmochi into two great spurs, one running to the south-east and the other to the south-west. Between the two spurs lies the valley of the Dichul (Jaldhaka) river. The "western shoulder" of Gipmochi was said to contain the trijunction point of Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet.<ref name="Imperial Gazetteer">{{citation |title=Imperial Gazetteer of India: Provincial Series |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8ga2AAAAIAAJ |year=1984 |publisher=Usha |page=487}}</ref> The southwest spur mentioned in the Gazetteer forms part of the boundary between Sikkim and Bhutan. The southeast spur, called the ''Zompelri'' ridge (or ''Jampheri'' ridge), currently separates the Bhutanese districts of Haa (to the north) and Samtse (to the south).

The area bounded by Gipmochi and Batang La, extending about 5&nbsp;km to the southeast, forms a plateau called Dolam or Doklam plateau. Some British travel maps from the 19th century (prior to official surveys) mark this plateau as "Gipmochi Pk" and show its alignment with the Sinchela pass (on the northern ridge of the plateau).<ref name=Markham>{{Cite book | url =https://archive.org/stream/pts_narrativesofmiss_3721-1221#page/1/mode/2up | title = ''Narratives of the Mission of George Bogle to Tibet and of the Journey of Thomas Manning to Lhasa'' | year=1876| author = Sir Clements Robert Markham |publisher = Trübner and Co. }}</ref> Bhutan did not have a map of its lands till 1961.<ref name=Joshi>Manoj Joshi, [https://thewire.in/159407/doklam-india-china-bhutan/ Doklam, Gipmochi, Gyemochen: It's Hard Making Cartographic Sense of a Geopolitical Quagmire], ''The Wire'', 20 July 2017.</ref> {{clear|left}}

== Chinese border claims == The Chinese claim of the trijunction point is based on the 1890 Anglo-Chinese Convention,<ref>{{harvnb|Government of China|2017|p=1}}: According to the Convention, the Dong Lang area, which is located on the Chinese side of the boundary, is indisputably Chinese territory. For long, China's border troops have been patrolling the area and Chinese herdsmen grazing livestock there.</ref> Article I of which states: {{blockquote|The boundary of Sikkim and Tibet shall be the crest of the mountain range separating the waters flowing into the Sikkim Teesta and its affluents from the waters flowing into the Tibetan Mochu [Amo Chhu] and northwards into other rivers of Tibet. The line commences at Mount Gipmochi on the Bhutan frontier and follows the above-mentioned waterparting to the point where it meets Nipal territory.}} The Article mentions Gipmochi as being on Bhutan border, but no other details regarding Bhutan were given. Bhutan was not a signatory to the convention.<ref name=Joshi/> Further, Gipmochi is not the highest point on the Doklam plateau. Merug La, at 15,266 feet, and Sinchela, at 14,531 feet, are higher, making the Batang La–Merug La–Sinchela line the highest watershed in the region.<ref name=Joshi/><ref name=Raghavan>Srinath Raghavan, [http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/kfpkmisQLSnGho2e2oo2rO/China-is-wrong-on-SikkimTibet-boundary.html China is wrong on Sikkim-Tibet boundary], ''livemint'', 7 August 2017.</ref>

Maps of Sikkim produced by Survey of India in 1923, 1933 and 1937 show Gipmochi as the tri-junction point,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/topo/india_253k/txu-pclmaps-oclc-181831961-darjeeling-78-a-1923.jpg |title=Bengal, Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim and Tibet |website=University of Texas Libraries: Online topographic map collections |publisher=Survey General of India |year=1923}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bengal, Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim |publisher=Survey of India Offices |year=1933 |url=http://www.oldmapsonline.org/en/Sikkim#bbox=88.01435609999999,27.079261,88.91828759497821,28.117724999999993&q=&date_from=0&date_to=9999&scale_from=&scale_to= |website=Old maps online}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bengal, Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim |publisher=Survey of India Offices |year=1937 |url=http://www.oldmapsonline.org/en/Sikkim#bbox=88.01435609999999,27.079261,88.91828759497821,28.117724999999993&q=&date_from=0&date_to=9999&scale_from=&scale_to= |website=Old maps online}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Risley |first=H. H. |author-link=Herbert Hope Risley |chapter=Sikhim |editor1=Suresh Kant Sharma |editor2=Usha Sharma |title=Discovery of North-East India: Geography, History, Culture, Religion, Politics, Sociology, Science, Education and Economy. Sikkim. Volume ten |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kBk3xBjSRbsC |year=2005 |publisher=Mittal Publications |isbn=978-81-8324-044-4 |page=13}}</ref>

On 30 June 2017, the Chinese government released a previously published Chinese map depicting their territory extending south to Gipmochi.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://odishasuntimes.com/2017/07/01/now-china-releases-map-to-prove-its-claim-over-donglong/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701190758/http://odishasuntimes.com/2017/07/01/now-china-releases-map-to-prove-its-claim-over-donglong/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=1 July 2017|title=Now China releases 'map' to prove its claim over Donglong|author=Odisha Sun Times Editorial Desk|access-date=27 July 2017}}</ref>

However, a map from 1910 that shows the details of the Chumbi Valley and Bhutan gives Batang La as the tri-junction point.<ref>Manoj Joshi, [https://thewire.in/159407/doklam-india-china-bhutan/ Doklam, Gipmochi, Gyemochen: It's Hard Making Cartographic Sense of a Geopolitical Quagmire] (Map 5), ''The Wire'', 20 July 2017.</ref> Indian sources state that the Survey of India map of 1956 and other maps since then by both Indian and Bhutanese sources have depicted the tri-junction near Batang La.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/column/why-theres-trouble-on-the-india-china-border/20170629.htm|title=Why There's Trouble on the India-China Border|publisher=Rediff News|date=29 June 2017|access-date=28 July 2017}}</ref>

The 2017 border dispute between China and India likely stems from India's security concern of its Siliguri Corridor. A Chinese observation post on the mountain of Gipmochi would have a clear view of this vital corridor which is heavily fortified by Indian troops. Scholar Caroline Brassard states, "its strategic significance for the Indian military is obvious."<ref>{{citation |last=Brassard |first=Caroline |chapter=Bhutan: Cautiously Cultivated Positive Perception |editor1=S. D. Muni |editor2=Tan, Tai Yong |title=A Resurgent China: South Asian Perspectives |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KQkVAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA76 |year=2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-90785-5 |page=76 |ref={{sfnref|Brassard, Bhutan: Cautiously Cultivated Positive Perception|2013}}}}</ref><ref name=driving>Ankit Panda, [http://thediplomat.com/2017/07/whats-driving-the-india-china-standoff-at-doklam/ What's Driving the India-China Standoff at Doklam?], The Diplomat, 18 July 2017.</ref>

==Notes== {{notelist}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==Bibliography== * {{citation |title=The Facts and China's Position Concerning the Indian Border Troops' Crossing of the China-India Boundary in the Sikkim Sector into the Chinese Territory (2017-08-02) |last=China Foreign Ministry |date=2017-08-02 |url=http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjdt_665385/2649_665393/P020170802542676636134.pdf |publisher=Government of China |access-date=2017-08-15 |ref={{sfnref|Government of China|2017}}}} * {{citation |title=Account of a visit to the eastern and northern frontiers of independent Sikkim, with notes on the zoology of the alpine and sub-alpine regions, Part I |first=William T. |last=Blandford |pages=367–420 |ref={{sfnref|Blandford, Journey through Sikkim|1871}}}} * {{citation |last=Hooker |first=Joseph Dalton |title=Himalayan Journals – Notes of a Naturalist in Bengal, the Sikkim and Nepal Himalayas, the Khasia Mountains etc. |publisher=John Murray |location=London |volume=1 |year=1854 |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.csl.5921 |via=archive.org |ref={{sfnref|Hooker, Himalayan Journals, Volume 1|1854}}}} * {{citation |last=Hooker |first=Joseph Dalton |title=Himalayan Journals – Notes of a Naturalist in Bengal, the Sikkim and Nepal Himalayas, the Khasia Mountains etc. |publisher=John Murray |location=London |volume=2 |year=1854 |url=https://archive.org/details/b28125800_0002 |via=archive.org |ref={{sfnref|Hooker, Himalayan Journals, Volume 2|1854}}}} * {{citation |editor-last=Huxley |editor-first=Leonard |title=Life and Letters of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker O.M., G.C.S.I. |volume=1 |edition=illustrated |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2011 |isbn=9781108031004 |ref={{sfnref|Huxley Life and Letters of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, Volume 1|2011}}}} * {{citation |last=Phillimore |first=R. H. |title=Historical Records of the Survey of India, Volume 5: 1844 to 1861 |publisher=The Surveyor General of India |date=1968 |url=https://archive.org/details/1968-historical-records-of-survey-of-india-vol-5-by-phillimore-s-volume-v |via=archive.org |ref={{sfnref|Phillimore, Historical Records of the Survey of India, Volume 5|1968}}}} * {{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 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/2274571 |ref={{sfnref|Temple, The Lake Region of Sikkim|1881}}}}

==External links== * {{cite web |title=Convention Between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet treaties.fco.gov.uk |url=http://treaties.fco.gov.uk/docs/pdf/1894/TS0011.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709135501/http://treaties.fco.gov.uk/docs/pdf/1894/TS0011.pdf |archive-date=9 July 2017 |url-status=dead}}

Category:Mountains of Sikkim Category:Mountains of Bhutan Category:Mountains of Tibet Category:China–India border