On India’s Frontier: Or Nepal the Gurkhas’ Mysterious Land

About The Book: This book delves into the enigmatic region of Nepal, home to the fearless Gurkhas, a formidable and favored tribe on India's frontiers. The narrative provides a vivid portrayal of the landscape and its inhabitants, a land once shrouded in mystery to the outside world. The British Foreign Office's unwavering stance on restricting movement along India's northern borders is akin to the biblical "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further." This decree applies to all, especially foreigners like the English, Americans, Germans, and others in British India. Venturing across this political boundary, even with peaceful intentions, results in immediate apprehension and repatriation. England has long maintained a Neutral Belt along the Himalayas' southern foothills, consisting of largely uncharted territory inhabited by independent yet sometimes hostile tribes. These tribes receive arms and ammunition from the Indian Government to act as a buffer against potential Russian invasion from the north, a strategy in place since Sir John Lawrence's era.