Baba Jaswant singh--the ghost who keeps vigil on the border of china

JASWANT GARH, India, Nov 7, 2002 - Forty years after his death, an Indian army rifleman has been promoted to major general' and is still believed to command' troops guarding the dizzy heights of India's eastern frontiers with China.

Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat of the Fourth Garhwal Rifles infantry regiment is the only soldier in the long history of the Indian army who is known to have risen through the ranks after his death.

Rawat remained at his post at an altitude of about 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) and held back advancing Chinese troops for three days single-handedly before succumbing to an enemy bullet during the bloody winter war with China in 1962 along the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.

The rifleman may have died, but his heroics have not gone unrecognised -- Rawat gets an unofficial promotion at regular intervals, with his rank today being that of a major general.

The post that he held to repulse the Chinese troops has been renamed Jaswant Garh in recognition of his courage.

Rawat's act of bravado has earned him a distinct place among all ranks of the federal army manning the unfenced 1,030 kilometer (650 mile) Sino-Indian border -- for many he is like a guardian angel protecting the frontiers.

Myth, folklore, and superstitious beliefs are so strong among the soldiers that the battle site was converted into a Hindu temple with troops now giving Rawat the status of Baba' or saint.

"Army personnel passing by this route, be it a general or an ordinary soldier, make it a point to pay their respects at the shrine of Jaswant Singh or else they invoke his curse," said footsoldier Ram Narayan Singh.

"A major general once refused to pray at his shrine while crossing the area, saying this was just a superstition, but he met with a mysterious road accident a few kilometers away from here and died."

The Garhwal Rifles are today deployed on India's western borders, but the unit makes it a point to keep at least half-a-dozen personnel here to take care of Rawat as if he were alive.

"For us he is immortal and continues to protect and bless us in this treacherous mountain terrain," said a Garhwal Rifles soldier posted at Rawat's shrine.

He has an orderly who cooks for him daily, makes his bed, irons his clothes and polishes his boots, while guards patrol his shrine around the clock.

"Each morning his bed is found crumpled and his freshly ironed clothes lie crushed on the floor," another soldier said. "He is here all the time although we cannot see him."

According to locals and soldiers posted near Jaswant Garh, Rawat's spirit roams the area and he comes to their dreams and solves their woes and miseries.

"The respect that Rawat commands even after his death is something very rare in the Indian army," Major Jaideep Ghosh told AFP.

"I have never seen anything like this before anywhere of a martyred soldier still influencing the lives of the troops."

Legend has it that the Chinese troops after killing Rawat beheaded him and carried his torso as a trophy after he had stood alone against them, firing from a .303 rifle.

After the ceasefire, the Chinese commander, impressed by Rawat's bravery, returned the head along with a brass bust of the gallant soldier. The bust is now installed at the site of the battle.

"A nation that does not honour its dead warriors will perish," an army commander remarked as soldiers lit earthen lamps at nightfall to keep Rawat's memories alive.



http://www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/2139

I visited this temple long ago. Good place. AFAIR, the army jawan there told me that he had two sisters as his lovers.

The story of baba jaswant singh in my words--as i heard it from someone romantically inclined

where there is war there is legend

and where there are the misty mountains there is romance.

time to take off from the real issues of life to tell a story of bravery and romance......

there was a handsome soldier of the indian army(they are always handsome in these stories) belonging to the rajputana rifles.his name was jaswant singh. he was posted in arunachal along with his battalion.

two beautiful damsels with cheeks like roses (they are always beautiful in these stories), and who were sisters, set their lovely eyes on him one fine morning.they were arunachali girls and their names were sheila and noorie. they fell in love with him instantly!

next day they proposed to him.''but young ladies'', he said in all modesty,'' i am a married man.''

'' dont worry '' said the beauties '' we are ready to become your second and third wives.we will serve your wife like a elder sister.''

the jawan however was not convinced.

but the two decided to wean their way into his heart. every day they used to bring roti and sabzi, the jawans favourite food, for they had heard that the best way to a mans heart is through his stomach.

and slowly but surely the jawan fell in love with both of them.every evening he used to spend time with them along the bank of the stream that flowed through the village.

one day while he was doing this he saw all the men in his battalion running away for their lives. he and the sisters could not know why. all his comrades ran away.

and then he saw hundreds of chinese soldiers coming. he immediately readied his rifle and took cover. the sisters followed him with the ammunition.

with the sisters filling his magazine again and again he kept on firing from a concealed position. he killed 56 chinese this way.

the chinese commander sent 12 men on a detour behind him and they succeeded capturing him alive. he was hanged by telephone wires and the two sisters tortured to death.his head was cut off after he died.

after the war he was found missing and the army decided to intiate a court martial against him.the general who was incharge of the trail however saw jaswant in a dream at night. he was in full military regalia. he directed him to ask the truth to the chinese.

the general enquired to the chinese side and sure enough- the true story came out.

ever since then he is known as baba jaswant singh.a temple has been built in his honour.he is given posthumous promotions every few years. last heard this simple rifleman was a leutenant general of the indian army.

every army man going to duty in the high mountains pays homage to the baba before going into the high mountains, by praying in his temple. even muslim soldiers of the indian army dont dare go forward without offering namaaz in the temple.

few years ago a major general scoffed at this as superstitions and went ahead without praying at the babas temple. his helicopter crashed to death in the high himalayas....

people belive that the baba goes every night on patrol in the mountains.
every night new clothes are ironed and kept in the babas temple bfore the doors are closed. next day they are crumpled! the baba has worn them on his patrol in the mountains.soldiers of the army who are sleeping are liable to be whacked into alertness by the big stick the baba reportedly carries.

the temple has become a major center for piligrimage for the common people of arunachal. as well as a major tourisr attraction.

the common people belive that the next time the chinese army attacks them, the baba will swoop down the mountains to to mow down the enemy.

that if the indian army ever abandons them , the baba never will.
he is their ultimate defence against the almighty power of china, the hordes of the middle kingdom and the firepower of the dragon.

hopeful stories maybe...

but where there is hope there is life .

nice to know that the arunachalis still have hope in an indian!

It has been probably 25 years that I went there. Strangely the only fact that I remembered about that place is that he had sisters as lovers Teenage minds!