Published Paper Details:

The colonial overland trade routes connecting Tibet, Bengal, Bhutan, Nepal, and Sikkim were not just economic corridors but strategic instruments of British imperial policy. The British sought to consolidate their influence in the Eastern Himalayas, counter Russian expansion, and facilitate the movement of goods and intelligence. Treaties like the 1890 Anglo-Chinese Convention and the 1904 Treaty of Lhasa formalized British control over key trading posts. Infrastructure development, including roads, suspension bridges, and railways, enabled smoother commercial activity and military movement. The Bhutan-Bengal trade route functioned through the Duars, with Cooch Behar and Rangpur emerging as critical trade hubs. Indo-Nepal trade expanded via designated routes through Darjeeling, Purnea, and Champaran, benefiting from the Treaty of Titaliya (1817). The Indo-Tibet trade through Sikkim gained prominence after the Treaty of Tumlong (1861), with the Jelep-la route emerging as a crucial commercial link. British interventions, including the construction of metalled roads and railway expansions, transformed Himalayan trade patterns, integrating the region into global markets and reshaping its economic landscape.