One of the most exciting lessons for the readers of class 11th. It was used as a trading network that connects China and East Europe. It was opened for the first time in 130 B.C. when Han Dynasty planned to trade with the western countries. When Ottoman Empire started boycotting the trade with China, they want the road to be closed down forever.
With the summary of silk road class 11th, we will be learning that how the construction of one route will lead to enormous changes in the values, beliefs and not only they are trading and engaging in business but also they were exchanging lifestyles and connecting communities.
Silk Road Summary Class 11: Main theme
The summary of the silk road talks about and gives us information on the author’s voyage to Mount Kailash. To start his journey he chose a tough path and he was soon joined by Tsetan and Daniel. We all came to know about the lifestyle and the attitude of the people living there and how much they all are concerned for nature and its gifts. The author also shared his feelings when he got an opportunity to see lake Mansarovar and Darchen. The readers will also come to know about their difficulty to complete their pilgrimage.
Let’s dive into the summary and find out how the author managed to complete his journey and share his experiences.
The author was heading towards Mount Kailash to complete his kora and they chose the morning time to leave. Lhamo gave him a sheep-skin coat as a gift and Tsetan get into his car. They thought to take a shortcut to get off the Chang than and Tsetan was aware of the route which would directly take them to Mount Kailash. The path was full of many curves and passes.
Through the shortcut and vast open fields and valleys, they saw many antelopes and a herd of a wild ass racing around about which Tsetan had told the before. Then they all saw Drokbas with their flocks. They also passed nomadic tribes and saw tents that were pitched in some isolated place.
They also came across huge black dogs who chased them a hundred meters and they are usually black with red collars with big jaws to tear them up at once. Tsetan used a brake and took a sharp curve to avoid them. It was because of their ferity that they were brought from Tibet to China as hunting dogs.
Soon they reached a valley where they could see snow-capped mountains and ice sheets gleaming in the sunshine. After that, the path becomes sharper and the ride becomes bumpier. The author felt pressurized in his nose and ears due to the altitude and tried to clear his throat and nose. Soon all three of them get out of his car and walked a little.
The snow continued to fall and collected and made the vehicle too steep as there was no way to go around. By looking at his stopwatch, the author realized the height as 5210metres above sea level. They also felt dangerous as they feared that their car might slip down. Stan grabbed a little bit of soil and threw it on the white surface. Soon with no difficulty, Daniel and the narrator backed and drove towards the dirty road. They all managed to escape the steep slope scattered with huge rocks. The author checked his watch again; they were about 5400metres above sea level and he was having a headache so he gulped a little water to get relief.
Soon they stopped at some spot for the lunch and reached a small town named Hor. it was late afternoon and they were on the main west highway and followed the route from Lhasa to Kashmir. Tsetan went and got the punctured tyres repaired. The author found Hor to be an isolated place with no vegetation.
After having tea at a cafe they all decided to leave Hor and move to Mount Kailash. One of the narrator’s nostrils was blocked again and could breathe properly only when he sat up. The next morning Tsetan took him to Darchen Medical College and the doctor prescribed him medicines and told him that he was having a cold and exhaustion due to altitude.
When he felt well, Teatan told him that they need to leave Darchen. The place had some sort of small shops selling Chinese cigarettes, soaps, and provisions. Women washed their long strands of beautiful hair in the icy water of the nearby stream. He met Norbu in the one and only one cafe in the Darchen. Though he was a Tibetan, worked in Beijing at the Chinese Academy of Social Science.
He could speak very well English and come to do the Kora. as Norbu was a little plump he found it very difficult to go up, so the narrator thought of making the treks instead of making the devout believers. And for this purpose, they hired yaks to carry their luggage. Norbu said he couldn’t go up and roam around the mountain.
Conclusion of Silk Road
To conclude, the readers will get a chance to know the exciting journey to do Kora of Mount Kailash after completing and meeting all the hurdles and curvy paths. They were fascinated by the ice and snow-capped mountains shining in the sweet sunshine. The lesson tells the readers about the difficult journey to do the Kora and how they all deal with the changing temperature and altitude.