Gipmochi is a mountain in the Lower Himalayas in south central Asia. Rising to a height of, the mountain sits on the border between the northern Indian state of Sikkim and Bhutan, at China's claimed tri-junction point. Bhutan and India, however, claim that the tri-junction point is 6.5 km to the north, at Batang La. The Imperial Gazetteer of India states that the Dongkya 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 river. The "western shoulder" of Gipmochi was said to contain the trijunction point of Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet. The southwest spur mentioned in the Gazetteer forms part of the boundary between Sikkim and Bhutan. The southeast spur, called the Zompelri ridge, currently separates the Bhutanese districts of Haa and Samtse. The area bounded by Gipmochi and Batang La, extending about 5 km to the southeast, forms a plateau called Dolam or Doklam plateau. Some British travel maps from the 19th century mark this plateau as "Gipmochi Pk" and show its alignment with the Sinchela pass. Bhutan did not have a map of its lands till 1961.
Border dispute
The Chinese claim of the trijunction point is based on the 1890 Anglo-Chinese Convention, Article I of which states: 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. 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. Maps of Sikkim produced by Survey of India in 1923, 1933 and 1937 show Gipmochi as the tri-junction point, On 30 June 2017, the Chinese government released a previously-published Chinese map depicting their territory extending south to Gipmochi. However, a map from 1910 that shows the details of the Chumbi Valley and Bhutan gives Batang La as the tri-junction point. 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. 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."
