STAMP STORIES

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21806, 11 June 1936, Page 2 (Supplement)

STAMP STORIES

Mount Everest (By R. J. G. Collins)

After months of careful preparation, a British expedition has been forced by unfavourable, conditions to give up the attempt on the world’s highest • mountain, Everest. On at least two occasions there have been philatelic souvenirs of British Everest exped.tions. Some years ago a commemorative postcard was prepared bearing a blue adhesive label with the design incorporating the Himalaya and the peak of Everest; this is interesting as a souvenir but should not be mistaken for a regular postage stamp.

Whei, the Houston expedition carried out a successful aeroplane flight over Everest in 1933, a quantity of mail was carried and again the letters bore unofficial labels. To find a recognised postage stamp showing the Himalaya mountains we have to turn to Nepal, an independant native kingdom of India, which is bounded on the north by Tibet, on me south-west by British India, and on the east by Sikkum. A considerable portion of the southern slope of the Himalayas, including Mount Everest, lies within the boundary of this state. In 1907 a curious set of stamps Li the one design was issued by Nepal. The frame contains inscriptions in Hindustani characters, a fact which causes some trouble to collectors, in identifying the country of issue. The middle of the design consists mainly of a considerable number of mountain peaks and in the middle there is the upper portion of the figure of a curious being. Four arms are shown. One hand grasps a trident symbolical of the three great powers of creating, preserving and destroying. In the second hand an antelope is held up and the figure is generally shown dressed either in the skin of one of these animals or of a tiger. Another hand is held up in a forbidding attitude, while the fourth is in a position signifying grace. The figure is of the great god Siva of the Hindu religion. According to common' belief, Siva has power over life and death. Although in the stamp only one face is shown, he is, by his followers, believed to have five faces with three eyes for each. He resides on Mount Kailasa, the northern peak of the Himalaya range, which is sacred to him. Many of the natives of Nepal believe that because the actual peak on Everest is holy ground, Siva resents any trespass and that consequently while human beings, are allowed to climb to a certain height, any attempt to proceed further can end only in disaster. Sikkum which lies to the'east of Mount Everest is one of the Federated Indian native states and for ordinary postal purposes Indian stamps are used. During the last tw6 years there have been some experimental rocket posts conducted in this country and for one, which was Carried out in honour of King .George’s Silver Jubilde, a set of

special rocket stamps was approved by the Maharajah. Tibet is politically a dependency of China and, for a short time in 1911, Chinese stamps with overprint were used. In 1912 a definite issue was also used for a while. The design is ' very crude, and includes the inscription “Tibet postage” in English characters.