Important Passes in India by Dr. Gaurav Garg
What is a pass?
● A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Passes have played a key role in trade,
war, and both human and animal migration throughout history.
● Passes are found in mountain areas only, Therefore in India passes are generally found in Ladakh, Jammu and
Kashmir, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh. But passes are also present in areas of Western Ghats
(Maharashtra, Kerala).
* ‘La’ means ‘pass’.
Mountain Passes in Ladakh
● Khardung La
● Zoji La
● Pensi La
● Taglang La
● Chang La
● Lanak La
● Imis La
● Aghil Pass
● Fotu La
● Namika La
● Marsimik La
● Karakoram Pass
● Qara pass
Khardung La
● Khardung La is a mountain pass in the Leh district of the Indian union territory of Ladakh.
● The pass on the Ladakh Range is north of Leh and is the gateway to the Shyok and Nubra valleys . [Col Chewang
Rinchen Setu bridge is on Shyok river, Nubra river is formed with melting of Siachen Glacier]
● Maintained by the Border Roads Organisation, the pass is strategically important to India as it is used to carry supplies
to the Siachen Glacier.
● The elevation of Khardung La is 5,604 m ( 18,380 ft ).
● It is the highest motorable road in the World.
Zoji La
● Zoji La is a high mountain pass in the Himalayas in the Indian union territory of Ladakh .
● Located in the Drass , the pass connects the Kashmir Valley to its west with the Drass and Suru valleys to its northeast
and the Indus valley further east.
● The National Highway 1 between Srinagar and Leh in the western section of the Himalayan mountain range traverses
the pass.
● Zoji La Tunnel is a 14.2 km long road tunnel under Zoji La pass in the Himalayas between Sonmarg and Drass town in
Kargil district of the Indian Union Territory of Ladakh, currently
under construction.
● The tunnel along with 6.5 km long Z-Morh Tunnel, (which is 22 km before Zoji La tunnel towards Srinagar) will ensure year-long road connectivity between Srinagar and Kargil which currently remains closed for about seven months due to heavy snowfall on the Zoji La pass.
Pensi La
● Pensi-la (Pensi Pass) is a mountain pass in the Ladakh union territory
of India, which is known as the Gateway to Zanskar.
● Pensi La is 4,400 m (14,436 ft) above sea level and connects the Suru
Valley region to the Zanskar Valley region.
5 High Altitude Himalayan Passes on the Manali-Leh Highway!
1. Rohtang La (Himachal Pradesh)
2. Baralacha La (Himachal Pradesh - Ladakh border)
3. Nakee La (Ladakh)
4. Lachulung La (Ladakh)
5. Taglang La (Ladakh)
Taglang La
● Taglang La or Tanglang La , elevation 5,328 metres (17,480 ft), is a
high altitude mountain pass in the Indian union territory of Ladakh.
● It is traversed by the Leh-Manali highway . During winters, it’s
almost impossible to cross this road.
Chang La
● The Chang La is a high mountain pass in Ladakh at an elevation of
5,360 m or 17,590 ft.
● Chang La is approached from Leh via Kharu and Sakti village by an asphalt road.
● The Chang La is on the route to Pangong Lake from Leh. (Pangong Tso is 1/3rd in India and 2/3rd in China)
● The Changla Pass is the main gateway for the Changthang Plateau situated in the Himalayas.
● The world's highest research station , established by the Defence Research and Development Organisation is functional in Chang La at a height of 17,664 ft.
The Lanak La or Lanak Pass
● It is a mountain pass in the disputed Aksai Chin region , administered by China as part of the Tibet Autonomous Region. It is claimed by India as its border pass .
● Lanak La had been a well-established frontier point between Ladakh and Tibet , as confirmed by travellers from William Moorcroft in 1820 onwards.
● Several travellers wrote in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that the traditional boundary between India and Tibet was at Lanak La.
Imis La
● Imis La is an international high mountain pass at an elevation of 5.290m
(17,355ft) above the sea level, located between Ladakh (India) and Tibet (China).
● It is one among the major passes over the main Himalayan Range.
Aghil Pass
● It is situated to the North of Mount Godwin-Austen in the Karakoram.
● It connects Ladakh with the Xinjiang province of China . It remains closed during the winter season from November to May.
Fotu La
● Fotu La or Fatu La is a mountain pass on the Srinagar-Leh highway in the Zanskar Range of the Himalayas in India.
● At an elevation of 4,108 metres (13,478 ft), it is the highest point on the highway, surpassing the famed Zoji La.
● Fotu La is one of two high mountain passes between Leh and Kargil , the other being Namika La.
Namika La
● Namika La or Namika Pass (el. 3,700 m or 12,139 ft) is a high mountain pass in the Himalayas Zanskar Range in India along the Srinagar-Leh highway.
Marsimik La
● Marsimik La or Marsimek La, elevation 5,582 metres (18,314 ft) is a high mountain pass in the Chang-Chemno Range in the Indian union territory of Ladakh , 96 km (60 mi) east of Leh as the crow flies.
● Located about 20 km (10 mi) northeast of the northwest tip of Pangong Lake, the pass is on the shortest route from there to the contested Kongka Pass area some 45 km (28 mi) northeast of Marsimik La on the China-India line of actual control.
Jammu & Kashmir
✓ Burzil Pass
✓ Banihal Pass
✓ Pir Panjal Pass
Burzil Pass
● The Burzil Pass connects between Srinagar and Gilgit .
Banihal Pass
● It is a mountain pass across the Pir Panjal Range at a maximum elevation of 2,832 m (9,291 ft).
● It connects the Kashmir Valley in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to the outer Himalaya and the plains to the south.
● It is also called Jawahar Tunnel.
Pir Panjal Pass
● The Pir Panjal Pass, also called Peer Ki Gali (or Peer Gali), is a mountain pass and a tourist destination, located in the Pir Panjal Range in Jammu and Kashmir.
● It connects the Kashmir Valley to the Rajouri and Poonch districts via the 'Mughal Road' .
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