List of Important Mountain Passes In India, their Height and Connections

Who is the pass?

Meaning of Pass: The natural routes of movement found in the hills and mountainous areas are called passes. There are many beautiful but dangerous passes for transport on the Himalayas in India. These passes play a very important role in trade, travel, war and migration. In this post, important general knowledge information about the major passes of India has been given. Let us know which pass is located where:-

List of major passes of India:

• Afil Pass: About 5306 m north of K 2 in the Karakoram range. Situated at an altitude of 10 km, this pass connects Ladakh with the Xinjiang (Siqiang) province of China. In winter, it remains closed from November to the first week of May.
• Emis La: Situated at an altitude of 5271 meters above sea level, this pass provides an easy way to connect Ladakh with Tibet. This pass with difficult terrain and steep slope remains closed in winter due to snow cover.
• Karatagh Pass: Situated at an altitude of 5295 meters above sea level in the Karakoram mountain range, this pass was a branch of the ancient Silk Road. In winter it is covered with snow.
• Khardung La: Situated at an altitude of 5602 meters above sea level, this pass is the highest pass in India and possibly the world. But its height is also disputed. Located near Leh in the Ladakh region, this pass connects the Shyok and Nubra valleys.
• Khunjerab Pass: Situated at an altitude of 4,693 meters above sea level, this pass of the Karakoram range is the traditional pass connecting Ladakh and Siqiang province of China. It is located on the Karakoram Mountains in a strategic position, on the southwestern border of China's Xinjiang region and the northern border of Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan. In winter it is covered with snow.
• Chanshal Pass: This pass connects Dodra Kwar and Rohru in Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh. It is situated on the highest mountain peak of Shimla at an altitude of 4520 meters.
• Chang La: Situated at an altitude of 5360 meters above sea level, this pass in the Great Himalayas connects Ladakh with Tibet. This pass falls on the way from Leh to Pangong Lake. Which connects Tangtse, a small town in Tibet. It is named after the temple of Chang-la Baba located in this pass. Due to being covered with snow, it remains closed in winter. It is the third highest transportable pass in the world, which connects the Indus Valley with the area of ​​Pangong Lake.
• Jelep La: Jelep La Pass is located in East Sikkim district at an altitude of 4,270 m. This pass connects Sikkim with Lhasa. It is located in the Chumbi Valley.
• Joji La: Situated at an altitude of 3528 meters above sea level, this pass connects Srinagar with Kargil and Leh. Due to excessive snowfall, it remains closed in winters. Efforts have been made by the Border Roads Organization to keep it open for most of the year. A Beacon Force has also been established by this organization to take care of it and remove the snow from it.
• Trails Pass: It is 5212 m above sea level in Pithoragarh and Bageshwar districts of Uttarakhand. situated at an altitude of . Nanda Devi and Nanda Kot are situated between the peaks. Situated on the brink of the Pindari glacier, this pass connects the Pindari Valley to the Milam Valley. Due to the steep slope and rough surface, it is quite difficult to cross this pass.
• Diffu Pass: This pass is situated at an altitude of 4587 meters. Located in the eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh, this pass gives the state the easiest and shortest route (compared to Dihang) to Mandalay (Myanmar). It is a traditional pass between India and Myanmar, which is open for trade and transport throughout the year.
• Thang La (Ladakh): Located in the Ladakh region at an altitude of about 5,328 meters above sea level, this pass is the second highest transportable pass in India after Khardung La.
• Dihang Pass: This pass is located in the state of Arunachal Pradesh at an altitude of about 1220 meters above sea level. It connects Arunachal Pradesh with Mandalay (Myanmar).
• Debsa Pass: Situated at an altitude of 5360 meters above sea level, this pass is situated on the Great Himalayas between Kullu and Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh. It is an easier and shorter distance alternative than the Pin-Parvati Pass connecting Kullu and Spiti. The beautiful Spiti Valley is a desert mountain land between Tibet and India in the north-eastern part of Himachal Pradesh in the Himalayan mountains. This pass passes through the Parvati river valley in Kullu.
• Nathu La: It connects the Tibet region with Sikkim on the India-China border. Situated at an altitude of about 4,310 meters above sea level, this pass is a branch of the ancient Silk Road. It is one of the three open trade routes between India and China, the other two being Shipki-La in Himachal Pradesh and Lipulekh in Uttarakhand. It was opened for the first time in 2006 after the Indo-China war (1962).
• Niti Pass: 5068 m above sea level. Situated at a height of , this pass connects Uttarakhand with Tibet. In winter it is closed from November to mid-May due to snow cover. The Dhauliganga River rises at an altitude of 5,070 meters (16,630 ft) from the Niti Pass in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
• Pangsan Pass: 4000 m above sea level. Situated at a higher altitude, this pass connects Arunachal Pradesh with Mandalay (Myanmar).
• Pir-Panjal Pass: This traditional pass connecting Jammu to Srinagar is situated on the 'Mughal Road'. Known as Pir ki Gali, it connects the Kashmir Valley with Rajouri and Poonch via a Mughal road. This is the easiest and shortest and surest route connecting Jammu and Kashmir with the Valley. The highest point of Mughal Road is in Pir Ki Gali which is approximately 11500 ft. The nearest town is Sopiyan, also known as the Valley of Apples.
• Panji La: East of the Joji La Pass, situated at an altitude of 4,400 meters above sea level, this pass in the Great Himalayas connects the Kashmir Valley with Kargil (Ladakh). It is known as the gateway to Zanskar. It connects the Zanskar Valley region with the Suru Valley region and is closed for traffic from November to mid-May due to snow cover in winters. The famous Rangdum Math is about 25 km from here.
• Banihal Pass: Situated in the Pir Panjal range at an altitude of 2832 meters above sea level, this pass connects Jammu with Srinagar. In winter it is covered with snow. For the purpose of arranging road transport throughout the year, Jawahar Tunnel (named after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru) was built here, which was inaugurated in 1956. Due to which this pass is not used much.
  Bar Lapcha is situated at an altitude of 4890 meters above sea level in Jammu and Kashmir. It is located on the National Highway connecting Manali to Leh. In winter, from November to mid-May, it remains closed for traffic due to being covered with snow. It is the highest pass in the Zaskar range.
• Burzil Pass: Burzil Pass is an ancient pass between Kashmir, Gilgit and Srinagar at an altitude of 4,100 meters above sea level. This pass connects the Kashmir Ghati with the Devasai plains of Ladakh. It is located on the Line of Control between India and Pakistan.
• Bomadi La: Located in the east of Bhutan in Arunachal Pradesh, this pass is situated at an altitude of 2217 meters above sea level. It connects Arunachal Pradesh with the capital of Tibet, Lhasa.
• Borasu Pass: The Borasu Pass is located in the Great Himalaya Mountains at an altitude of 5,450 meters near the border with China. It connects Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Situated at a high altitude, this pass was an old trade route between the wonderful Doon Valley and the Kinnaur Valley.
• Mangsha Dhura Pass: Situated at an altitude of about 5674 meters above sea level, this pass in Pithoragarh connects Uttarakhand with Tibet. Travelers also have to pass through this pass to travel to Mansarovar. Landslides are a major problem for tourists and pilgrims.
• Mana Pass: Situated at an altitude of about 5545 meters above sea level, this pass connects Uttarakhand with Tibet. It is also considered to be the highest transportable road in the world. In winter it is covered with snow for about 6 months. It is located 27 km north of Badrinath, a Hindu pilgrimage site in Uttarakhand.
• Muning La: This is a seasonal pass located north of Gangotri, which connects Uttarakhand with Tibet. In winters it is covered with snow and no movement is possible from here.
• Rupin Pass: Situated across the Rupin River in Uttarakhand, this pass starts from Dhaula in Uttarakhand and ends at Sangla in Himachal Pradesh. The uninhabited Rupin Pass is located at an altitude of 4650 meters in the great Himalayan ranges and passes through deep dark valleys, icy slopes and fields.
• Rohtang Pass: Situated at an altitude of about 3,978 meters above sea level, this pass connects the Kullu, Lahul, and Spiti valleys of Himachal Pradesh. The famous Rohtang Pass is located in the Pir Panjal range of the Great Himalayas. Border Roads Organization A high quality road has been arranged here. Traffic jam is a common problem on this due to heavy movement of military vehicles, buses, trucks and other goods carriers. It is open from May to November, the Rohtang Pass is difficult to cross due to snow storms and avalanches for the rest of the time.
• Lanak La: Situated at an altitude of 5466 meters in Aksai Chin (Ladakh), this pass connects Ladakh with Lhasa. China has built a road here. Which connects its Siqiang province with Tibet. Aksai Chin is on the south-west border of the region.
• Likhapani: Situated at an altitude of more than 4000 meters in Arunachal Pradesh, this state is connected to Myanmar by this pass. This is a year-long pass for trade and traffic.
• Lipu Lekh: Situated in Pithoragarh, this pass connects Uttarakhand with Tibet. Situated at an altitude of 5,334 meters, this pass connects Purang in Tibet with the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. Pilgrim passes of Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar pass through it. It plays an important role in India's trade with China.
• Shipki La: Situated at an altitude of more than 4300 meters above sea level, this pass connects Himachal Pradesh with Tibet through the Sutlej Mahakhad. It is located in Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh. The Sutlej river coming from Tibet enters India through this pass. This is the third pass (highway 22) after Nathu La and Lipulekh for India's trade with China. In winter it is covered with snow.
• Sela Pass: The frozen Sela Pass is located at an altitude of 4,170 meters in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. Sela Pass receives heavy snowfall in winters, but is open throughout the year. It connects Tawang to India through Tezpur and Guwahati. It is the gateway to Tawang and the famous Buddhist Tawang Monastery.

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