Rohtang Pass

Topic: Structure and Physiography of India: Himalayas, Plains, Peninsula, Coasts and Islands · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 3 "Drainage System"

Meaning

Rohtang Pass is a mountain pass at about 3,980 m in the Pir Panjal range of Himachal Pradesh. It links the green Kullu valley in the south with the dry Lahaul-Spiti valley in the north. The Beas river rises near it. Snow closes the pass for months each year, which used to cut Lahaul-Spiti off from the rest of the state.

Example

The Atal Tunnel (9.02 km), opened on 3 October 2020, runs under the Pir Panjal and bypasses Rohtang Pass. It gives all-year road access from Manali to Lahaul-Spiti and onward towards Ladakh.

Don't confuse with

• Shipki La: this is also in Himachal Pradesh, but it lies in Kinnaur on the India-China border, where the Satluj enters India. Rohtang is an internal pass between two Himachal valleys.

Related concepts

• Zoji La
• Khardung La
• Shipki La
• Nathu La
• Bomdi La
• Sela Pass

Read more

• Himalayan passes: routes across the wall