Himalayan passes: routes across the wall

Detail

What a pass is and why the Himalaya has so few

• Pass (also called a col or La in Tibetan and Ladakhi): a low gap or saddle in a mountain range. People and animals can cross the range there.
• In the Himalaya, most passes were cut by glaciers or by rivers that kept flowing while the mountains rose.

• "La" in a name means pass, so "Zoji La" means "Zoji Pass". Never write "Zoji La Pass".

• The Himalaya acts like a wall. It was formed in the Tertiary Himalayan orogeny (orogeny: mountain building when two plates collide; here the Indian plate pushed into the Eurasian plate).

• The result is a range about 2,400 km long, with several parallel ranges and very high crests.

• Only a few gaps cut through it. These gaps decided where trade, pilgrims and armies could move.

• NCERT (Class 11, India: Location) names the Khyber, Bolan, Shipki La, Nathu La and Bomdi La as gaps in the mountain wall.

• The Khyber and Bolan passes are now in Pakistan. They are dealt with under India's neighbours.

• Heights below are approximate and sources give slightly different figures. Tunnel status changes year to year.

Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (west)

Pass	Range / location	Connects	Key fact
Zoji La (~3,500 m)	Western end of the Great Himalaya / Zaskar range	Kashmir valley (Sonamarg) → Drass–Kargil, Ladakh	Srinagar–Leh highway; often snowbound
Khardung La (over 5,000 m)	Ladakh range, north of Leh	Leh → Nubra and Shyok valleys → Siachen	Among the highest motorable passes in the world
Banihal	Pir Panjal range, J&K	Jammu → Srinagar	Main Jammu–Srinagar route

• Zoji La
• It is the gateway from the Kashmir valley into Ladakh on the Srinagar–Leh highway.
• Heavy snow closes it for several months each winter. This cuts Ladakh off by road.

• Zojila Tunnel (being built by NHIDCL for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways):

  • main tunnel 13.153 km, plus 17.030 km of approach roads, for a total of 30.18 km [4]
  • total project cost ₹6,809.69 crore; physical progress 52.13% as of August 2024; scheduled completion 29 September 2026 (as stated in 2024) [4]
  • a historic breakthrough at the tunnel was announced in 2026 [5]
  • when finished it is expected to be Asia's longest bi-directional road tunnel (bi-directional: traffic moves both ways in the same tunnel).

• Khardung La

• It is in the Ladakh range, part of the Trans-Himalaya (the ranges north of the Great Himalaya, on the Tibetan side).

• The road over it goes north from Leh into the Nubra and Shyok valleys and on towards the Siachen Glacier. It is a key army supply route.

• Banihal

• It crosses the Pir Panjal, a range of the Lesser Himalaya (Himachal) (the middle belt of the Himalaya, between the Shiwaliks and the Great Himalaya).
• It links the Jammu region with the Kashmir valley.

Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand (centre)

Pass	Range / district	Connects	Key fact
Rohtang (~3,980 m)	Pir Panjal, Himachal	Kullu valley (Manali) → Lahaul-Spiti	The Beas rises nearby; bypassed by the Atal Tunnel
Shipki La (~3,930 m, NCERT data)	Kinnaur, Himachal	Himachal → Tibet (China)	The Satluj enters India here; border trade point
Lipulekh	Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand	Kumaon → Tibet	Kailash Mansarovar route; disputed by Nepal
Mana	Chamoli, Uttarakhand	Badrinath area → Tibet	Upper Alaknanda side
Niti	Chamoli, Uttarakhand	Dhauliganga valley → Tibet	Old trade route to Tibet

• Rohtang Pass
• It crosses the Pir Panjal and links the Kullu valley to Lahaul-Spiti.
• The Beas river rises near the pass (Beas Kund) and flows south through Kullu.

• Before the tunnel, Lahaul-Spiti was cut off for about 6 months each year because of heavy snow [2].

• Atal Tunnel (Rohtang)

• It was opened on 3 October 2020. It is 9.02 km long and links Manali to Lahaul-Spiti all year [2].
• It is built in the Pir Panjal range at about 3,000 m (10,000 ft) above mean sea level [2].
• It shortens the Manali–Leh road by 46 km and saves about 4–5 hours [2].

• The World Book of Records recognised it as the "Longest Highway Tunnel above 10,000 feet" (2022) [3].

• Shipki La

• The Satluj rises near Mansarovar–Rakas Tal in Tibet, flows west, and enters India at Shipki La.
• It is an antecedent river (a river older than the mountains: it kept cutting its valley down while the Himalaya rose across its path). This is why the pass sits on a river gap.

• It has been an India–China border trade point since 1995 [8].

• Lipulekh

• It is in Pithoragarh district, near the tri-junction of India, Nepal and China (Tibet), at the head of the Kali river valley.
• It has been an India–China border trade point since 1992 [8].
• It is one of the two routes of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra (a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in Tibet).

• Nepal claims the area. India's Ministry of External Affairs rejected Nepal's objection to the Yatra route through Lipulekh (2025) [10].

• Mana and Niti: both are in Chamoli district. They are old trade and pilgrim routes into Tibet near the Badrinath region.

Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh (east)

Pass	Range / location	Connects	Key fact
Nathu La (~4,310 m)	Dongkya range, Sikkim	Gangtok → Chumbi valley (Tibet)	Silk Route offshoot; trade reopened 2006; Kailash yatra route
Jelep La	Sikkim, near Nathu La	Sikkim → Chumbi valley	Old Kalimpong–Lhasa trade route
Bomdi La (~2,600 m)	Western Arunachal	Assam plains → Tawang	Key route in the 1962 war
Sela (~4,170 m)	Western Arunachal (West Kameng–Tawang)	Assam plains → Tawang	Sela Tunnel opened March 2024
Diphu	Eastern Arunachal	India → Myanmar	Near the India–China–Myanmar tri-junction
Pangsau	Changlang, Arunachal	India → Myanmar	On the Stilwell (Ledo) Road

• Nathu La
• It is in the Dongkya range of eastern Sikkim, on an offshoot of the old Silk Route. The route ran from Gangtok to Tibet's Chumbi valley (a wedge of Tibet lying between Sikkim and Bhutan).
• India–China border trade reopened here in July 2006, after it closed in 1962 [7][8].

• It has been a Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route since 2015.

• Border trade status (all three points)

• The three agreed India–China border trade points are Lipulekh (1992), Shipki La (1995) and Nathu La (2006) [8].
• Trade at all three stopped during COVID-19 in 2020 and has not restarted [8].

• The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra resumed in 2025 through Lipulekh and Nathu La after a gap of about five years [9].

• Jelep La: it lies close to Nathu La and also leads into the Chumbi valley.

• Bomdi La
• It is on the road from the Assam plains (Tezpur–Balipara side) north to Tawang.

• Chinese forces advanced along this axis in the 1962 war.

• Sela Pass and Sela Tunnel

• Sela is the highest point on the Tawang road. Snow often closed it in winter.
• The Sela Tunnel, built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at about 13,000 ft, gives all-weather access to Tawang across Sela Pass. It is on the Balipara–Chariduar–Tawang road [6].
• It was dedicated to the nation on 9 March 2024. It cost about ₹825 crore and the foundation stone was laid on 9 February 2019 [6].

• It has twin tubes (one for each direction), joined by cross passages every 500 m for repairs and emergency escape [6].

• Diphu and Pangsau

• These passes lie in far-eastern Arunachal and lead to Myanmar.
• The Stilwell (Ledo) Road was built in the Second World War. It ran from Ledo (Assam) through Pangsau into Myanmar and on to China.

Why passes matter

• Trade
• Nathu La, Shipki La and Lipulekh are the official India–China border trade points.

• The trade is small in volume but matters a lot to local border villages.

• Pilgrimage

• The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra runs through Lipulekh and Nathu La [9].

• Mana and Niti lead towards the Badrinath region.

• Defence

• Passes carry army supplies to forward posts in Ladakh (Siachen, eastern Ladakh), Sikkim and Tawang.

• Snow closes passes → posts and villages are cut off for months → so tunnels are built under the snowbound crests. Examples: Atal (2020), Sela (2024) and Zojila (under construction) [2][4][6].

• Connectivity for people

• All-weather roads end winter isolation (for example Lahaul-Spiti [2]). They help tourism and give access to markets and health care.
• See india-transport-communication.

Prelims Hooks

• West to east: Zoji La → Khardung La → Rohtang → Shipki La → Lipulekh → Nathu La → Bomdi La → Sela → Pangsau.
• Pass–state pairs: Zoji La and Khardung La (Ladakh); Banihal (J&K); Rohtang and Shipki La (Himachal); Lipulekh, Mana and Niti (Uttarakhand); Nathu La and Jelep La (Sikkim); Bomdi La, Sela, Diphu and Pangsau (Arunachal).
• River–pass pair: the Satluj enters India at Shipki La. The Beas rises near Rohtang.
• Range–pass pairs: Rohtang and Banihal (Pir Panjal); Khardung La (Ladakh range); Nathu La (Dongkya range).
• India–China border trade points and start years: Lipulekh (1992), Shipki La (1995), Nathu La (2006) [8].
• Atal Tunnel: 9.02 km, opened 3 October 2020, Pir Panjal, links Manali to Lahaul-Spiti; longest highway tunnel above 10,000 ft [2][3].
• Sela Tunnel: Tawang road, Arunachal, dedicated 9 March 2024, built by BRO, twin tube [6].
• Zojila Tunnel: main tunnel 13.153 km on the Srinagar–Leh route, built by NHIDCL [4].
• Trap: the Khyber and Bolan passes are in Pakistan, not India. Pangsau leads to Myanmar, not China.
• Trap: Lipulekh is disputed by Nepal, not by China.

Mains Points

• Passes as chokepoints (GS-I/GS-III): the Himalaya was formed in the Tertiary orogeny as a high, continuous range, so movement is funnelled through a few gaps. These gaps shaped historic trade (Silk Route offshoot via Nathu La), pilgrimage (Kailash) and invasion routes (Bomdi La, 1962). Today they shape border defence.
• Winter isolation and the tunnel response (GS-III): snow closes Zoji La, Rohtang and Sela for months. Tunnels such as Atal (2020), Sela (2024) and Zojila (13.153 km, ₹6,809.69 crore) give all-weather access for troops and civilians [2][4][6]. This is part of the wider push for border infrastructure since 2017–2020.
• Geopolitics of passes (GS-I/GS-II link): the Lipulekh dispute with Nepal [10] and the stop in India–China border trade since 2020 [8] show that passes are diplomatic as well as physical features. The yatra's return in 2025 [9] shows they can also help rebuild ties.
• Fragile terrain (GS-III, disasters): building roads and tunnels in young, earthquake-prone and landslide-prone Himalayan rock needs careful planning. Examples are slope stability, glacier lakes and the ecology of high-altitude valleys.