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Mountain Passes of India
Important mountain passes of India by State, with the ranges they cross and their strategic significance, for CAPF Paper I revision
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At a glance
SubjectGeography
RevisionGeographyPassesBordersStrategic GeographyPaper 1
| Pass |
Range / note |
| Zoji La |
Connects Srinagar (Kashmir Valley) with Leh (Ladakh); often snow-blocked |
| Banihal Pass |
Pir Panjal; Jawahar Tunnel runs beneath it |
| Khardung La |
Ladakh; among the world's highest motorable passes; route to the Nubra and Shyok valleys |
| Chang La |
Ladakh; on the way to Pangong Lake |
| Burzil Pass |
Connects Srinagar with Gilgit |
| Pir Panjal Pass |
Pir Panjal range |
| Karakoram Pass |
On the boundary with the Chinese-held area; strategic |
These straddle the Line of Control and the Line of Actual Control and recur in security questions; cross-read last minute internal security.
| Pass |
Note |
| Rohtang Pass |
Pir Panjal; connects Kullu with Lahaul and Spiti; Atal Tunnel beneath |
| Shipki La |
On the India-China border; the Sutlej enters India near here |
| Baralacha La |
On the Leh-Manali highway |
| Pass |
Note |
| Mana Pass |
Near Badrinath; close to the China border |
| Niti Pass |
India-China border route |
| Lipulekh Pass |
Tri-junction area near Nepal and China; Kailash-Mansarovar route; sensitive |
| Pass |
Note |
| Nathu La |
Sikkim; India-China trade route; reopened in 2006 |
| Jelep La |
Sikkim; old route to Lhasa |
| Bomdi La |
Arunachal Pradesh; on the route to Tibet; 1962 war theatre |
| Diphu Pass |
Tri-junction of India, China and Myanmar |
| Bum La |
Arunachal Pradesh; near Tawang |
The 1962 conflict turned on Bomdi La and the Tawang sector; see india borders neighbours and strategic geography.
| Pass |
Note |
| Thal Ghat |
Connects Mumbai with Nashik |
| Bhor Ghat |
Connects Mumbai with Pune |
| Palghat (Palakkad) Gap |
Largest gap in the Western Ghats; connects Kerala with Tamil Nadu |
| Senkottai (Shencottah) Gap |
Southern Western Ghats |
| Pass |
State / UT |
| Zoji La, Khardung La |
Ladakh / Jammu and Kashmir |
| Rohtang, Shipki La |
Himachal Pradesh |
| Lipulekh, Mana, Niti |
Uttarakhand |
| Nathu La, Jelep La |
Sikkim |
| Bomdi La, Bum La |
Arunachal Pradesh |
| Palghat Gap |
Kerala-Tamil Nadu border |