UPSC CORE · NCERT GEOGRAPHY · MAJOR PASSES OF INDIA
Mountain Passes of India ⛰
NCERT-aligned UPSC Core Geography topic from NCERT Class 11/12 + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar). Every item is anchored to a real location on India's map — built for boards (CBSE, ICSE, state) and UPSC aspirants.
📚 NCERT TEXTBOOK ALIGNMENT
Class UPSC Geography — NCERT Class 11/12 + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar) — Chapter: Major Passes of India.
63LOCATIONS
548QUESTIONS
UPSC CORENCERT LEVEL
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Key locations covered (63)
- Khardung La — Ladakh
- Rohtang Pass — Himachal Pradesh
- Zoji La — Jammu & Kashmir
- Nathu La — Sikkim
- Bara-lacha La — Himachal Pradesh
- Lipulekh Pass — Uttarakhand
- Mana Pass — Uttarakhand
- Niti Pass — Uttarakhand
- Jelep La — Sikkim
- Bomdi La — Arunachal Pradesh
- Sela Pass — Arunachal Pradesh
- Bhor Ghat — Maharashtra
- Thal Ghat — Maharashtra
- Palakkad Gap (Pal Ghat) — Kerala
- Senkottai Pass (Shenkottai Gap) — Tamil Nadu
- Banihal Pass — Jammu & Kashmir
- Pir Panjal Pass — Jammu & Kashmir
- Khunjerab Pass — Ladakh / Gilgit-Baltistan (PoK) — borders China-Xinjiang
- Aghil Pass — Ladakh (Shaksgam Valley — Indian-claimed, Chinese-occupied)
- Karakoram Pass — Ladakh (India-China border, Aksai Chin frontier)
- Lanak La — Ladakh (Aksai Chin / India-China LAC)
- Chang La — Ladakh (Leh district, road to Pangong)
- Shipki La — Himachal Pradesh (Kinnaur · India-Tibet border)
- Thag La (Thagla Ridge) — Arunachal Pradesh (Tawang, India-China LAC)
- Diphu Pass — Arunachal Pradesh (Tri-junction with Myanmar & China)
- Pangsau Pass — Arunachal Pradesh (Changlang) · India-Myanmar border
- Hindu Kush Passes (atlas context: Khyber, Bolan) — Concept — Northwestern Frontier (PoK/Afghanistan)
- Burzil Pass — Jammu & Kashmir — Gurez Valley (Indian-claimed, PoK side)
- Pensi La — Ladakh — Zanskar / Kargil
- Fotu La — Ladakh — Leh-Srinagar highway
- Namika La — Ladakh — Kargil-Leh highway
- Taglang La — Ladakh — Leh-Manali highway
- Lachulung La — Ladakh / Himachal Pradesh — Leh-Manali highway
- Marsimik La — Ladakh — Pangong area
- Saser La — Ladakh — Saser Muztagh, Karakoram
- Kunzum Pass — Himachal Pradesh — Lahaul-Spiti
- Hampta Pass — Himachal Pradesh — Kullu-Lahaul
- Pin Parvati Pass — Himachal Pradesh — Kullu-Spiti
- Debsa Pass — Himachal Pradesh — Parvati to Spiti
- Bhaba Pass — Himachal Pradesh — Kinnaur-Spiti
- Borasu Pass — Uttarakhand / Himachal Pradesh — Har-ki-Dun to Kinnaur
- Kalindi Khal — Uttarakhand — Garhwal
- Traill's Pass — Uttarakhand — Kumaon
- Untadhura Pass — Uttarakhand — Kumaon
- Darma Pass — Uttarakhand — Pithoragarh
- Yongyap Pass — Arunachal Pradesh — Upper Subansiri
- Hatu Pass — Himachal Pradesh — Shimla district
- Donkia La — Sikkim — North Sikkim, Tibet border
- Tulung La — Arunachal Pradesh — Tawang
- Tirap Pass — Arunachal Pradesh — Tirap district
- Chaukan Pass — Arunachal Pradesh — Changlang
- Amba Ghat — Maharashtra — Kolhapur-Ratnagiri
- Kumbharli Ghat — Maharashtra — Karad-Chiplun
- Phonda Ghat — Maharashtra / Goa — Kolhapur-Sindhudurg
- Chorla Ghat — Goa / Karnataka / Maharashtra trijunction
- Charmadi Ghat — Karnataka — Mangaluru-Chikmagalur
- Shiradi Ghat — Karnataka — Bengaluru-Mangaluru route
- Agumbe Ghat — Karnataka — Shivamogga-Udupi
- Kuttiyadi Ghat (Wayanad pass) — Kerala — Kozhikode-Wayanad
- Thamarassery Churam — Kerala — Kozhikode-Wayanad
- + 3 more in the interactive map
Sample questions (12 of 548)
Khardung La is at what elevation?
~5,359 m — one of the highest motorable passes in the world
Khardung La connects which two valleys?
Leh (Indus valley) ↔ Nubra valley
Atlas p.38 ranking — is Khardung La the world's highest motorable pass?
Khardung La (5,359 m) was long claimed as such; current consensus: Umling La (Ladakh, 5,883 m, BRO 2021) holds the record. Khardung La remains India's iconic motorable pass on the Leh-Nubra-Siachen route over the Ladakh Range
What river systems does Khardung La separate?
Indus valley (Leh, south) from Shyok valley (Nubra, north) — the road crosses the Ladakh Range from one Indus tributary system to another
Strategic role of Khardung La (Siachen logistics)?
Only road link from Leh to Siachen base camp / Nubra-Shyok valley — critical artery for Indian Army's deployment to the world's highest battlefield
Khardung La connects Leh with which valley?
Nubra Valley (gateway to Siachen Glacier base camp)
Khardung La is the gateway for army convoys to which glacier?
Siachen Glacier
Khardung La is part of which range?
Ladakh Range
True altitude of Khardung La (revised)?
~5,359 m (the often-claimed 5,602 m is disputed)
Khardung La connects Leh to which valley containing the Shyok and Nubra rivers?
Nubra Valley
Khardung La crosses which range north of Leh?
Ladakh Range
Khardung La rises to roughly what elevation?
~5359 m (DRDO measurement; signed 5602 m)
All 548 questions are available in the interactive map quiz.
About this topic
This topic is part of the NCERT UPSC Core Geography syllabus, specifically the textbook NCERT Class 11/12 + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar), drawn from the chapter Major Passes of India. Content is cross-referenced against the latest NCERT textbook editions + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar, Satish Chandra for history; G.C. Leong, Savindra Singh for geography; the UPSC Civil Services prelims + mains syllabus).
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