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UPPCS Indian Geography Gap Sheet: Mountain Passes.
UPPCS has asked 19 of these. 13 have not been asked yet. Lock the first list, then read the second: it holds what UPPCS has not used yet.
First, the concept
A pass is a low gap in a mountain range. Roads, traders and armies cross the range through it.
'La' means pass in Tibetan, so Zoji La is 'Zoji Pass'. In the Western Ghats a pass is called a 'Ghat' or a 'Gap'.
Himalayan passes link India with Tibet (China), Pakistan or Myanmar. Western Ghat passes link the coast with the Deccan.
UPPCS asks one thing above all: which pass is in which state. So learn them state by state.
✅ Already asked (19)
Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir
- Zoji La · Srinagar ↔ Kargil and Leh
- Banihal · Jammu ↔ Srinagar, across the Pir Panjal (Jawahar Tunnel)
- Aghil · Ladakh ↔ Xinjiang (China), near K2
- Chang La · Leh ↔ Pangong Lake
Himachal Pradesh
- Rohtang · Kullu (Manali) ↔ Lahaul and Spiti; the Atal Tunnel now runs below it
- Shipki La · Kinnaur ↔ Tibet; the Sutlej enters India here
Uttarakhand
- Lipulekh · Pithoragarh ↔ Tibet; route of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra
- Mana · Badrinath ↔ Tibet
- Niti · Chamoli ↔ Tibet
- Muling La · Gangotri side ↔ Tibet
Sikkim
- Nathu La · Gangtok ↔ Tibet; border trade reopened in 2006
- Jelep La · Sikkim ↔ Chumbi Valley (Tibet); the old Kalimpong–Lhasa route
Arunachal Pradesh
- Bomdi La · Arunachal ↔ Tibet (Lhasa), west Kameng
- Bum La · Tawang ↔ Tibet; a border meeting point with China
- Sela · Tawang ↔ rest of Arunachal; the Sela Tunnel opened in 2024
- Diphu · Arunachal ↔ Myanmar, near the India–China–Myanmar tri-junction
Western Ghats
- Thal Ghat · Nashik ↔ Mumbai (Maharashtra)
- Bhor Ghat · Pune ↔ Mumbai (Maharashtra)
- Palghat (Palakkad) Gap · Kerala ↔ Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu); between the Nilgiris and the Anaimalai
❌ Not asked yet (13)
Items marked 'asked in other exams' have come in UPSC or other state exams, not yet in UPPCS.
Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir
- Khardung La · Leh ↔ Nubra and Shyok valleys; one of the highest motorable passes
- Karakoram Pass · Ladakh ↔ Xinjiang (China); the old Leh–Yarkand trade route
- Burzil · Kashmir Valley ↔ Gilgit (Indian territory under Pakistan's occupation)
- Lanak La · Ladakh ↔ Tibet, in the Aksai Chin area
- Pensi La · Suru Valley ↔ Zanskar
- Fotu La · The highest point on the Srinagar–Leh road
Himachal Pradesh
- Bara Lacha La · Lahaul ↔ Leh, on the Manali–Leh road
- Kunzum La · Lahaul ↔ Spiti
Uttarakhand
- Thaga La · Uttarakhand ↔ Tibet
- Lampiya Dhura · Pithoragarh ↔ Tibet
Arunachal Pradesh
- Yonggyap · Arunachal ↔ Tibet, upper Siang asked in other exams
- Pangsau · Arunachal ↔ Myanmar, on the old Stilwell (Ledo) Road asked in other exams
Western Ghats
- Shencottah Gap · Kollam (Kerala) ↔ Madurai (Tamil Nadu)
⚠️ Nathu La is in Sikkim, not Arunachal Pradesh. Lipulekh is in Uttarakhand (it was in Uttar Pradesh before 2000). The Khyber Pass is in Pakistan, not in the Western Ghats.
'Asked' and 'not asked' are checked against every UPPCS question on this site. 'Not asked yet' does not mean it will surely come.