Mountain Passes and Hill Stations of India: State-wise List
Notes on Indian mountain passes and hill stations for exams: Zoji La, Rohtang, Nathu La, Palakkad Gap, Shimla, Ooty, Mount Abu and the mountain railways.
By GK24 Editorial Team· Published · 5 min read
A mountain pass is a natural gap or saddle in a mountain range through which a road, a railway or an old caravan route can cross. India has them in two very different settings: high, snowbound saddles in the Himalaya, the Karakoram and the Ladakh ranges, which carry strategic roads and once carried trade with Tibet and Central Asia, and low gaps in the Western Ghats, which decide where the railways and highways of peninsular India run. Hill stations grew beside many of the same routes, first as sanatoria and summer retreats for British officials and later as the tourist economy of the hills. Examiners treat the two together because both are tested the same way: a name has to be matched to a state, a range or a route.
Passes of the Western Himalaya and Karakoram
| Pass | State or union territory | What it connects |
|---|---|---|
| Zoji La | Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir | Srinagar valley with Dras, Kargil and Leh |
| Banihal Pass | Jammu and Kashmir | Jammu with the Kashmir valley, across the Pir Panjal; the Jawahar Tunnel of 1956 runs beneath it |
| Khardung La | Ladakh | Leh with the Nubra valley and the Siachen area, across the Ladakh range |
| Chang La | Ladakh | Leh with the Pangong lake |
| Fotu La | Ladakh | The highest point on the Srinagar to Leh national highway |
| Karakoram Pass | Ladakh | Ladakh with Yarkand in Xinjiang, on the old Central Asian trade route |
| Burzil Pass | Jammu and Kashmir | The Kashmir valley with Gilgit |
| Rohtang Pass | Himachal Pradesh | Kullu valley with Lahaul and Spiti, across the Pir Panjal; the Atal Tunnel runs beneath it |
| Baralacha La | Himachal Pradesh | Lahaul with Ladakh, on the Manali to Leh highway |
| Kunzum La | Himachal Pradesh | Lahaul valley with Spiti valley |
| Shipki La | Himachal Pradesh | The Sutlej valley with Tibet, a designated border trade point |
Two tunnels are worth remembering with these passes. The Jawahar Tunnel, opened in 1956 under the Banihal Pass, gave Jammu an all-weather link with Srinagar. The Atal Tunnel, opened in October 2020 below the Rohtang Pass, is about nine kilometres long and keeps Lahaul connected through the winter, when the pass itself is shut by snow.
Passes of the Central and Eastern Himalaya
- Mana Pass and Niti Pass in Uttarakhand, old routes from the Garhwal Himalaya to Tibet, the first lying beyond Badrinath.
- Lipulekh Pass in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, the traditional route of the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage.
- Nathu La in Sikkim, which crosses to the Chumbi valley in Tibet and was reopened for border trade in 2006.
- Jelep La in Sikkim, a second route to the Chumbi valley, historically used by missions to Lhasa.
- Se La in Arunachal Pradesh, which connects Tawang with the rest of the state, and Bomdi La, which leads towards Tibet.
- Diphu Pass at the meeting point of India, China and Myanmar, and Pangsau Pass on the Arunachal border with Myanmar, on the alignment of the old Stilwell Road.
Gaps in the Western Ghats
The Western Ghats run almost unbroken for sixteen hundred kilometres, so the few gaps in them have shaped the map of peninsular transport. The Palakkad Gap, also called the Palghat Gap, is the largest, roughly thirty kilometres wide between the Nilgiris to the north and the Anaimalai hills to the south, and it carries the rail and road links between Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and Palakkad in Kerala. South of it the Shencottah Gap separates the Cardamom hills from the Ashambu hills and links Kollam with Tamil Nadu. In Maharashtra the Thal Ghat, also called the Kasara Ghat, carries the route from Mumbai to Nashik, while the Bhor Ghat carries the route from Mumbai to Pune. The Palakkad Gap also acts as a climatic doorway: it lets the south-west monsoon and the summer winds pass inland, and the rain shadow behind it keeps the Coimbatore side much drier than the Kerala side.
Hill stations and the states they belong to
| Hill station | State | Point to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Shimla | Himachal Pradesh | Summer capital of British India from 1864; the Kalka to Shimla railway is a World Heritage site |
| Darjeeling | West Bengal | Called the Queen of the Hills; the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was inscribed in 1999 |
| Udhagamandalam or Ooty | Tamil Nadu | In the Nilgiris; the Nilgiri Mountain Railway was inscribed in 2005 |
| Kodaikanal | Tamil Nadu | In the Palani hills, called the Princess of Hill Stations |
| Shillong | Meghalaya | Called the Scotland of the East, on the Shillong plateau |
| Mount Abu | Rajasthan | The only hill station of Rajasthan, in the Aravalli; Guru Shikhar at 1,722 metres is the highest Aravalli peak |
| Pachmarhi | Madhya Pradesh | Called the Queen of the Satpura, with Dhupgarh as the highest point of the range |
| Matheran | Maharashtra | A hill station where motor vehicles are not allowed; reached by a narrow gauge hill railway |
| Mahabaleshwar | Maharashtra | In the Sahyadri; the Krishna river rises nearby |
| Munnar | Kerala | A tea district in the Western Ghats of Idukki |
| Saputara | Gujarat | The only hill station of Gujarat, in the Sahyadri of the Dang district |
| Netarhat | Jharkhand | Called the Queen of Chota Nagpur, on the Chota Nagpur plateau |
Himachal Pradesh adds Manali, Dalhousie, Dharamshala, Kasauli and Chail; Uttarakhand adds Mussoorie, Nainital, Ranikhet, Almora and Auli; Jammu and Kashmir adds Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg; Sikkim has Gangtok, and Arunachal Pradesh has Tawang and Ziro. Three mountain railways of India are together a UNESCO World Heritage site: the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, inscribed in 1999, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, added in 2005, and the Kalka to Shimla Railway, added in 2008. Note the distinction examiners like: Mussoorie, Nainital and Shimla are Himalayan hill stations in the strict sense, while Ooty, Kodaikanal, Munnar and Mahabaleshwar belong to the Western Ghats, and Mount Abu, Pachmarhi, Netarhat and Araku Valley belong to the older hill and plateau systems of peninsular India.
Why these places matter beyond tourism
High passes are the points at which roads, troops and supplies must cross a range, so almost every major border road in the Himalaya is identified by the pass it climbs, and tunnels are built to replace passes that close in winter. Low gaps decide economic geography: the Palakkad Gap carries a trunk rail route, a national highway and the wind that drives one of the country larger wind farm clusters. Hill stations, built between about 1,500 and 2,500 metres, became centres of plantation agriculture, tea in Darjeeling and the Nilgiris, coffee and spices in the southern Ghats, and that plantation economy is why a hill station in the Ghats is usually also a tea or spice district.
Exam Point of View
Nearly every question here is a pairing question, so prepare the lists in pairs rather than as prose. The four pairings that recur are pass with state, pass with the places it joins, gap with the two states it links, and hill station with state or nickname. Expect the swap trap: Thal Ghat and Bhor Ghat reversed, Mana and Lipulekh exchanged between Chamoli and Pithoragarh, or Jelep La put in Arunachal instead of Sikkim. Tunnels are asked with their passes, so fix Jawahar Tunnel with Banihal and Atal Tunnel with Rohtang. Nicknames are a separate micro-topic: Queen of the Hills for Darjeeling, Scotland of the East for Shillong, Queen of the Satpura for Pachmarhi, Princess of Hill Stations for Kodaikanal and Queen of Chota Nagpur for Netarhat. Finally, learn the only hill station questions: Mount Abu for Rajasthan and Saputara for Gujarat.
Important Facts
| Zoji La | Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar valley to Kargil and Leh |
|---|---|
| Banihal Pass | Pir Panjal range; Jawahar Tunnel of 1956 beneath it |
| Rohtang Pass | Pir Panjal, Himachal Pradesh; Atal Tunnel of about 9 km opened in October 2020 |
| Khardung La | Ladakh range, Leh to the Nubra valley |
| Karakoram Pass | Old caravan route from Ladakh to Yarkand in Xinjiang |
| Shipki La | Himachal Pradesh, Sutlej valley to Tibet |
| Nathu La and Jelep La | Sikkim, to the Chumbi valley of Tibet; Nathu La reopened in 2006 |
| Lipulekh Pass | Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand; Kailash Mansarovar route |
| Se La and Bomdi La | Arunachal Pradesh, on the Tawang route |
| Palakkad Gap | About 30 km wide, between the Nilgiris and Anaimalai; Coimbatore to Palakkad |
| Thal Ghat and Bhor Ghat | Mumbai to Nashik and Mumbai to Pune respectively |
| Shimla | Summer capital of British India from 1864, Himachal Pradesh |
| Guru Shikhar | 1,722 metres, highest peak of the Aravalli, at Mount Abu in Rajasthan |
| Mountain Railways of India | Darjeeling Himalayan 1999, Nilgiri Mountain 2005, Kalka to Shimla 2008 |
Practice MCQs on this topic
The Rohtang Pass, beneath which the Atal Tunnel has been built, lies in which state?
- A.Uttarakhand
- B.Himachal Pradesh
- C.Sikkim
- D.Arunachal Pradesh
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Himachal Pradesh. The Rohtang Pass lies on the Pir Panjal range in Himachal Pradesh and connects the Kullu valley with the Lahaul and Spiti district. Because the pass is closed by snow for several months each year, the Atal Tunnel, about nine kilometres long, was built beneath it and opened in October 2020 to keep Lahaul connected through the winter on the Manali to Leh route. Option A is wrong because the important passes of Uttarakhand are Mana, Niti and Lipulekh, all routes towards Tibet. Option C is wrong because Sikkim has Nathu La and Jelep La, which cross into the Chumbi valley. Option D is wrong because Arunachal Pradesh has Se La, Bomdi La, Diphu and Pangsau passes. A useful memory hook is that Rohtang and Banihal both cross the Pir Panjal and both now have tunnels under them.
The Palakkad Gap, the largest gap in the Western Ghats, connects which two states?
- A.Karnataka and Goa
- B.Tamil Nadu and Kerala
- C.Maharashtra and Karnataka
- D.Kerala and Karnataka
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The Palakkad Gap, also called the Palghat Gap, is about thirty kilometres wide and lies between the Nilgiris to its north and the Anaimalai hills to its south. It carries the main rail and road links between Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and Palakkad in Kerala, and it also lets the south-west monsoon and strong summer winds blow inland, which is why the Coimbatore side lies in a rain shadow and supports large wind farms. Option A is wrong because the Karnataka and Goa border crossing of the Ghats is served by passes such as the Anmod and Chorla ghats, not the Palakkad Gap. Option C is wrong because the Maharashtra and Karnataka section of the Ghats has no gap of this size. Option D is wrong because the Kerala and Karnataka link runs through the Wayanad or Thamarassery ghat section.
Nathu La, a pass reopened for border trade in 2006, lies in which Indian state?
- A.Sikkim
- B.Himachal Pradesh
- C.Uttarakhand
- D.Arunachal Pradesh
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Sikkim. Nathu La lies on the Sikkim border and crosses into the Chumbi valley of Tibet; it was an important wool and trade route, was closed after the 1962 conflict and was reopened for border trade in 2006. Jelep La, also in Sikkim, is the second route into the same Chumbi valley. Option B is wrong because Himachal Pradesh has Rohtang, Baralacha La, Kunzum La and Shipki La, the last being its designated border trade point. Option C is wrong because Uttarakhand has Mana, Niti and Lipulekh, the last being the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route. Option D is wrong because Arunachal Pradesh has Se La and Bomdi La on the Tawang route and Diphu Pass at the India, China and Myanmar tri-junction. Remembering that both Sikkim passes end in La and lead to the Chumbi valley makes this pair easy.
The Jawahar Tunnel on the Jammu to Srinagar route runs beneath which pass?
- A.Zoji La
- B.Banihal Pass
- C.Pir Panjal Pass
- D.Burzil Pass
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, the Banihal Pass. The Banihal Pass crosses the Pir Panjal range and is the historic gateway from Jammu into the Kashmir valley. Because the pass closes with snow, the Jawahar Tunnel was driven beneath it and opened in 1956, giving Jammu an all-weather road link with Srinagar. Option A is wrong because Zoji La lies on the far side of the valley and carries the road from Srinagar towards Dras, Kargil and Leh; a separate tunnel project is being built there. Option C is wrong because the Pir Panjal Pass is the name of the old saddle on the Mughal road and does not carry the Jawahar Tunnel. Option D is wrong because the Burzil Pass is the old route from the Kashmir valley towards Gilgit and lies well to the north. In short, Banihal for the Jawahar Tunnel and Rohtang for the Atal Tunnel.
Which of the following is the only hill station located in Rajasthan?
- A.Pachmarhi
- B.Mount Abu
- C.Saputara
- D.Netarhat
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Mount Abu. Mount Abu is the only hill station of Rajasthan and stands on an isolated block of the Aravalli range in the Sirohi district; Guru Shikhar, at about 1,722 metres, is the highest peak of the Aravalli and lies here, and the Dilwara Jain temples are nearby. Option A is wrong because Pachmarhi is in Madhya Pradesh, in the Satpura range, and is called the Queen of the Satpura, with Dhupgarh as the highest point of the range. Option C is wrong because Saputara is the only hill station of Gujarat, in the Dang district on the Sahyadri. Option D is wrong because Netarhat is in Jharkhand on the Chota Nagpur plateau and is called the Queen of Chota Nagpur. All four are peninsular hill stations, which is exactly why they are grouped as distractors.
Which three railways of India are together inscribed as the UNESCO World Heritage site called the Mountain Railways of India?
- A.Darjeeling Himalayan, Nilgiri Mountain and Kalka to Shimla railways
- B.Darjeeling Himalayan, Matheran Hill and Kangra Valley railways
- C.Nilgiri Mountain, Matheran Hill and Kalka to Shimla railways
- D.Kangra Valley, Kalka to Shimla and Nilgiri Mountain railways
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A. The Mountain Railways of India World Heritage site is made up of three lines added in stages: the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in West Bengal, inscribed in 1999, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway in Tamil Nadu, added in 2005, and the Kalka to Shimla Railway in Himachal Pradesh, added in 2008. Options B, C and D are all wrong because each replaces one of these three with the Matheran Hill Railway in Maharashtra or the Kangra Valley Railway in Himachal Pradesh. Both are genuine narrow gauge hill railways and both have been proposed for the list, but neither forms part of the inscribed site. A quick way to hold the correct set is to note that it takes one line from the eastern Himalaya, one from the Nilgiris in the south and one from the western Himalaya.
The Khardung La pass, which gives access to the Nubra valley, lies on which range?
- A.Pir Panjal range
- B.Ladakh range
- C.Zaskar range
- D.Karakoram range
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, the Ladakh range. Khardung La lies on the Ladakh range just north of Leh and carries the road from Leh into the Nubra valley and on towards the Siachen area, which makes it one of the most strategically used high passes in the country. Option A is wrong because the Pir Panjal range, further south-west, carries the Banihal and Rohtang passes. Option C is wrong because the Zaskar range lies between the Great Himalaya and the Indus valley and is crossed by passes such as Fotu La on the Srinagar to Leh highway. Option D is wrong because the Karakoram range lies still further north and carries the Karakoram Pass, the old caravan route from Ladakh to Yarkand in Xinjiang. The order from south to north, Pir Panjal, Great Himalaya, Zaskar, Ladakh and Karakoram, sorts these passes quickly.
Which city served as the summer capital of British India and is linked by a World Heritage mountain railway?
- A.Darjeeling
- B.Shimla
- C.Mussoorie
- D.Ooty
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Shimla. Shimla, in Himachal Pradesh, was made the summer capital of British India in 1864, and the Government of India moved there from Calcutta and later Delhi every hot season; the narrow gauge Kalka to Shimla Railway that serves it was added to the Mountain Railways of India World Heritage site in 2008. Option A is wrong because Darjeeling, though served by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway inscribed in 1999 and known as the Queen of the Hills, was the summer capital of the Bengal Presidency, not of British India. Option C is wrong because Mussoorie in Uttarakhand has no such railway and was never the summer capital. Option D is wrong because Ooty, served by the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, was the summer capital of the Madras Presidency.
The Lipulekh Pass, used on the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route, lies in which district of Uttarakhand?
- A.Chamoli
- B.Pithoragarh
- C.Uttarkashi
- D.Tehri Garhwal
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Pithoragarh. The Lipulekh Pass lies in the Pithoragarh district of the Kumaon division and has long been the traditional Indian route for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, as well as an old trade crossing into Tibet. Option A is wrong because the Chamoli district carries the Mana and Niti passes, the Mana Pass lying beyond Badrinath. Option C is wrong because Uttarkashi is the district of Gangotri and the upper Bhagirathi and does not contain Lipulekh. Option D is wrong because Tehri Garhwal is a district of the lower Garhwal Himalaya, known for the Tehri dam on the Bhagirathi, and has no international pass. Candidates should note that all the major passes of Uttarakhand, Mana, Niti and Lipulekh, open towards Tibet, since the state shares no other international boundary of this kind.
Which pass of Ladakh lay on the old caravan trade route from Leh to Yarkand in Central Asia?
- A.Chang La
- B.Karakoram Pass
- C.Zoji La
- D.Baralacha La
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, the Karakoram Pass. The Karakoram Pass crosses the Karakoram range north of the Nubra valley and was the crucial crossing on the centuries-old caravan route that carried pashmina wool, silk and tea between Leh and Yarkand in Xinjiang. Option A is wrong because Chang La is the pass crossed on the road from Leh to the Pangong lake and is not a route out of India. Option C is wrong because Zoji La connects the Kashmir valley with Dras, Kargil and Leh and is an internal rather than a trans-frontier pass. Option D is wrong because Baralacha La lies in Himachal Pradesh on the Manali to Leh highway, connecting Lahaul with Ladakh. The Aghil Pass, lying beyond the Karakoram Pass, was the next crossing on the same old route and is occasionally asked as an alternative answer.
Which hill station of Maharashtra does not permit motor vehicles and is reached by a narrow gauge hill railway?
- A.Lonavala
- B.Matheran
- C.Panchgani
- D.Mahabaleshwar
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Matheran. Matheran, in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, is an eco-sensitive hill station where motor vehicles are not allowed within the town; visitors walk, ride horses or use hand-pulled carts, and the Matheran Hill Railway, a narrow gauge line from Neral, is the classic way to reach it. Option A is wrong because Lonavala, on the Mumbai to Pune route near the Bhor Ghat, is fully open to road traffic. Option C is wrong because Panchgani, near Mahabaleshwar in the Satara district, is an ordinary road-served hill town. Option D is wrong because Mahabaleshwar, the best known Sahyadri hill station and the source region of the Krishna river, is reached by road. The vehicle ban at Matheran is the single fact that makes it an examination favourite.
The Thal Ghat and the Bhor Ghat of the Western Ghats carry the routes from Mumbai to which two cities respectively?
- A.Nashik and Pune
- B.Pune and Nashik
- C.Surat and Pune
- D.Nashik and Kolhapur
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Nashik and Pune. The Thal Ghat, also called the Kasara Ghat, is the climb by which the road and railway from Mumbai reach Nashik and continue towards central India, while the Bhor Ghat is the climb by which the Mumbai to Pune road and railway cross the Sahyadri, passing Khandala and Lonavala. Option B is wrong because it simply reverses the correct pairing, which is the commonest error in this question. Option C is wrong because Surat lies north of Mumbai on the coastal plain and needs no ghat crossing at all. Option D is wrong because Kolhapur lies far to the south in the Krishna basin and is not reached through either of these two ghats. Both ghats are in Maharashtra and are distinct from the Palakkad and Shencottah gaps of the far south.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a mountain pass and a gap?
Both are low points that allow a crossing, but a pass is usually a high saddle in a young fold mountain system such as the Himalaya, often snowbound for part of the year, while a gap is a broad, low break in an older range such as the Palakkad Gap in the Western Ghats, which stays open all year and carries railways.
Which pass connects Kullu with Lahaul and Spiti?
The Rohtang Pass, on the Pir Panjal range in Himachal Pradesh. Since the pass is blocked by snow for several months, the Atal Tunnel, about nine kilometres long, was opened beneath it in October 2020 to keep Lahaul connected through the winter.
Why is the Palakkad Gap important for climate as well as transport?
Because it is the widest break in the Western Ghats, roughly thirty kilometres across. It lets the south-west monsoon and strong summer winds blow inland, so the Coimbatore side lies in a rain shadow and is much drier than the Kerala side, and the same winds are used for large wind farms.
Which hill stations are called the Queen of the Hills and the Scotland of the East?
Darjeeling in West Bengal is called the Queen of the Hills, and Shillong in Meghalaya is called the Scotland of the East. Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh is the Queen of the Satpura, Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu is the Princess of Hill Stations and Netarhat in Jharkhand is the Queen of Chota Nagpur.
Which passes of India open towards Tibet?
Shipki La in Himachal Pradesh, Mana, Niti and Lipulekh in Uttarakhand, Nathu La and Jelep La in Sikkim and Bomdi La in Arunachal Pradesh all open towards Tibet. Shipki La and Nathu La are designated border trade points, and Lipulekh is used for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage.
Which Indian mountain railways are World Heritage sites?
Three lines together form the site called the Mountain Railways of India: the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, inscribed in 1999, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, added in 2005, and the Kalka to Shimla Railway, added in 2008. The Matheran Hill Railway has been proposed but is not part of the inscribed site.
Sources
- India: Physical Environment (Class XI), Chapter 2: Structure and Physiography — NCERT
- Mountain Railways of India, World Heritage List — UNESCO World Heritage Centre
