A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge . Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migration throughout history. At lower elevations it may be called a hill pass . A mountain pass is typically formed between two volcanic peaks or created by erosion from water or wind.
21-680: Rohtang Pass ( Rohtang , lit: རོ་ (Ro)- corpse(s), ཐང་། (thang)- plain/field ) is a high mountain pass (elevation 3,980 m (13,058 ft)) on the eastern end of the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas around 51 km (32 mi) from Manali in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh . It connects the Kullu Valley with the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys of Himachal Pradesh , India . The pass provides
42-403: A gap , saddle , col or notch . A topographic saddle is analogous to the mathematical concept of a saddle surface , with a saddle point marking the minimum high point between two valleys and the lowest point along a ridge. On a topographic map , passes can be identified by contour lines with an hourglass shape, which indicates a low spot between two higher points. In the high mountains,
63-502: A difference of 2,000 meters (6,600 ft) between the summit and the mountain is defined as a mountain pass. Passes are often found just above the source of a river , constituting a drainage divide . A pass may be very short, consisting of steep slopes to the top of the pass, or a valley many kilometers long, whose highest point might only be identifiable by surveying . Roads and railways have long been built through passes. Some high and rugged passes may have tunnels bored underneath
84-566: A natural divide between the Kullu Valley with a primarily Hindu culture (in the south), and the arid high-altitude Lahaul and Spiti valleys with a Buddhist culture (in the north). The pass lies on the watershed between the Chenab and Beas basins. On the southern side of this pass, the Beas River emerges from underground and flows southward and on its northern side, the Chandra River (flows from
105-518: A nearby mountainside, as with the Eisenhower Tunnel bypassing Loveland Pass in the Rockies, to allow faster traffic flow throughout the year. The top of a pass is frequently the only flat ground in the area, and may be a high vantage point. In some cases this makes it a preferred site for buildings. If a national border follows the ridge of a mountain range, a pass over the mountains is typically on
126-756: A style of street racing which may take place on these roads. There are thousands of named passes around the world, some of which are well-known, such as the Khyber Pass close to the present-day Afghanistan-Pakistan border on the ancient Silk Road , the Great St. Bernard Pass at 2,473 metres (8,114 ft) in the Alps , the Chang La at 5,360 metres (17,590 ft), the Khardung La at 5,359 metres (17,582 ft) in Ladakh , India and
147-794: Is also used, particularly in Europe. In the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas, passes are denoted by the suffix "La" in Tibetan, Ladhakhi, and several other regional languages. Examples are the Taglang La at 5,328 m (17,480 ft) on the Leh-Manali highway , and the Sia La at 5,589 m (18,337 ft) in the Eastern Karakoram range. Scotland has the Gaelic term bealach (anglicised "balloch"), while Wales has
168-480: Is difficult. Therefore, the government is stressing on setting up a ropeway between Kothi village which is in Manali and Rohtang Pass. The NGT (National Green Tribunal) has asked the state government of Himachal Pradesh to complete all the formalities to start a ropeway. With the coming of a ropeway, we can reduce carbon emission from vehicles. Heavy snowfall blocks the road in winter and a ropeway will be very useful. As
189-424: Is most often carved by water erosion from a freshet , stream or a river . Gaps created by freshets are often, if not normally, devoid of water through much of the year, their streams being dependent upon the meltwaters of a snow pack . Gaps sourced by small springs will generally have a small stream excepting perhaps during the most arid parts of the year. Water gaps of necessity often cut entirely through
210-511: Is suggestive of the fact that this must have been the oldest and most frequented pass in the region, or the fact that it is the main pass leading from one cultural region to another, quite different one, to the north. The name Rohtang comes from Persian/ Farsi words Ruh+ Tang which means pile of dead bodies. The former National Highway 21 (NH 21, now numbered NH 3), the road through the Kullu Valley, terminates at Manali . The road northwards over
231-747: Is the Brenner pass in the Alps . Some mountain passes above the tree line have problems with snow drift in the winter. This might be alleviated by building the road a few meters above the ground, which will make snow blow off the road. There are many words for pass in the English-speaking world. In the United States, pass is very common in the West , the word gap is common in the southern Appalachians , notch in parts of New England , and saddle in northern Idaho . The term col , derived from Old French,
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#1732852403086252-583: The Palakkad Gap at 140 metres (460 ft) in Palakkad , Kerala , India . The roads at Mana Pass at 5,610 metres (18,410 ft) and Marsimik La at 5,582 metres (18,314 ft), on and near the China–India border respectively, appear to be world's two highest motorable passes. Khunjerab Pass between Pakistan and China at 4,693 metres (15,397 ft) is also a high-altitude motorable mountain pass. One of
273-617: The Chairperson of National Advisory Council. The road tunnel called Atal Tunnel has been excavated and became operational on 3 October 2020 after formal inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It obviates the need to travel over the Rohtang Pass. While it takes 4 to 6 hours to ascend, negotiate and descend the Rohtang Pass, travel through the Rohtang Tunnel takes only about 30 minutes. Mountain pass Mountain passes make use of
294-557: The Rohtang Pass to Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district and on to Leh in Ladakh is not a national highway. Nonetheless, the Leh-Manali Highway has become very busy during the summer months as an alternate military route since the Kargil Conflict in 1999. Traffic jams are common as military vehicles, trucks, and goods carriers try to navigate the tight roads and rough terrain, compounded by snow and ice at certain points and
315-454: The border, and there may be a border control or customs station, and possibly a military post. For instance, Argentina and Chile share the world's third-longest international border , 5,300 kilometres (3,300 mi) long, which runs north–south along the Andes mountains and includes 42 mountain passes. On a road over a pass, it is customary to have a small roadside sign giving the name of
336-560: The eastern Himalayas), a source stream of the river Chenab , flows westward. The pass is open from May to November. It is not particularly high or difficult to cross on foot by Himalayan standards, but it has a well-deserved reputation for being dangerous because of unpredictable snowstorms and blizzards. This pass is an ancient trade route between the people on either side of Pir Panjal . There are many other passes in Lahaul and Spiti which have specific names (Kunzam La, Baralacha La, etc.). This
357-472: The famous but non-motorable mountain passes is Thorong La at 5,416 metres (17,769 ft) in Annapurna Conservation Area , Nepal. Gap (landform) A gap is a geological formation that is a low point or opening between hills or mountains or in a ridge or mountain range . It may be called a col , notch, pass , saddle , water gap , or wind gap . Geomorphologically , a gap
378-573: The large number of tourist vehicles. Several episodes of the History Channel's Ice Road Truckers series spinoff IRT Deadliest Roads dealt with truckers crossing the Rohtang Pass to deliver supplies. With increase in Traffic at Rohtang Valley, environmentalists fear its impact on the fragile mountain ecology. A rise in average temperature, and the consequent melting of glaciers, are also issues of severe concern. Sometimes travelling to Rohtang Pass
399-479: The pass and its elevation above mean sea level . Apart from offering relatively easy travel between valleys, passes also provide a route between two mountain tops with a minimum of descent. As a result, it is common for tracks to meet at a pass; this often makes them convenient routes even when travelling between a summit and the valley floor. Passes traditionally were places for trade routes, communications, cultural exchange, military expeditions etc. A typical example
420-436: The pass gets blocked by snow and the road over the pass closes from November to May rendering Lahaul and Spiti districts north of the pass inaccessible, a need was felt to build a tunnel under the pass. The project was announced by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 3 June 2000. The work was started by BRO on 6 May 2002. The foundation stone of the project was laid on 28 June 2010 by Sonia Gandhi in her capacity as
441-684: The similar bwlch (both being insular Celtic languages). In the Lake District of north-west England, the term hause is often used, although the term pass is also common—one distinction is that a pass can refer to a route, as well as the highest part thereof, while a hause is simply that highest part, often flattened somewhat into a high-level plateau. In Japan they are known as tōge , which means "pass" in Japanese. The word can also refer to narrow, winding roads that can be found in and around mountains and geographically similar areas, or specifically to
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