Rohtang Pass
Rohtang Pass is 13,050 ft is
a high mountain pass on the eastern Pir Panjal Range of the
Himalayas around 51 km (32 mi) from Manali. It connects
the Kullu Valley with the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys of Himachal
Pradesh, India.
(Rohtang - Keylong Road)
The pass provides a natural
divide between the humid 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 the eastern
Himalayas), a source stream of the river Chenab, flows westward.
(Beas Temple)
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. The local name for
this pass is a generic name of pass. There are many other passes in Lahaul
and Spiti which have specific names (Kunzam La, Baralacha La, etc.). This 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.
(Top View)
National Highway 21 (NH 21), the
road through the Kullu Valley, past Manali and over the
Rohtang Pass to Keylong, and Lahul and on
to Leh in Ladakh, has become very busy during the summer months
as an alternate military route, following the Kargil Conflict in 1999
in addition to tensions in Kashmir. 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 the large number of tourist’s
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. Rise in Average Temperature and consequent melting of glaciers are
also issues of severe concern.
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Regards
Rathod Rajaji
(Tour & Travel Consultants)
+91-9650425996 (Whattsaap)
tirupaticabs@gmail.com
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