Himalayan Mountain Passes

On 1 August 2026, traders crossed a Himalayan pass that had stayed shut for six years. It reopened an ancient trade route between India and China.

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Indian Geography · IndGeo0046

Nathu La: A Pass That Kept Reopening

1962

Sino-Indian War shuts Nathu La to all trade and traffic

2006

Border trade reopens after 44 years, reviving an old Silk Route link

2020

Trade suspended again as Covid-19 and Galwan Valley tensions hit ties

Aug 2025

Doval-Wang Yi talks agree to resume trade at Nathu La, Shipki La, Lipulekh

1 Aug 2026

Traders cross Nathu La again, ending a six-year suspension

More than a trade route

Every time Nathu La opens or shuts, it tracks the state of India-China relations — the pass is as much a diplomatic barometer as a physical shortcut through the Himalayas.

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Must Know

• A mountain pass is a low gap through a mountain range, letting people cross where the terrain would otherwise be impassable.
• Nathu La, in Sikkim, is one of India’s main border trading points with China.
• Shipki La, in Himachal Pradesh‘s Kinnaur district, is another key India-China border trading point.
• Zoji La, in Jammu and Kashmir, connects the Kashmir Valley to Ladakh. It is a key link on the Srinagar-Leh highway.
• Rohtang Pass, in Himachal Pradesh, connects the Kullu Valley to the Lahaul and Spiti valleys.

Good to Know

• Nathu La reopened for border trade in 2006, after staying closed for 44 years following the 1962 Sino-Indian War.
• Zoji La stays snowbound for much of the year, cutting off road access to Ladakh for months.
• A major tunnel is under construction beneath Zoji La. It aims to cut crossing time from over three hours to about 15 minutes, and to give Ladakh all-weather road access.
• The Atal Tunnel, built under Rohtang Pass, opened in 2020. It gives Manali and Lahaul-Spiti all-weather connectivity, even in heavy snow.
• At 9.02 kilometres long, the Atal Tunnel is the world’s longest highway tunnel built above 10,000 feet.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. Zoji La connects the Kashmir Valley to which other region?

Himachal Pradesh

Ladakh

Sikkim

Arunachal Pradesh

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Great to Know

• Himalayan passes have carried pilgrims, traders, and armies for centuries, well before they became modern national-security assets.
• Nathu La and Shipki La sit on a stretch of the old Silk Route, once used to move goods between India and Tibet.
• These passes also carry military weight today. Roads and tunnels built through them speed up troop and supply movement near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
• Border trade through Nathu La, Shipki La, and Lipulekh (in Uttarakhand) typically runs for about six months a year, from May to November. Harsh Himalayan winters close the route the rest of the year.

Current Affairs

• India and China resumed border trade through Nathu La on 1 August 2026, ending a six-year suspension that began during the Covid-19 pandemic. (Source: Global Times)
• The resumption follows an August 2025 agreement between India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi. It covers all three designated trading points: Nathu La, Shipki La, and Lipulekh. (Source: The Tribune)
• The move is being read as a sign of warming India-China engagement. It follows years of tension along the LAC after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash.