Marsimik La or Marsemik La, also called Lankar La, elevation is a high

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...

in the Chang Chenmo Range in the Indian union territory of

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...

, east of

Leh Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former res ...

as the crow flies. Ladakh's route to the

Chang Chenmo Valley Chang Chenmo River or Changchenmo River is a tributary of the Shyok River, part of the Indus River system. It is at the southern edge of the disputed Aksai Chin region and north of the Pangong Lake basin. The source of Chang Chenmo is near th ...

traverses the pass.

Geography

Trade-routes-via-Pangong-and-Changchenmo-Douglas-Forsythe-1878

Marsimik La is located about northeast of

Lukung Lukung is a village located on the banks of Pangong Tso, near Line of Actual Control in the Leh District, Ladakh. Location Lukung is located 142 km east of Leh and is known as Gateway to Pangong Tso. It's elevation is . Gallery File:Tan ...

at the tip of

Pangong Lake Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake (; ; hi, text=पैंगोंग झील) is an endorheic lake spanning eastern Ladakh and West Tibet situated at an elevation of . It is long and divided into five sublakes, called ''Pangong Tso'', ''Tso ...

, and southwest of

Pamzal __NOTOC__ Hot Springs (traditional name: Kyam) is a campsite and the location of an Indian border outpost in the Chang Chenmo River valley in Ladakh near the disputed border with China. It is so named because there is a hot spring at this loc ...

in the Chang Chenmo Valley. The ridge line of Marsimik La divides the basin of the Pangong Lake from the Chang Chenmo River. About 4 km to the east of Marsimik La is another ridge line with the pass Kiu La (also called ''Kangseng La''). Via this pass lies the Ladakhi route to the valley of

Chang Parma The Khurnak Fort () is a ruined fort on the northern shore of the Pangong Lake that spans eastern Ladakh in India and Rutog County in the Tibet region of China. The area of the Khurnak Fort is disputed by India and China, and has been under Chi ...

(also called Changlung Lungpa), leading to the

Khurnak Plain The Khurnak Fort () is a ruined fort on the northern shore of the Pangong Lake that spans eastern Ladakh in India and Rutog County in the Tibet region of China. The area of the Khurnak Fort is disputed by India and China, and has been under C ...

in the middle of the Pangong Lake. The description of Marsimik La in the ''Gazetteer of Kashmir and Ladak'' (1890) states:

Sino-Indian border

The pass is on the shortest route from Lukung to

Kongka Pass The Kongka Pass or Kongka La () is a low mountain pass on the Line of Actual Control between India and China in eastern Ladakh. It lies on a spur of the Karakoram range that intrudes into the Chang Chenmo Valley adjacent to the disputed Aksa ...

area some away, where the China-India

Line of Actual Control The Line of Actual Control (LAC), in the context of the Sino-Indian border dispute, is a notional demarcation lineAnanth KrishnanLine of Actual Control , India-China: the line of actual contest, 13 June 2020: "In contrast, the alignment o ...

runs. Within the vicinity of Marsimik La, the line runs at a distance of to the east on a sharp ridgeline.

Transportation

The Marsimik La Road from Lukung to Pamzal, constructed by India's

Border Roads Organisation The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is a road construction executive force in India that provides support to and is now a part of the Indian Armed Forces. BRO develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly neighboring ...

, traverses the pass. It is regarded as one of the highest motorable passes in the world.

References

Bibliography

* {{Ladakh Mountain passes of Ladakh Mountain passes of the Himalayas