Pensi-la (Pensi Pass) is a mountain pass in the

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 a ...

union territory of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, which is known as the Gateway to

Zanskar Zanskar, Zahar (locally) or Zangskar, is a tehsil of Kargil district, in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. The administrative centre is Padum (former Capital of Zanskar). Zanskar, together with the neighboring region of Ladakh, was brief ...

. Pensi La is above sea level and connects the Suru Valley region to the Zanskar Valley region. The summit at this end of the Suru Valley, the only peak which can be seen, is high, while the mountain to the north is . The pass is about 25 km from

Rangdum Monastery Rangdum Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery belonging to the Gelugpa sect, situated on top of a small but steep sugarloaf hill at an altitude of 4,031 m (13,225 ft) at the head of the Suru Valley, in Ladakh. It is next to the tiny v ...

Geography

To the west of Pensi La watershed flows the Suru River, an important tributary of the Indus which meets at Kargil. The

Drang-Drung Glacier The Drang-Drung Glacier (also called Durung Drung Glacier) is a mountain glacier near the Pensi La (la means pass) Kargil - Zanskar Road in the Kargil district of Ladakh in India. The Drang-Drung Glacier is likely to be the largest glacier in ...

to the eastern flank of Pensi La is the source of Stod or

Doda River The Doda River or the Stod River is a river long, which forms the Stod Valley in the Zanskar valley of the Leh district in the Union Territory of Ladakh. Geography The Doda River rises from the Drang-Drung Glacier near Pensi La, a mounta ...

which flows into the Padum Valley, and joins with Tsarap Chu to form the mighty Zanskar River.

"The descent from the Pensi La into the
Stod Valley The Doda River or the Stod River is a river long, which forms the Stod Valley in the Zanskar valley of the Leh district in the Union Territory of Ladakh. Geography The Doda River rises from the Drang-Drung Glacier near Pensi La, a mountai ...
n Zanskaris steeper than the climb up from Rangdum Gompa, but not too difficult. The road winds about with many hairpin turns, which can be cut across on foot, to the river below. Wild rhubarb can be seen growing on the slopes. The generally used trekking route follows the road on the left bank of the Stod (or Doda). . . . The grass at the foot of the Pensi La furnishes a good pasturage and this is a fine camping spot."

Pensi-La is also the gateway to the Padum, the headquarters of

sub-division of Kargil district. A 240 km road connecting

Kargil Kargil ( lbj, ) is a city and a joint capital of the union territory of Ladakh, India. It is also the headquarters of the Kargil district. It is the second-largest city in Ladakh after Leh. Kargil is located to the east of Srinagar in J ...

town to Padum, through the Pensi La remains open for a brief 5 months, between May and October. Before the modern road was built, the pass, apparently, used to be open only three months of the year because of heavy snows.Rizvi. (1996), p. 118.

Footnotes

References

* Janet Rizvi. (1996). ''Ladakh: Crossroads of High Asia''. Second Edition. Oxford University Press, Delhi. . * Schettler, Margaret & Rolf (1981). Kashmir, Ladakh & Zanskar. Lonely Planet Publications. South Yarra, Victoria, Australia. . Mountain passes of Ladakh Geography of Ladakh {{Ladakh-geo-stub