Zoji La (sometimes Zojila Pass) 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 Himalayas. It is in the

Indian Union Union of India or Indian Union may refer to: * The country of India * Dominion of India (1947–1950) * The Government of India, whose legal name is "Union of India" as per Article 300 of the Indian constitution * Political integration of India ...

territory of Ladakh, Kargil district,

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

. Located in the Drass, the pass connects the

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the ''Vale of Kashmir'', is an intermontane valley concentrated in the Kashmir Division of the Indian- union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The valley is bounded on the southwest by the Pir Panjal Range and ...

to its west, with the Drass and Suru valleys to its northeast and the

Indus The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...

valley further east. National Highway #1 running between

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

and

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 ...

in the western section of the Himalayan mountain range, traverses the pass. As of late 2022, the all-weather Zoji-la Tunnel is under construction to mitigate seasonal road blockages due to heavy snowfall.

Etymology

According to some sources, ''Zoji La'' means the "mountain pass of blizzards".Zojila Battle of 1948—When Indians Surprised Pakistan with Tanks at 11,553 ft
The Print; 1 November 2019; article; accessed ??? The word for blizzards, however, is བུ་ཡུག་ (''wylie bu-yug''). Based on oral tradition that survived among the local people, Zoji refers to Du-Zhi-la, the goddess of Tibet’s four seasons. The '' Du-Zhi-lha-mo legend'' (དུས་བཞི་ལྷ་མོ ) describes her as the wife of

Naropa Nāropā (Prakrit; sa, Nāropāda, Naḍapāda or Abhayakirti) or Abhayakirti was an Indian Buddhist Mahasiddha. He was the disciple of Tilopa and brother, or some sources say partner and pupil, of Niguma. As an Indian Mahasiddha, Naropa's ...

. Through the ages, her name has evolved to Zojila. The pass is also referred to as "Zojila Pass", which is a

misnomer A misnomer is a name that is incorrectly or unsuitably applied. Misnomers often arise because something was named long before its correct nature was known, or because an earlier form of something has been replaced by a later form to which the name ...

. The word "pass" is redundant because the suffix "La/Lah" itself means a mountain pass in

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

, Ladakhi, and several other languages that are spoken in the Himalayan region.Other examples of this use of "''La / Lah''" are Nathu La (on the Sikkim– Tibet border), Baralacha La (on the Leh–Manali Highway), Khardung La, Fotu La, Namika La and Pensi La, to name only a few.

Location

Zoji La is about 100 km from

, the capital of the Union Territory of

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

, and 15 km from Sonmarg. It provides a vital link between Ladakh and the Kashmir Valley. It runs at an elevation of approximately , and is the second-highest pass after Fotu La on the Srinagar–Leh National Highway. It is often closed during winter, though the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is working to extend traffic to longer periods in winter. The Beacon Force unit and The Vijayak Force unit of the BRO are responsible for the clearing and maintenance of the road during winter. Driving through the pass in winter means driving between thick walls of ice on both sides.

History

First Kashmir War

During the First Kashmir War, Zoji La was seized by Gilgit rebels in 1948 in their campaign to capture Ladakh. The pass was recaptured by Indian forces on 1 November in an assault codenamed

Operation Bison Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

, which achieved its objective primarily due to the surprising use of tanks by Indian forces. At the time, this was the highest altitude at which tanks had operated in a combat situation in the world.

Zoji La tunnel

The Zoji-la Tunnel project was approved by the government in January 2018. Construction was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2018. The 14 km long tunnel will reduce the time to cross the Zoji La from over 3 hours to just 15 minutes. The initial cost of the tunnel is . When completed, it will be the longest bidirectional tunnel in Asia.

Notes

References

{{Authority control Mountain passes of the Himalayas Geography of Ladakh