Place · Himalayan high pass · India
Khardung La
Also known as Khardung La, Khardungla, Khardong La
The 5,359-metre pass on the Ladakh Range that separates the Indus valley from the Nubra and Shyok valleys to its north — the critical link between Leh and the Nubra, Shyok and the historical Yarkand caravan route beyond. The pass carries one of the world's highest motorable roads, built by the Border Roads Organisation in 1976. Before the road, Yarkand-bound caravans from Leh crossed Khardung La on foot and camel in a three-day stage. The Indian army's Siachen glacier logistics all run through it.
- Function
- Landscape & environmental change
- Tradition
- Standard reference and local gazetteers; ASI, state archaeology and INTACH records where applicable.
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
- Location
- 34.278, 77.604
Connections (1)
- Route adjacencyDiskit Monastery, Nubra Valley
Khardung La is the only motorable pass between the Leh valley and the Nubra valley, 39 kilometres north of Leh across the Ladakh Range. The Diskit Monastery and the Nubra sites all sit on the road descending from the pass to the Shyok confluence — the pass is Nubra's one connection to the rest of Ladakh, and every historical caravan from Leh to Yarkand crossed it. The 32-metre Maitreya at Diskit faces the pass's northern descent.