Rohtang Pass, or Rohtang La, is a high jeepable mountain pass amidst the eastern Pir Panjal Range of snow laden mountains, elevated at an altitudeof3,978metres(13,051 feet) above mean sea level It is located 51 kilometres (32 miles) along the Leh-Manali Highway from the tourist famous town of Manali, in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. A popular tourist destination during the summers, the Rohtang Pass provides some of the most scintillating and arresting visuals of the snow-capped Himalayan mountain peaks. It connects the Kullu Valley and the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys of HimachalPradesh.ItisalsoknownasRohtangBypass.
EtymologyofRohtangPass,HimachalPradesh
The Rohtang Pass derives its name from the unfortunate deathsofpeoplewhoattempted tocrossthepassinbadweather ‘Rohtang’inBhotilanguagereferstoapileofcorpses
GeographyofRohtangPass,HimachalPradesh
The Rohtang Pass provides a natural divide between thehumidKulluValleyinthesouth which has a predominant Hindu culture and the higher andaridLahaulandSpitivalleys in the north with a predominant Buddhist culture. In addition to Lahaul and Spiti, Rohtang Pass is a gateway to the Pangi valley in Himachal and the Leh valley in Ladakh Rohtang serves as a gateway to Ladakh just as the Zojila Pass It lies on the watershed separating the Chenab and the Beas river basins. The Beas River emerges from underground on the southern end of the pass, flowing southwards, while on its northern end, the Chenab River sources from the Chandra River flowing from the eastern Himalayas towards the west The amazing visual of the Chandra River flowing down can be caught in the Lahaul valley along the pass, with that of the glaciers and peaks.ThetwinpeaksofGeypanarealsovisiblefromthepass.
TourisminRohtangPass,HimachalPradesh
The Rohtang Pass remainsopenonlyduringthesummermonthsfromMaytoNovember Though not difficult or high to cross through as per the Himalayan standards, thepassis considereddangerousforbeingvulnerabletounpredictablesnowstormsandblizzards.
Rohtang Pass enlists itself high on the itineraries of tourists who visit Manali, Kullu, Shimla, Leh and other adjoining areas in summer, and is a hotspot for adventure enthusiasts Adventurous activities such as trekking, skiing, mountain biking, snow scooters, sledges, paragliding and ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) can be experienced while at Rohtang. There are also small eateries and stalls up there that serve snacks to the tourists.
Being an important strategic zone, it is an alternate military route during the summers, with military trucks, vehicles and goods carriersnavigatingthroughthenarrowstretchof the pass along rough terrains, impeded by snow and ice at different pointsenroute.This makes the Rohtang Pass inevitably blocked with tourist and military traffic, causing delays in being passed through This increase in traffic along the Rohtang Pass has aroused a sense of fear amongst the environmentalists, who predict this will have its impact on the fragile ecology of the mountains. The rise in average temperature and meltingofglaciersarealreadyissuesofconcern.
RohtangRoadTunnel
Given the military significance of the Manali-Leh highway and the need to keep it open to access all round the year, the Indian government began constructing a $320 million
roadtunneltobypassRohtangPass,in2010.The8.5kilometres(5.3miles)longRohtang Tunnel is meant for the purpose of creating a much safer and faster year-around link to Keylong, Lahaul and Spiti and Leh in Ladakh This tunnel will shorten the distance by about 50 kilometres (31 miles) and reduce the travel time by 5 hours, between the southern and northern faces of Rohtang Pass. While it presently takes 4 to 6 hours to ascend, navigate and descend the Rohtang Pass, it will take only about 30 minutes to travelthroughtheRohtangtunnel.Thetunnelisestimatedtobecompletedby2017.
VisitingInformationtoRohtangPass,HimachalPradesh
Rohtang Pass is accessed from Manali, which provides a wide range of accommodation options for stay purposes for the tourists, including luxury resorts, riverside cottages, deluxe hotelsand3-starbudgetaccommodations Manalialsooffershomestayswhichare a good option for tourists to stay and experience the culture of thelocals.Jeepsandcabs are the most convenient conveyances to ascend toRohtangPassfromManali,alsohiring snowclothesenroute,whichincludeovercoats,snowbootsandgloves
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