Mountain Peaks and Passes of India
India's mountains are among the youngest and highest in the world, and they are full of names that examiners love to ask. Every range has a highest peak, and every mountain wall has passes that have carried traders, pilgrims, armies and migrants for centuries. A peak is remembered by the range it belongs to and the height it reaches, while a pass is remembered by the two places it joins. Once you group the facts in this way, the whole topic becomes a set of simple pairs, and it becomes difficult to mix them up in the exam hall.
The highest peaks of India and the world
The highest peak in the world is Mount Everest, about 8,848 metres, in the Nepal Himalayas. The highest peak of India is K2, also called Godwin Austen, at 8,611 metres, which is also the highest peak of the Karakoram range. The highest peak of the Eastern Himalayas in India is Kangchenjunga at 8,586 metres, and the highest peak of the Western Himalayas is Nanga Parbat at 8,126 metres. The highest peak of Peninsular India and of the Western Ghats is Anamudi at 2,695 metres.
Peaks range by range
The Zanskar range has Kamet at 7,756 metres, while the Pir Panjal range has Indrasan. In the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalayas the great name is Nanda Devi at 7,816 metres, with Kamet as another important peak. The Assam Himalayas are crowned by Gorichen, at about 6,488 metres in Arunachal Pradesh, and the peaks of the Nepal Himalayas include Everest, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. In the far north-east, the Naga hills have Saramati at 3,826 metres, on the India-Myanmar border, the Patkai range rises as the Patkai Bum, the Khasi hills and the Shillong plateau have Lum Shyllong at 1,968 metres, and the peaks around the Siachen glacier in the Ladakh range include Rakaposhi.
Peaks of the Peninsular Plateau
The peninsular ranges also have clear records. The highest peak of the Satpura range is Dhupgarh at 1,350 metres, the highest peak of the Aravali range is Guru Shikhar at 1,722 metres on Mount Abu, the highest peak of the Vindhya range is Sadbhavana Shikhar or Sonsagar at 752 metres, and the highest peak of the Nilgiri hills is Doddabetta at 2,637 metres. The highest peak of the Eastern Ghats is Mahendragiri in Odisha, which is often confused with Anamudi of the Western Ghats.
Passes of the western Himalayas
A pass is a gap in a mountain range that allows people and goods to cross, and several passes of India have great strategic and religious value. The Zoji La connects Kashmir with Ladakh, while the Banihal pass connects Jammu with Srinagar. The Khardung La in Ladakh is famous as one of the highest motorable passes in the world, and the Karakoram pass once linked Ladakh with Tibet on the old trade route. In the central Himalayas, the Shipki La connects Himachal Pradesh with Tibet along the Sutlej, and the Lipulekh pass connects Uttarakhand with Tibet and is the route used by pilgrims going to Kailash Mansarovar. The Niti and Juhar passes serve the Nainital area.
Passes of the eastern Himalayas
In the east, the Nathu La pass connects Sikkim with Tibet and is one of the best-known passes of India, while the Jelep La lies nearby. In Arunachal Pradesh, the Bomdila and the Dihang routes are important for the Manas-Bhutan area, and the Tawang and Sela routes lead towards Tibet and the frontier. Further south-east, the Tiddim or Rih pass route connects Mizoram with Myanmar. These passes are important for defence, for trade with neighbouring countries and for the movement and settlement of communities across the mountains.
Quick revision of peaks and passes
For quick revision, group the peaks by their ranges: K2 and Rakaposhi with the Karakoram and Ladakh ranges, Kamet with the Zanskar, Nanga Parbat with the Western Himalayas, Kangchenjunga with the Eastern Himalayas, Nanda Devi with the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalayas, Gorichen with the Assam Himalayas, Saramati with the Naga hills, Lum Shyllong with the Khasi hills, and Anamudi, Mahendragiri, Doddabetta, Dhupgarh, Guru Shikhar and Sadbhavana Shikhar with the peninsular ranges. For the passes, remember them as links: Zoji La and Banihal for Kashmir and Jammu, Khardung La as the highest motorable pass, Karakoram for the Tibetan trade route, Nathu La and Jelep La for Sikkim, Shipki La and Lipulekh for the Tibet border, and Tiddim for Myanmar. This pair-based revision is the fastest way to keep the facts apart.
How to prepare this topic
- Learn the great peaks first: Everest in the world, K2 in the Karakoram and India, Kangchenjunga in the Eastern Himalayas and Nanga Parbat in the Western Himalayas.
- Do not memorise peaks separately - always attach each peak to its range, such as Kamet to Zanskar, Dhupgarh to Satpura and Guru Shikhar to the Aravali.
- Group the lesser-known facts: Mahendragiri for the Eastern Ghats, Doddabetta for the Nilgiris and Lum Shyllong for the Khasi hills.
- Learn each pass as a pair of places: Zoji La for Kashmir-Ladakh, Banihal for Jammu-Srinagar and Nathu La for Sikkim-Tibet.
- Remember the special passes: Khardung La as the highest motorable pass and Lipulekh as the Kailash Mansarovar route.
Common exam traps
- Everest is the highest peak in the world, but the highest peak of India is K2, and the two are different.
- Kangchenjunga is the highest peak of the Eastern Himalayas, while Nanga Parbat is the highest of the Western Himalayas.
- Anamudi is the highest peak of Peninsular India, but the highest peak of the Eastern Ghats is Mahendragiri.
- Zoji La connects Kashmir with Ladakh, while Banihal connects Jammu with Srinagar - close but different.
- Nathu La is in Sikkim and Lipulekh is in Uttarakhand; the Kailash Mansarovar yatra uses Lipulekh.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the highest peak in the world, in India and in the Eastern Himalayas?
The highest peak in the world is Mount Everest at about 8,848 metres in the Nepal Himalayas. The highest peak of India is K2, also called Godwin Austen, at 8,611 metres, which is also the highest peak of the Karakoram range. The highest peak of the Eastern Himalayas in India is Kangchenjunga at 8,586 metres, and Nanga Parbat at 8,126 metres is the highest peak of the Western Himalayas.
Which peak belongs to which range among the major Indian mountains?
K2 belongs to the Karakoram, Kamet to the Zanskar range, Nanda Devi to the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalayas, and Gorichen to the Assam Himalayas of Arunachal Pradesh. In the peninsula, Dhupgarh is the highest peak of the Satpura, Guru Shikhar of the Aravali, Sadbhavana Shikhar of the Vindhya, Doddabetta of the Nilgiri, Mahendragiri of the Eastern Ghats and Anamudi of the Western Ghats.
Which passes connect Kashmir, Ladakh, Jammu and Srinagar?
The Zoji La pass connects Kashmir with Ladakh and is used on the Srinagar-Leh route, while the Banihal pass connects Jammu with Srinagar. The Khardung La in Ladakh is one of the highest motorable passes in the world, and the Karakoram pass once linked Ladakh with Tibet on the old trade route. These passes keep the far northern regions connected through the year.
Which passes connect India with Tibet and which one is used for Kailash Mansarovar?
The Nathu La connects Sikkim with Tibet, the Shipki La connects Himachal Pradesh with Tibet along the Sutlej, and the Lipulekh connects Uttarakhand with Tibet. The Lipulekh pass is the route used by pilgrims going to Kailash Mansarovar, and the Karakoram pass also linked Ladakh with Tibet in the past. Each of these passes has great strategic importance.
Which passes are important in the north-east and along the Myanmar border?
In the north-east, the Bomdila and the Dihang routes serve the Manas-Bhutan area of Arunachal Pradesh, and the Tawang and Sela routes lead towards the frontier with Tibet. The Tiddim or Rih pass route connects Mizoram with Myanmar, and the Saramati peak rises on the India-Myanmar border. These passes are vital for defence as well as for trade and the movement of communities.