Nathu La Pass

NNathula Pass- Shrinking steps on a snowy borderNathula Pass is a mountain pass in the Himalayas that connects the state of Sikkim in India to the Chumbi Valley in southern Tibet. The word la means pass in the Tibetan language, so the name derived as Nathula Pass. It is at an altitude of 14200 feet. Nathula Pass is one of the three open trade posts between China and India. It was closed after the 1962 India-China war, later opened for business on July 5, 2006. At the beginning of the twentieth century, 70% of the trade between India and China was through the Nathula Pass. This pass has also been part of a branch of the ancient Silk Route. It is the same silk route through which Hensang, Phahian, and Marco Polo came to India, and Buddhism reached other parts of the world.This pass located about 54 km away from the east of Gangtok city. Only Indian citizens can go here and are allowed to roam on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday only, no foreigner is allowed, Indians also have to take permission to go there and take it one day before the trip.There is an Indian War Memorial. Hardly any human treaty is seen at this place except a few army men. The task of the army is to protect the borders on both sides. The pass has many submerged areas and is also sensitive to landslides.There is an event organized every year at the opening of the pass, which includes military officers on both sides. Although it is expected that trade between the two countries would increase through the Pass, no significant improvement has seen so far. But the reopening of the pass made the pilgrimage easy to Buddhist and Hindu pilgrims, is also important especially for those Tibetan pilgrims who visit the Rumtek monastery, one of the famous and sacred Buddhist monasteries. For Hindus also, this pass makes the journey time of Mansarovar lake reduced from fifteen days to two days. Nathula Pass remains closed during winters due to excessive snowfall. The road maintenance work of this area has assigned to the Border Roads Organization. The nearest railway station from Nathula Pass is New Jalpaiguri Station. The Indian government is planning to expand train services from Sevak in Darjeeling district to Gangtok in Sikkim soon. If you are in Sikkim, then you should visit Nathula Pass.