The Ancient Routes which connected Pangi Valley in Chamba with Zanskar in Ladakh : Excerpts from Guide to Dalhousie Chamba and the Inner Mountains Between Shimla and Kashmir (1923)
The Enchanting Padri Gali
The enchanting Padri Pass or Padri Galli or Padri Top which connects Chamba in Himachal Pradesh with Bhaderwah in the Jammu Division of Jammu and Kashmir at around 10,400 feet amsl. It is located around 110 kms from Chamba Town and around 40 kms from Bhaderwah and is the highest point of the Chamba Bhaderwah Highway. This is one of the important Passes which connects J and K with Himachal. In older times Bhaderwah was a part of the powerful Chamba Kingdom which held Kishtwar as well and even Zanskar.
Kishtwar : At the Himalayan Crossroads
Kishtwar is a region in the Jammu division of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Due to its unique location just under the shadow of the Great Himalayas and at the place where the religions and cultures of the Himalayas meet. They give Kishtwar a unique flavor which remains largely unexplored.
Zanskar : The Valley of Copper
Zanskar has an area exceeding 7000 sq km and a population estimated to be between 18000 to 20000. It is located bang in the middle of the Great Himalayas which separate it from Kishtwar and Lahaul in the South. In the East it touches Tibet almost and in the North is Ladakh and to the East is what used to be Baltistan but now better known as the Kargil area. Zanskar gets its name from the Tibetan word for Copper "Zang" and Valley. So probably it was because of the Copper deposits it was called so. And the name stuck.