Lesser Known Motorable Passes of the Himalayas

The Great Himalayas and its adjoining and parallel Ranges have a number of Motorable Passes which enables people to connect with other Valleys and Regions. Motoring on these Passes is an activity many people indulge in as Motoring through the terrain gives you the best possible views and feel of the Mountains. But Indians by nature are not very adventurous and like to stick to a certain few Roads. Also the influx of Social Media instead of opening more horizons are making the younger people even more wary and rarely do they go off the beaten Track. If you think driving to Leh is the Ultimate Adventure then you better stop reading now because the Himalayas offer much more than just that. And lets be honest the Road to Ladakh is a National Highway with tarmac all the way where as we are talking of Adventurous Roads with hardly any tarmac, sheer drops and very few hardy souls, besides the locals who tread on these Roads.

Padri Pass

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. For many years Bhaderwah was the bone of contention between the Jammu Kingdom and the Chamba Kingdom until in the mid 1800’s it was taken over by Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu as terms of settlement of the Territorial boundary with the Chamba Kingdom after he acquired Kashmir as per the Treaty of Amritsar.

Bhaderwah today is a part of the Doda district and lies in the lap of the Pir Panjals. The Town of Bhaderwah itself was an important one and the Bhaderwah Fort stands watch over Town. Bhaderwah has a mixed population of Hindus and Muslims and the languages spoken include Bhaderwahi and Kashmiri.

Chattargala Pass

The view just before you reach the top of the Chattargala Pass which connects Sarthal in Kathua District with Bhaderwah in Doda District. The Pass offers brilliant views of the Great Himalayan Range, the Kishtwar Peaks, Peaks on the Spiti side and even the Kashmir Valley. It's a gem of a Pass which still had 30 feet ice Walls.

The Pass stands at around 3034 meters and the drive to the Pass from Sarthal is simply amazing. It's too hard to describe the beauty I saw yesterday. Brilliant untouched off beat Himalayas. Even a Waterfall which fell over 500 feet in a series of seven steps. I am still sitting here trying to soak in the beauty of the places I saw on the 2 nd day of my Expedition to bring little known gems from the Himalayas with special focus on the Himalayan Passes and how they connect people.

Sinthan Pass

The Sinthan Pass connects the Kishtwar Region with Kashmir over the Pir Panjals. At 12,297 ft its one of the highest Passes in the Pir Panjals and is open from June to September. It offers a thrid ingress into the Kashmir Valley from the South besides the Banihal Tunnel and the Pir ki Gali Pass. The Road up the Pass from both sides passes through spectacular scenery and great Vistas from the top of the Pass.

Chansal Pass

The Chansal Pass connects the Villages of Dodra Kwar with the town of Rohru in the Upper Shimla area. The Chansal Pass is the highest Road in the Shimla District and it is located close to the border of Himachal Pradesh with Uttarakhand.

The Pass offers a great view of the Garhwal Himalayas.

Shinku La

Gulabgarh Killar Road

Baralacha La