ROHTANG PASS , HIMALAYA

Sometimes journey is better than the destination. This post  is about such a beautiful and eventful

  journey to Rohtang Pass, a landslide-prone area  situated in the  Leh- Manali highway. Opened only 

for about four and a half months in a year in summer, this 298 mile highway is designed, built and

  maintained entirely by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) of Indian army. Starting from Manali,

 this strategic military route ends at Leh, a district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. In

ancient time, Leh was an important   stopover on trade routes along the Indus valley between Tibet to

 the  east, Kashmir to the west and also between India and China for centuries .

This  Journey  starts from Manali, a beautiful Hill station located in the northern end of Kulu valley,

 Himachal Pradesh, India.Roads in Manali are lovely and beautiful with heavily laden branches of

Apple trees on both sides. Serenity of Manali is often disturbed by the sounds of  twittering birds and

 gushing waters flowing through several creeks on roadsides. Eucalyptus trees, towering coniferous

trees, sweet scented  apple trees and  divine Devadaru (Deodar) trees can be seen  on the roadsides

  swaying  and whispering with  the pleasant mountain  breeze.

Rohtang Pass is situated in the eastern Pir Panjal range, the largest range of lower Himalayas.
In olden days, people from northern side of Rohtang Pass tried to cross the pass to discover the
other side. The road trip to Rohtang pass itself  is amazingly beautiful, scenic, adventurous and
eventful than  reaching  it. It took almost 3-4 hours from Manali to reach the destination..

 The road to this mountain pass is really horrible with frequent traffic jams and long queue of
vehicles . Starting early can only  help you to reach the destination on time. One can also hire a taxi
 from Manali with experienced  Sherpa  drivers to guide you in this adventurous journey. Sherpas are
  elite mountaineers and expert  drivers  from mountainous Nepal.

Manalis’s peace and serenity along with the mind-blowing sceneries can make you feel like
  travelling through a paradise on earth . People here mainly depend on agriculture for their
  livelihood.  Many people derive their income from sheep, goats, and other cattle. Large flocks of
sheep and goat may often block your way and many times you feel to jump out of the car to
 capture these beautiful moments of  village life.

Trekking and travelling through this most spectacular and picturesque landscape in the world is one
 of the  beautiful experience that can be cherished in the entire life. Besides the Greater Himalayas
( highest and northern most section of the Himalayan mountain ranges), there are several parallel
lower ranges of Himalaya. The southernmost of these, located along the  northern  edge of the Indian
plains and reaching about a thousand meters in altitude, are called the Sivalik Hills and  further north
is a higher range, reaching two to three thousand meters is known as the Lower  Himalayan Range.
Rohtang Pass lies in the Pir Panjal range ,which is group of mountains in the Inner Himalayan region.

Rohtang Pass remains snow bound in winter for over six months. Based on snowfall , it opens from
 May to November only. Rest of the time it is difficult to cross due to snow storms and avalanche.
This  high mountain pass also known as gateway to Leh Ladakh, is situated at an elevation of 3,979
m (13,054 ft) above  the sea level.The twin peaks of Geypan is also visible from Rohtang.The pass is
situated on the watershed between the water basins of the Chenab River and the Beas River.

The winding road through the high mountains with snow cap and lush green valleys is really a

spectacular view .The spiral road going up is really awesome and feels ecstatic the higher you go.

 Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world  is located in  a section of  the Himalaya .

 The highway crosses many small streams of ice-cold water from snow-capped mountains and glacial

 melts. Glaciers melting alongside makes the road  wet and slippery  which requires  good driving

skill to negotiate the fast-flowing streams. A Glacier is a large mass of  dense ice formed over many

years and does not melt during the summer.The  Himalayan range  is a great source of fresh water

 and encompasses about 15,000 glaciers . The major Himalayan Glaciers in India include Gangothri

(origin of river Ganga), Yamunothri ( origin of river Yamuna), Siachin, Khumbu, Lantang etc .

The word India is derived from the Indus  river also known as Sindhu. Indus river originate from
Tibet in the  vicinity of lake Manasarovar in the Himalaya . The major cities of the Indus Valley
Civilization such  as Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro dates back to 3300 BC, and  representing some of
the largest human habitations of the  ancient  world  was flourished on the banks of river Indus. Other
 than the Indus, major rivers originating from the  Himalaya are Brahmaputra, Jhelum( Vitasta), Spiti,
Chenab ( Chandrabagh), Sutlej  (Satadru), Ravi (Iravati), Beas (Vyas/Bipasaha) ,Ganga and Yamuna.

Rohtang  pass lies at an altitude of 13,054 ft or 3,980m, is one of the highest mountain passes in the
 world. Since before recorded history mountain passes played a key role in trade, war and migration.
As you progress the greenery disappears and the mountain slopes become more brown  and  arid.
But you can still see at a distance the beautiful sight of glaciers, and snow covered mountain peaks.

The Himalayan road is narrow, bumpy and damaged at many location. The drive to the pass is really

scary and one will start experiencing the true roughness of the Himalayas. The highway has many

damaged stretches and under-maintenance portions .The riding quality is not good at many places and

 utter care is required when there is fog and the road  is invisible and slippery. Awesome and breath-

catching trip through this pass is a real combo of beauty and danger.

There can be unpredictable occurrence of snow storms, rain and high winds in this journey. A  little
rainfall can trigger landslide making it very dangerous to cross the stretch of  road. The Manali-
Keylong/Leh highway which leads to the amazing Leh-Ladakh  has seriously narrow and sharp hair
 pin turns which make you really scary and can cause  adrenalin rushes, till you reach the pass .

Several episodes of the History Channel's Ice Road Truckers series spinoff IRT Deadliest Roads

dealt with truckers crossing the Rohtang Pass to deliver supplies. IRT is a reality television series

premiered on History channel  in which truckers battle some of the harshest conditions on Earth to

get their cargo where it needs  through the most dangerous routes in the world.

Those who want a thrilling and adventurous ride can opt for a Mountain ATV ( All Terrain
vehicle) at  Rohtang.  Motor bike tour is another adventurous safari which crosses over high
mountain passes, providing spectacular views of the snow capped peaks and rugged terrain .
One can also indulge in activities like  skiing, sledding or can ride a snow scooter at Rohtang pass.

 Paragliding has been one of the most popular tourist attractions at Rohtang . Paragliding is subject to

 wind conditions  and is recommended only for adventure seekers. Soaring in the sky  and riding with

the wind and clouds  assure a panoramic view of the valley and the surrounding mountains .

This place is  a vast land covered in snow. The oxygen content is low and you cannot walk more
than 100-200m in a go. But the scenery and not-even-thought-of surprises along the highway in
this  picturesque landscape of endless mountain ranges is enough to makes one enthralled.

Mount Kailas of Himalaya is considered as the abode of Hindu God Shiva and his family. Parvathy

Devi ,the wife of Lord Shiva, is considered as the daughter of Parvat (personification of Himalaya)

  and hence called Parvathy. The Sanskrit poetry Kumarasambhavam by the ancient classical poet

 Kalidasa ( believed to be lived  in 5th century AD) starts with a canto praising the Himalaya

Mountain. (Astyuttarasyāṁ diśi devatātmā himālayo nāma nagādhirājaḥ |pūrvāparau toyanidhī

vigāhya sthitaḥ pṛthivyā iva mānadaṇḍaḥ) . This sloka praises Himalaya as the king of all mountains

who stand at the northern frontier and stretches between oceans on east and west to border the heartland of gods .

As per the Indian epics, in those days, mountains are said to  have wings and they could fly. In the

 process the rishis and sages meditating  on the mountains were at a risk of falling off. So Lord  Indra

 began to  cut the wings of mountains. The wind God (Vayu Deva), the father of Hanuman rescued
  Mynaka mountain, the son of  Himalaya  and hid him under the sea. As a gratitude Mynak hiding
 under the sea rises from sea to provide a rest stop to  Hanuman on his way to Lanka in search of
 Sita Devi, the wife of Rama, kidnapped by the asura king Ravanan  ( Ramayana).

Himalya is a Sanskrit word which means abode of snow. This youngest mountain range mainly

 consist of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. The Himalaya played a prominent role in shaping the
 culture of south -east Asia and is a source of many major rivers. As per modern theory, Himalaya
is formed as a result of continental collision between Indo- Australian plate and Eurasian Plate. After
Arctic and Antarctica ,Himalayas have the third largest deposit  of ice and snow in the world .

The road often collapses at many parts which make tourist vehicles, supply trucks and military

vehicles gushing one behind the other trying to  navigate through tight roads. The rough terrain

 compounded by slippery roads and snow make long and heavy traffic jams. Nearly 87.3% vehicles
 reaching Rohtang Pass belong to tourists while 8% vehicles belong to Army, including private trucks
 on supply. These trucks are on duty for the Army and military establishments in Ladakh -Leh region

of Jammu and Kashmir along the China and Pakistan border .Rohtang tunnel ,an all-weather alternate
 route is under construction by BRO, which reduce the travel distance between Manali and Keylong.

Rohtang Pass is a busy military and tourist road and military convoy will always come from opposite

side . The Pass is also  frequented by  adventure seeking people to experience  the snow laden peaks,
crystal glaciers , rivers and magical mountains of great heights. This journey is an unbelievable
combo of beauty and danger, one  can only see with their eyes to believe. With many surprises this
 trip gives you  best and closest view of the Himalayas and once you make it to the top you will forget anything.

 

 

Note: Before going to this place you have to get necessary permissions and also don't forget to make

 special packing ( food, necessary clothing ,medicine etc.).

 

By Road : From Manali , Himachal Pradesh- 50 km

Time required ( can vary ): between 4-5 hrs

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