Cho La (Sikkim and Tibet)

Cho La
གྲོ་ལ
Cho La is located in Sikkim
Cho La
Cho La
Elevation4,593 m (15,069 ft)[1]
LocationSikkim, IndiaTibet, China
RangeHimalaya
Coordinates27°25′22″N 88°48′04″E / 27.4227728°N 88.8011808°E / 27.4227728; 88.8011808
Cho La
Chinese卓拉山口
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinzhuō lā shānkǒu

Cho La or Cho-la (Tibetan: གྲོ་ལ, Wylie: gro la) is a mountain pass in the Chola range of the Himalayas. It connects the Indian state of Sikkim with China's Tibet Autonomous Region. It is situated around four miles to the north-west of Nathu La.[2]

Cho La used to be the main mountain pass between Sikkim and the Chumbi Valley (Yadong County),[3][4][5] connecting the Sikkimese capital of Tumlong with the Chumbi town. Towards the end of the 19th century, the British developed Jelep La, and later Nathu La, as they were accessible from British India, and Cho La fell into relative disuse.

  1. ^ "Introduction to Sikkim's Physiography". Sikkim Biodiversity Board. Retrieved 29 August 2015.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ Bajpai, G. S. (1999). China's shadow over Sikkim : the politics of intimidation. New Delhi [u.a.]: Lancer Publ. p. 193. ISBN 9781897829523. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  3. ^ "Xigazê Prefecture-Level City". KNAB Place Name Database – Geographical names of Tibet AR (China). Institute of the Estonian Language. 3 June 2018.
  4. ^ Wangchuk, Pema (2013), "India, China and the Nathu La: Converting Symbolism into Reality" (PDF), IPCS Issue Brief 202, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, p. 1, JSTOR resrep09083
  5. ^ A. Campbell, Itinerary from Phari in Thibet to Lassa, with appended Routes from Darjeeling to Phari, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, April 1848, page 274.