Mountain Passes & Tunnels of Jammu & Kashmir: List and MCQs (JKSSB)

J&K's passes and tunnels connect the Valley, Jammu and Ladakh, and JKSSB regularly asks which pass links which places. This note groups them so the answers stick.

Mountain passes

• Banihal Pass (Ramban): on the Pir Panjal range, linking Jammu with the Kashmir Valley
• Zojila Pass: links Srinagar with Ladakh (Kargil and Leh), on NH-1
• Peer Ki Gali: on the Mughal Road, linking the Kashmir Valley with Rajouri and Poonch
• Sinthan Top: links Anantnag with Kishtwar
• Razdan Pass: links Bandipora with Gurez

Road and rail tunnels

• Jawahar Tunnel (Banihal): opened in 1956, the first road tunnel through the Pir Panjal
• Banihal–Qazigund road tunnel: a newer all-weather tunnel that bypasses the Jawahar Tunnel
• Chenani–Nashri Tunnel (NH-44): opened in 2017, also called the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel
• Zojila Tunnel (NH-1): under construction between Baltal and Minamarg to keep the Srinagar–Leh road open through winter
• Pir Panjal rail tunnel (Banihal–Qazigund): India's longest railway tunnel

Bridges

The Chenab Rail Bridge, in Reasi district, is the world's highest railway arch bridge and a key part of the Kashmir rail link.

Highways

NH-44 runs from Srinagar to Kanyakumari and connects Jammu with Srinagar through the Banihal pass; NH-1 connects Srinagar with Leh through the Zojila pass.

Heights and ranges

• Banihal Pass: about 2,800 m, on the Pir Panjal range
• Zojila Pass: about 3,500 m, on the Great Himalaya range, between the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh
• Peer Ki Gali: about 3,500 m, on the Pir Panjal range, on the Mughal Road
• Sinthan Top: about 3,700 m, linking the Valley with the Chenab valley
• Khardung La: about 5,300 m in Ladakh, one of the highest motorable passes in the world

The Srinagar–Leh route in order

Travelling from Srinagar, the road goes through Sonamarg and the Zojila Pass, then Drass and Kargil, then Namika La and Fotu La, past Lamayuru and Nimmu to Leh. A good way to remember the order is the sequence Zojila, Drass, Kargil, Namika La, Fotu La, Leh. Since 2019, Ladakh has been a separate Union Territory, but the route is still a common exam question.

The Jammu–Srinagar route

The road goes from Jammu through Udhampur, the Chenani–Nashri tunnel, Ramban and Banihal. It then passes through the Jawahar Tunnel (or the newer tunnel beside it) to Qazigund and on to Anantnag and Srinagar. This is part of NH 44.

The Mughal Road

The Mughal Road links Bufliaz in Poonch with Shopian in the Kashmir Valley, passing Peer Ki Gali. It follows the route taken by the Mughal emperors, and it gives a shorter link between the Valley and the Rajouri-Poonch region.

Traps to avoid

• Rohtang and the Atal Tunnel are in Himachal Pradesh, not in J&K
• Khardung La is in Ladakh, which is a separate Union Territory
• Zojila and Zoji La are the same pass
• Banihal and Jawahar are a pass and a tunnel in the same place, and the tunnel is named after Jawaharlal Nehru

Why these routes matter

The Valley relies on the Banihal route for supplies, and winter snow can close the highway. The tunnels shorten the journey and keep roads open in bad weather. The Zojila route is closed for several months in winter, so the tunnel planned under the pass is important for Ladakh.

A quick revision method

Draw a rough map of J&K and mark each pass with its two end points. Then close your notes and mark them again. Repeat this three times and the links between regions will stay in your memory.

Questions candidates ask

Which pass links Kashmir and Ladakh? The Zojila Pass.

Which tunnel opened in 2017? The Chenani–Nashri tunnel.

Which pass is on the Mughal Road? Peer Ki Gali.

Related reading

Rivers and lakes of J&K, hydroelectric projects of J&K and districts of J&K.

Where this fits in the JKSSB paper

J&K General Knowledge carries 20 marks in Junior Assistant, 30 in Finance Accounts Assistant and Panchayat Account Assistant, and 40 in Class-IV and Sub-Inspector (General Awareness). See which subjects to study first and the exam patterns compared.