The Sela Pass () ( more appropriately called ''Se La'', as La means Pass in

Tibetan language Tibetan language may refer to: * Lhasa Tibetan or Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dialect * Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard * Any of the other Tibetic languages See also * Ol ...

) is a high-altitude

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

located on the border between the Tawang and West Kameng districts in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeast India. It was formed from the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and India declared it as a state on 20 February 1987. Itanagar is its capital and la ...

. It has an elevation of 4170 m (13,700 ft) and connects the Indian

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

town of Tawang to

Dirang Dirang H.Q. (simply Dirang) is a village in the district of West Kameng in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeast India. It was formed from the North-Ea ...

and

Guwahati Guwahati () the largest city of the Indian state of Assam, and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the seat of the Government of Assam. Th ...

. The pass carries the National Highway 13 (previously NH 229), connecting Tawang with the rest of

. The pass supports scarce amounts of vegetation and is usually snow-covered to some extent throughout the year. Sela Lake, near the summit of the pass, is one of approximately 101 lakes in the area that are sacred in

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...

. While Sela Pass does get heavy snowfall in winters, it is usually open throughout the year unless landslides or snow require the pass to be shut down temporarily. Sela pass is one of the highest motorable mountain passes in the world

Etymology

During the 1962 Sino-Indian War, Maha Vir Chakra awardee Jaswant Singh Rawat held Chinese Army off at this mountain pass with the help of two local Monpa girls named ''Sela'' and ''Noora''. Later, Sela was killed and Noora captured. Rushing from position to position, Rawat held off the enemy for 72 hours until the Chinese captured a local supplier, who told them that they were facing only one fighter. The Chinese then stormed Rawat's position and Rawat was killed. the Indian army built Jaswant Garh war memorial for Jaswant Singh and the pass, tunnel & lake were named after Sela for her sacrifice. The tunnel is also named after her.जसवंत-सेला शहीद न हों, इसलिए बनी सेला टनल:1962 जैसे नहीं घुस पाएगा चीन; सड़कों, पुलों और सुरंगों का सुरक्षा जाल तैयार
Bhaskar, accessed 14 June 2023. Nuranang Falls, 2 km east of Jang, are named after Nura.

Geography

Sela Pass crosses a subrange of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

that separates Tawang District from the rest of India. The pass is 4170 m (13,700 ft) high and is situated at a distance of 78 km from Tawang town and 340 km from

. While the Border Roads Organization (BRO) of

works to keep the pass open throughout the year, it may shut down temporarily after landslides and during heavy snow. Summers at Sela Pass are not very cold, but temperature in winter can dip down to -10 degree Celsius. Sela lake is a large lake located on the north side of the pass at an elevation of . This lake often freezes during the winter and is drained in Nuranang River, a tributary of the Tawang River. Limited vegetation grows around the lake, which is used as a grazing site for yaks during the summer.

Tunnel

Sela Tunnel,

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

announced the funding for construction of all weather road transport tunnel in 2018-19 budget.Sela pass tunnel
Economic Times, 1 Feb 2018. Construction started in January 2019. The plan includes two tunnels (980 metres and 1,555 metres long) and a link road (1,200 metres long). The Indian railway have undertaken the final location survey of Strategically important railway project to bring Tawang on railway map through Bhalukpong-Tawang railway, project survey work expected to be completed by December 2022, will also pass through here.

Religion

Sela Pass is a sacred site in

. Buddhists believe that there are about 101 sacred lakes in and around the pass.

Sino-Indian War

During the Sino-Indian War in 1962, the Sela Pass was one of the locations that saw significant action. The Chinese PLA infiltrated into the south of the ridge through other routes and the Indian position was withdrawn. A

sepoy ''Sepoy'' () is a term related to ''sipahi'', denoting professional Indian infantrymen, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire and the Maratha. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its Euro ...

of the Indian Army named Jaswant Singh Rawat remained at the pass fighting rearguard action, and is said to have held off the Chinese for 72 hours. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously for his courage and devotion to duty.

Gallery

File:Sela Pass2.JPG, Sela Pass Gate File:2007-sela-pass-2.jpg, Clouds moving into the pass File:Selapass.jpg, Sela Pass File:Sela Pass 100 (79).jpg, Jainath Bridge, Sela Pass File:View of Jaswant Garh and NH - Tawang.JPG, View of Jaswant Garh File:Sela Pass, Arunachal Pradesh.JPG, Sela Pass, Arunachal Pradesh, India File:Sela Pass 100 (70).jpg, Sela Pass is prone heavy landslides File:Sela Pass 100 (46).jpg, A village in the middle of Sela Pass

References

{{Mountain passes of India Mountain passes of Arunachal Pradesh