Kora La

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Kora La
Kora La is located in Nepal
Kora La
Location in Nepal
Elevation4,660 m (15,289 ft)
LocationChina–Nepal border
RangeHimalayas
Coordinates29°18′14″N 83°58′7″E / 29.30389°N 83.96861°E / 29.30389; 83.96861Coordinates: 29°18′14″N 83°58′7″E / 29.30389°N 83.96861°E / 29.30389; 83.96861

Kora La or Korala or Koro La (Nepali: कोरला; literally Kora Pass) is a mountain pass between Tibet and Upper Mustang. At only 4,660 metres (15,290 ft) in elevation, it has been considered the lowest drivable path between Tibetan Plateau and the Indian subcontinent.[1] It is currently being planned as a vehicle border crossing between China and Nepal.[2]

Geography[]

Kora La is situated on the drainage divide between the Yarlung Tsangpo and Ganges river basins. At 4,660 m (15,290 ft), it is the lowest pass across the Himalayan mountain range. As such, it forms the key col for K2 on the ridgeline connecting it to Mount Everest.[3] The Kali Gandaki River has its source near the southern side of the pass.

History[]

Kora La is one of the oldest routes between the two regions. It was historically used for salt trade between Tibet and Nepalese kingdoms.[4] Up until 2008 Upper Mustang was the Kingdom of Lo, an ethnic Tibetan kingdom that was a suzerainty of Kingdom of Nepal. The suzerainty allowed for a certain level of independence in local governance from the Nepalese central government.[5]

During the late 1950s and 60s, the Tibetan guerrilla group Chushi Gangdruk operated out of Upper Mustang with the intention of raiding PLA positions in Tibet.[5] This led to a border incident that caused the killing of a Nepalese officer who was mistaken by Chinese border guards as a Tibetan rebel.[6][7]

People's Republic of China and Kingdom of Nepal officially signed border agreement in 1961.[8] The border was set slightly north of the traditional boundary marker. The traditional location of Kora La is marked by a stupa lies a bit south of the demarcated border between China and Nepal at

 WikiMiniAtlas
29°18′14″N 83°58′7″E / 29.30389°N 83.96861°E / 29.30389; 83.96861.[5]

In December 1999, the 17th claimant Karmapa fled Tibet through this area.[9][10] In response, China built a border fence immediately after.[4] There is a PLA border outpost a few miles on Chinese side, it is the westernmost border outpost in Tibet Military District. The outpost was renovated in 2009 to have a modern facility.[11]

The border has been closed since the 1960s. However, there is a semiannual cross-border trade fair during which the border is open to local traders.[4] In 2012, Nepal and China agreed to open 6 more official border crossings, Kora La being one of them.[12] In July 2016, Nepalese government announced that this border crossing is expected to open in a year, and also expects it to be the third most important crossing between the two countries.[13]

References[]

  1. ^ Peissel, Michel (October 1965). "Mustang, Nepal's Lost Kingdom". National Geographic. Retrieved 2017-02-10. high point of 4660 m at Kora La on the Mustang-TAR border, the lowest drivable corridor through the Himalayas linking the Tibetan Plateau via Nepal to the tropical Indian plains
  2. ^ Tripathi, Binod (19 Jun 2016). "China extends road up to Korala border". Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  3. ^ Helman, Adam (2005). The Finest Peaks: Prominence and Other Mountain Measures. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 9781412059954. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Murton, Galen (March 2016). "A Himalayan Border Trilogy: The Political Economies of Transport Infrastructure and Disaster Relief between China and Nepal". Cross-Currents E-Journal. ISSN 2158-9674. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
  5. ^ a b c Cowan, Sam (17 January 2016). "The curious case of the Mustang incident". The Record. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  6. ^ "Chinese Troops Kill a Nepalese; 18 Captured in Reds' Raid Across Border -- 'Urgent' Protest Sent to Peiping". New York Times. 30 June 1960. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  7. ^ Elleman, Bruce; Kotkin, Stephen; Schofield, Clive (2014). "China-Nepal Border". Beijing's Power and China's Borders: Twenty Neighbors in Asia. Routledge. p. 211. ISBN 9781317515654. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  8. ^ 中华人民共和国和尼泊尔王国边界条约  [China-Nepal Border Agreement] (in Chinese). 1961-10-05 – via Wikisource.
  9. ^ "The Karmapa's Great Escape (December 28, 1999 – January 5, 2000) -". Karmapa – The Official Website of the 17th Karmapa. Retrieved 2017-02-10. we were not discovered and arrived in Mustang, Nepal, on the morning of December 30, 1999
  10. ^ Crossette, Barbara (31 January 2000). "Buddhist's Escape From Tibet, by Car, Horse and Plane". New York Times. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  11. ^ "中国边海防巡礼之昆木加哨所" [Tour of Chinese Border Guards and Coast Guards - Kunmuja Border Outpost]. chinamil.com.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 2017-02-11. 西藏军区最西边的哨所——昆木加哨所
  12. ^ Prithvi Man Shrestha; Jaya Bahadur Rokaya (24 March 2016). "Nepal, China rush to open Hilsa border". Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 2017-02-10. Nepal has also given priority to opening this border point along with Kimathanka and Korala in Mustang.
  13. ^ Tripathi, Binod (8 July 2016). "Korala border to open within a year". Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
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