Ladakh map gets standard names for 28 border points and peaks

The Ministry of Home Affairs has worked with the Ladakh administration to formally identify 28 places and natural features in the Union territory with standard names on the official Survey of India map. Officials shared this update on Friday. The marked sites include major border friction points along the Line of Actual Control, such as Gogra and Hot Spring.

Details of Places

The 28 listed features cover peaks, mountains, passes, glaciers, valleys, rivers, lakes, and other land and water areas across Ladakh. Named peaks include Atisha Giri, Kanishka Peak, Martand Giri, Zorawar Peak, Rinchen Zangpo, Sakyasri Giri, Marpa Lotsava Ri, Milarepa Kangri, Shiva Ri, and Maheshvara Ri. The list also names mountains like Karun Pir, Drak Karpo, and Jolmori. Passes include Chapchingal Pass and Shachmirk Pass, while Parpik and Skamri are marked as glaciers, and Shkorga Valley is noted among the valleys. Furthermore, Guru Rinpoche is listed as a lake, Yangpa as a river, and Hot Spring as a water body. Specific land areas given standard names are Brangsa, Kuksel, Dehra Compass, Gogra, Kumarayana Point, Panglung, and Shamal Lungpa. Gogra and Hot Spring served as major friction points during past military standoffs between Indian and Chinese forces, making them vital areas for Indian patrolling.

Purpose and Goals

Officials stated that this mapping exercise aims to ensure the correct recognition of these geographic features and to boost public awareness about their exact locations and proper names. This official listing on the Survey of India map creates a reliable standard reference for all future official and public uses. An official who spoke without being named noted that the step will help keep names uniform across different records and highlight Ladakh's varied landscape.

Context

Official maps serve as the definitive legal and administrative reference for a nation's borders and internal geography. Standardising local names helps government agencies, security forces, and the public use uniform terms for remote terrain features.