| Korala | |
|---|---|
 View of PLA Kunmuja border outpost from Nepal | |
| Elevation | 4,660 m (15,289 ft) |
| Location | China–Nepal border |
| Range | Himalayas |
| Coordinates | 29°18′14″N83°58′7″E / 29.30389°N 83.96861°E /29.30389; 83.96861 |
  Location in Nepal Show map of Gandaki Province Korala (Ngari) Show map of Ngari Korala (Tibet) Show map of Tibet Korala (Nepal) Show map of Nepal | |
Korala orKora La orKoro La {Nepali: (Nepali:कोरला]; literallyKora Pass} is a mountain pass betweenTibet andGandaki Province. At only 4,660 metres (15,290 ft) in elevation, it has been considered the lowest drivable path betweenTibetan Plateau and theIndian subcontinent.[1] It currently serves as a vehicleborder crossing between China and Nepal.[2][3] Korala in Mustang is the fourth border point that Beijing has reopened after the Rasuwa-Kerung, Tatopani-Khasa and Yari (Humla)-Purang.[4]
Korala is situated on the drainage divide between theYarlung Tsangpo andGanges river basins. At 4,660 m (15,290 ft), it is the lowest pass across theHimalayan mountain range. As such, it forms thekey col forK2 on theridgeline connecting it toMount Everest.[5] TheKali Gandaki River has its source near the southern side of the pass.
Korala is one of the oldest routes between the two regions. It was historically used forsalt trade between Tibet and Nepalese kingdoms.[6] Up until 2008 whenNepali monarchy was abolished, Upper Mustang was theKingdom of Lo, an ethnic Tibetan kingdom that was asuzerainty ofKingdom of Nepal. The suzerainty allowed for a certain level of independence in local governance from the Nepalese central government.[7]
During the late 1950s and 60s, the Tibetan guerrilla groupChushi Gangdruk operated out of Upper Mustang with the intention of raidingPLA positions in Tibet.[7] 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.[8][9]
People's Republic of China andKingdom of Nepal officially signed border agreement in 1961.[10] The border was set slightly north of the traditionalboundary marker. The traditional location of Korala is marked by astupa lies a bit south of the demarcated border between China and Nepal at29°18′14″N83°58′7″E / 29.30389°N 83.96861°E /29.30389; 83.96861.[7]
In late December 1999, the 17th claimantKarmapaOgyen Trinley Dorje fled Tibet through this area.[11][12][13] In response, China built a border fence immediately after.[6] There is a PLA border outpost named "Kunmuja" a few miles on Chinese side, it is the westernmost border outpost inTibet Military District. The outpost was renovated in 2009 to have a modern facility.[14]
The border was closed in the 1960s. However, a semiannual cross-border trade fair remained, during which the border was open to local traders, until theCOVID-19 pandemic.[6] In 2012, Nepal and China agreed to open 6 more official border crossings, Korala being one of them.[15] In July 2016, Nepalese government announced that this border crossing is expected to open, and also expects it to be the third most important crossing between the two countries.[16] As of 2022[update], the border infrastructure on the Chinese side has been completed, Nepali authority is in the process of upgrading the road network.[17]
The border crossing opened in 2023. Port facilities were built at Lektse on the Chinese side and Nechung on the Nepali side.[18][19] Daily consumer goods, construction materials, electronic materials and clothes are imported to Mustang, whilepashmina, agricultural products andyarsagumba are exported to China.[20]
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
we were not discovered and arrived in Mustang, Nepal, on the morning of December 30, 1999
西藏军区最西边的哨所——昆木加哨所
Nepal has also given priority to opening this border point along with Kimathanka and Korala in Mustang.
According to the ministry, most of the infrastructures that aid bilateral trade have already been completed on the Chinese side of the border. Nepali authorities have started upgrading the 186 km road network that connects Beni-Jomsom-Korala.
| On the border |
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| In the interior |
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