Culture and history · Kupup
Looking up the old road to Jelep La
Kupup lies a few kilometres below Jelep La, the pass that carried the wool trade between Lhasa and Kalimpong until 1962. Tourists cannot go up to it, but from the valley you can trace where mule trains climbed. A short stop for history rather than scenery alone.
For most of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Jelep La was the busiest trade pass between India and Tibet. The route ran from Kalimpong through Pedong, Rhenock and Rongli, up through Zuluk and Gnathang, past Kupup and over Jelep La into the Chumbi valley, then on to Phari and Lhasa. Mules and ponies carried bales of Tibetan wool down; cloth, metal goods, sugar and tea went up. Kalimpong's wool merchants grew rich on it.
The pass was also a military gate. British forces crossed it in 1888, after fighting Tibetan troops at Lingtu and Gnathang, and again in 1903–04 with Younghusband's expedition. After the events in Tibet in 1959 the trade thinned, and after the 1962 war the pass was closed. Today it is a military area, and tourists are not allowed beyond the road at Kupup.
Stand by the road near Kupup on a clear morning and ask your driver to point towards Jelep La on the ridge above. It is easy to picture the mule trains coming down that slope after days on the Tibetan plateau. Combine the stop with the Elephant Lake view, and keep it short. Read Zuluk's and Gnathang's stories, too: they are the same road.
Cost: Free
Questions people ask
Good to know
Can tourists visit Jelep La?
No. Jelep La is a closed border pass in a military area, and tourists may not go beyond the road near Kupup. You can see the direction of the pass from the valley and learn its story, but no permit currently allows visitors to the top. Check current status before you travel.
How far is Jelep La from Nathu La?
Jelep La and Nathu La are only about 4.8 km apart in a straight line, both on the Dongkya Range between Sikkim and the Chumbi valley of Tibet. Nathu La is open to Indian tourists on set days; Jelep La is not. Both carried trade to Lhasa before 1962.
What was traded over Jelep La?
Tibetan wool was the main export south, along with yak tails, musk and salt, much of it bound for Kalimpong's warehouses. Northbound loads included cloth, metal goods, sugar and tea. The trade thinned after 1959 and stopped when the border closed after the 1962 war.
Also in Kupup
More things to do
Viewpoints · 20–30 minutesElephant Lake from the road above KupupKupup · Included in your Silk Route car
Viewpoints · 15–20 minutesThe army's Yak Golf CourseKupup · Free to view from the road
Adventure · 2.5–3.5 hours to GangtokOver the top from Kupup to TsomgoKupup · Part of a ₹5,000–7,000 a day SUV