NEW DELHI: The Government of India, in consultation with the Union Territory administration of Ladakh, has standardised the names of 28 geographical features and places in the region on the official maps of the Survey of India.
In an official statement, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the move is intended to ensure uniform and accurate identification of these locations and improve public awareness about their names and geographical significance.
The features include peaks, mountains, passes, glaciers, valleys, rivers, lakes, water bodies and land areas.
Among the peaks, the identified places are Atisha Giri, Kanishka Peak, Martand Giri, Zorawar Peak, Rinchen Zangpo, Sakyasri Giri, Marpa Lotsava Ri, Milarepa Kangri, Shiva Ri and Maheshvara Ri.
The list of mountains includes Karun Pir, Drak Karpo and Jolmori, while Chapchingal Pass and Shachmirk Pass have been designated as passes. Parpik and Skamri have been identified as glaciers, while Shkorga Valley and Yangpa River have also been formally recorded.
Guru Rinpoche has been designated as a lake and Hot Spring as a water body.
The identified land areas include Brangsa, Kuksel, Dehra Compass, Gogra, Kumarayana Point, Panglung and Shamal Lungpa.
The standardisation also reflects the cultural and historical associations of several locations. Some of the newly identified peaks bear names associated with prominent Buddhist figures, including Atisha, Rinchen Zangpo, Marpa Lotsava and Milarepa. Others, such as Shiva Ri and Maheshvara Ri, draw from Lord Shiva.
The formalisation of names on Survey of India maps is also significant for administrative and cartographic purposes in the strategically sensitive Ladakh region. Standard nomenclature can help eliminate variations in spelling and usage and provide a uniform reference for government agencies, mapping authorities and other official records.
The inclusion of locations such as Gogra and Hot Spring is particularly relevant from the perspective of maintaining consistent geographical references for areas of administrative and strategic importance along the region’s sensitive frontier.
