India maps 28 landmarks in Ladakh with official names
What's the story
The Union Home Ministry has officially recognized 28 places and geographical features in Ladakh, including areas under Chinese occupation. The move aims to standardize these locations on India's official map and covers peaks, mountains, passes, glaciers, valleys, rivers, lakes and other landforms. The newly standardized names include Zorawar Peak, Kanishka Peak, Atisha Giri, Martand Giri, Rinchen Zangpo, Sakyashree Giri, Marpa Lotsawa Ri, Milarepa Kangri, Shiva Ri and Maheshwar Ri.
Name standardization
List includes locations in Chinese-occupied territories
Karun Pir, Drak Karpo and Zolmori mountains; Chapchingle Pass and Shachmirk Pass; Parpik and Skamari glaciers; and the Shkorga Valley are also included in the list.
The list also includes locations in Chinese-occupied territories such as Dehra Compass, which is located in the disputed Aksai Chin region claimed by China.
Other features include Guru Rinpoche Lake, Yangpa River, and Hot Spring.
The government hopes this exercise will ensure accurate identification of these locations and increase public awareness about their significance.
Public awareness
Standardizing names to boost public awareness
These 28 places and geographical features will now be represented with standardized names on the Survey of India's official map.
China has repeatedly given Mandarin names to locations in Indian territory as part of its relentless efforts to strengthen its territorial claims.
It has undertaken similar naming exercises in Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls "Zangnan" or southern Tibet, since 2017 and unveiled its sixth batch of 23 "standardized" names in April of this year.