Jelep La (; ) elevation , is a high mountain pass between Sikkim, India and Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is on a route that connects Lhasa to India. The pass is about south of Nathu La and is slightly higher. It was frequently used for trade between Tibet and India during the British Raj, with Kalimpong serving as the contact point. The Menmecho Lake lies below the Jelep La. Name According to the Bengal District Gazetteer, Jelep-la, a Tibetan name, means "The lovely level pass, so called because it is the easiest and most level of all the passes between Tibet and Sikkim." According to scholar Alex Mckay, the Tibetan name is actually , which would mean a "shepherd's bronze pass". Geography On the Indian side there are two routes to Jelep La, one through Gangtok and the other through Kalimpong. The Kalimpong route boosted the local economies due to the trading of wool and furs during the 20th century. It passes through the towns of Rongli, Rhenock, Pedong, Algarah, in Sikkim and northern West Bengal. The route from Gangtok passes through the towns of Sherathang, nearby Changu lake and alongside Nathu La and through Kupup. The route is scenic with forests of rhododendrons blooming in spring. Numerous hamlets are scattered in the surrounding area. On the Tibetan side the pass leads to the Chumbi Valley of the Tibetan Plateau. History 17th century In the 17th century, Jelep La might have been under the control of an eastern Sikkimese Lepcha kingdom based at Damsang (), ruled by a Lepcha chieftain Gyalpo Ajok (; Lepcha: Gyabo Achuk). Ajok was allied with Tibet under the 5th Dalai Lama and was rivalled by Bhutan. In a war fought by Tibet and Damsang against Bhutan during 1675–79, Ajok captured a Bhutanese outpost at Dalingkot (). However, the Bhutanese recaptured the post and executed Ajok. After this event, a major war erupted between Tibet and Bhutan, but Bhutan managed to repulse its much larger foe. The end result of the war is not entirely clear, but the Kalimpong area came under the control of Bhutan, and the present day East Sikkim, between Rhenock and Jelep La, might have come under the control of Tibet. At the time of the Sino-Nepalese War, Sikkim lost much of its territory west of Teesta River to Nepal. Tibet apparently granted to Sikkim the present day East Sikkim region