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A high pass in eastern Ladakh's Chushul sector where 114 soldiers of 13 Kumaon died holding the position against China on 18 November 1962.
Rezang La is a high-altitude pass on the Kailash Range in the Chushul sector of eastern Ladakh, close to the Line of Actual Control with China. It is remembered above all for the battle fought there on 18 November 1962, during the India-China war, when Charlie Company of the 13 Kumaon Regiment, commanded by Major Shaitan Singh, defended the position against a far larger Chinese assault. Of about 120 men of the company, 114 were killed; Major Shaitan Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously, and the company was later re-designated the 'Rezang La Company'. The position they held guarded the approach to the Chushul plains and the airfield there. A memorial built in 1963 in the Chushul plains at over 15,000 feet commemorates the battle; it was renovated and dedicated to the nation by the Raksha Mantri on 18 November 2021, the 59th anniversary of the action.
Type: PhenomenonLocated on the Kailash Range in the Chushul sector of eastern Ladakh, near the Line of Actual Control.
The Rezang La picket held by Charlie Company stood at an elevation of about 5,500 metres (18,000 feet), roughly 11 km south of the Spanggur Gap.
The battle was fought on 18 November 1962 in temperatures reported below -20°C.
Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon, largely composed of Ahir soldiers, was commanded by Major Shaitan Singh.
Of about 120 men, 114 were killed — Major Shaitan Singh and 113 of his soldiers — in what is described as a 'last man, last bullet' defence.
Major Shaitan Singh was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously; other soldiers received the Vir Chakra and Mention-in-Despatches.
Charlie Company was subsequently re-designated the 'Rezang La Company'.
The Rezang La Memorial, built in 1963 in the Chushul plains at over 15,000 feet, was renovated and re-dedicated on 18 November 2021.
Frequency: A recurring question in defence-oriented and SSC general awareness papers, and revisited every November around the battle's anniversary.
In the second phase of the 1962 India-China war, Chinese forces pushed towards the Chushul plains in eastern Ladakh, where an airfield made the sector strategically vital. Rezang La was one of the picket positions covering the approach. Cut off from artillery support by the ridge line that shielded it, Charlie Company fought the assault to a standstill at close quarters until it was overrun, and the scale of Chinese losses at Rezang La is central to why the action is remembered as it is. The bodies of many of the dead were found in their trenches, weapons in hand, when the position was revisited months later.
The India-China war begins; fighting extends across Ladakh and the North-East Frontier Agency.
Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon defends Rezang La under Major Shaitan Singh; 114 of about 120 men are killed.
China declares a unilateral ceasefire, ending the war.
The Rezang La Memorial is built in the Chushul plains at over 15,000 feet.
The renovated Rezang La Memorial is dedicated to the nation on the 59th anniversary of the battle.
18 November 1962
Kailash Range, Chushul sector, eastern Ladakh
About 5,500 m (18,000 ft)
About 11 km south
Charlie Company, 13 Kumaon Regiment
Major Shaitan Singh
114 of about 120 men killed
Param Vir Chakra, posthumous, to Major Shaitan Singh
Built 1963 at Chushul, above 15,000 ft; renovated version dedicated 18 November 2021
Rezang La occupies a particular place in Indian military memory because 1962 was otherwise a war of reverses; this was an action where a small, isolated company inflicted heavy costs on a much larger attacking force and did not give ground. It is studied as an example of small-unit defence at extreme altitude, where cold, thin air and the absence of supporting fire shape the fight as much as the enemy does. The position also retains present-day relevance: the Kailash Range heights above the Chushul sector, including the ground around Rezang La, were central to the India-China standoff in eastern Ladakh after 2020, which is why the sector and its features returned to the news and to examination papers.
Rezang La — pass on the Kailash Range, Chushul sector, eastern Ladakh.
Battle fought on 18 November 1962 during the India-China war.
Charlie Company, 13 Kumaon Regiment, under Major Shaitan Singh.
114 of about 120 soldiers killed; a 'last man, last bullet' defence.
Major Shaitan Singh awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously.
Picket at about 5,500 m (18,000 ft), roughly 11 km south of the Spanggur Gap.
Charlie Company re-designated the 'Rezang La Company'.
Memorial built 1963 at Chushul; renovated memorial dedicated 18 November 2021.
On 18 November 1962, during the India-China war, in the Chushul sector of eastern Ladakh.
Charlie Company of the 13 Kumaon Regiment, commanded by Major Shaitan Singh.
He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest gallantry award, posthumously.
Of about 120 men of Charlie Company, 114 were killed — Major Shaitan Singh and 113 of his soldiers.
It stands in the Chushul plains of eastern Ladakh at over 15,000 feet. Built in 1963, it was renovated and dedicated to the nation on 18 November 2021.