Patkai Range are the hills on India’s North Eastern border with Burma. It is located at an elevation of 1,223 meters above sea level. Three hill ranges come under the Patkai, the Patkai-Bum, the Garo-Khasi-Jaintia, and the Lushai Hills. The Garo-Khasi-Jaintia range is in Meghalaya. Mawsynram and Cherrapunji, on the windward side of these hills are the world’s wettest places, having the highest annual rainfall.
Indian states along the Patkai range are Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland. Patkai range is a part of the Arakan Mountains and the famous Dehing Patkai Wild Life Sanctuary is located here.
The Pat-kai meaning “to Cut (Pat) Chicken (Kai)” in Tai Ahom language. They are not as rugged as the Himalayas and its peaks are much lower in height. Features of the range include conical peaks, thick forest, steep slopes and deep valleys. The whole region is covered with forests comprising of sandstones.
Its coordinates are 27°0’0″ N and 96°0’0″ E in DMS (Degrees Minutes Seconds) or 27 and 96 (in decimal degrees). Its UTM position is KK08 and its Joint Operation Graphics reference is NG47-01.
The river Dehing flows down from the Patkai mountain range to meet the Brahmaputra at Dehingmukh in Sivasagar district of Assam. From time immemorial, both Patkai and Dehing have been contributing their natural resources to the peoples to settle down, grow and develop human colonies of various tribes and groups of different religion, languages etc.
The ideal route to this mountain range is offered by the Pangsau Pass. The Ledo Road was built through Pangsau Pass as a strategic supply road built over the range during World War II to link India with the Burma Road into China.