A Hill Full of Magnetized Iron

Imagine the movement of a vehicle up a steep mountain with its ignition off. Truly unbelievable! Opposing the Newton's Law of Gravity! But, it's not merely an optical illusion. In the outskirts of the picturesque cold desert town of Leh, is a Magnetic Hill. The magnet magic of this hill can be experienced while travelling to Leh-Ladakh. This wonder hill is located on the Leh-Kargil-Batalik National Highway, about 30 km from Leh at an altitude of about 14,000 feet. It stands on the western side of the Sindhu River.

The hill is believed to have some sort of magnetic properties because of which it attracts metallic objects, vehicles and even planes and helicopters. You just need to place your vehicle on a specific spot on the road with its engine off and the vehicle starts moving up at a speed of 20 km/hour. Even the helicopters and aircrafts feel the same magnetic impact. Pilots need to fly at a very high speed in that area to avoid the magnetic impact of the hill. Planes start to jerk if it comes within the magnetic radius of the hill.

Around this magnetic hill, lies the Gurudwara Patthar Sahib. It is the sacred place where Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th guru of the Sikhs, used to come to meditate in the 17th century. It is one of the major attractions near the magnetic hill. Besides, one can also enjoy seeing the colourful hills and mountains. In this Himalayan region, the hills bear different colours. Even the white and snow-laden peaks attains gray, green, red or orange shades in the sunlight.