India-China: Kailash Mansarovar Yatra to be held between June–August

New Delhi: India on Saturday announced the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra to the Tibet region after a gap of five years, another step in the normalisation of ties with China after the military standoff in Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The external affairs ministry said this year’s pilgrimage will be held through Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and Nathu La in Sikkim. The pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in Tibet Autonomous Region had been suspended since 2020, initially because of the Covid-19 pandemic and then the protracted face-off on the LAC.

“Kailash Manasarovar Yatra organised by the Ministry of External Affairs is set to take place during June to August 2025,” the ministry said in a statement.

Five batches, each comprising 50 pilgrims, will travel via Lipulekh Pass, and 10 batches, also consisting of 50 pilgrims each, will cross through Nathu La, the ministry said. Applications will be accepted at the kmy.gov.in website and pilgrims will be selected through a fair, random, computer-generated and gender-balanced process.

Also Read:India, China close to understanding on Kailash Mansarovar Yatra

HT first reported on April 16 that India and China were close to an understanding on resuming the pilgrimage as part of the process of normalising ties after the more than four-year standoff on the LAC.

The external affairs ministry said the entire process for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, from online applications to the selection of pilgrims, has been fully computerised since 2015.

“Therefore, applicants do not need to send letters or fax to seek information. The feedback options on the website can be used for obtaining information, registering observations or making suggestions for improvement,” the ministry said.

The resumption of the pilgrimage and direct flights, which too were suspended in 2020, were among confidence-building measures discussed by the two sides since they reached an understanding on disengagement of troops last October.

Two days after the understanding on disengagement of forces, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met in the Russian city of Kazan and decided to revive several mechanisms to address the border dispute and to normalise relations. The resumption of the pilgrimage was one of the major asks of the Indian side.

In January, foreign secretary Vikram Misri visited Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterpart Sun Weidong. The two sides decided at this meeting to resume the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra and to take other people-centric steps to “stabilise and rebuild” ties.

The Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra is organised by the external affairs ministry, usually between June and September. The site in Tibet is of religious significance to Hindus, Jains and Buddhists, and pilgrims trek at altitudes of up to 19,500 feet in extreme weather and rugged terrain.

The resumption of the pilgrimage marks another step in the slow normalising of bilateral relations following the standoff on the LAC, which began with skirmishes in April-May 2020. A subsequent clash at Galwan Valley in June 2020, which resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops, took ties to their lowest point since the 1962 border war.

The Chinese side has been pushing India to act several measures aimed at enhancing economic ties, including resumption of direct flights and easing of visa restrictions on Chinese nationals. The Chinese side is also keen on reviving the practice of both countries posting more journalists in each other’s capitals. Currently, there is one Indian journalist in Beijing and no Chinese journalist in New Delhi.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar recently said that India-China relations are moving in a “positive direction” though “there is work to be done” to normalise ties.