Kailash Manasarovar
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Kailash Manasarovar
S K Raina , Guide to Kailash Manasarvor Yatra "Daily Excelsior" 11/3/2018
Like every year, this year also the Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs is organising the annual yatra to the Holy Mount Kailash and Manasarovar Lake situated in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) of China. The yatra will be performed during the months of June, July and August.
Holy Kailash is not only auspicious to Hindus, it is also a place for reverence to Jains, Buddhists and Bon (religion prevailing in Tibet before advent of Buddhism and still practiced by some). This makes it one of the oldest places of pilgrimage.
As per Hindu text Mount Kailash is where Lord Shiva resides with his family and Lake Mansarovar is discribed as a Holy Lake where Shiva and Indra descend to swim. This Godly home must be visited once in a life time. In Jain holy text Mt. Kailash is known as Mt Meru.
Along the parikkrama one can also have darshan of Gouri Kund. Yatries collect water from Gouri kund and Manasarovar Lake which is considered very auspicious. Two night halt is allowed at Manasarovar after the darshan of Holy Kailash to allow yatries to bathe in the holy water and recover some energy. A yagna is also performed at the shore of the holy Lake and Prasad distributed.
Enroute yatries can also have darshan of OM Parvat near Nabhidhang on Indian side and Rakshas tal on the Chinese side. Rakshas tal is only 2 kms from Mansarovar and it is said that Ravana did his tapasya at this place to get favour from Shiva. Yatries are not allowed to take bath in this lake.
There are two approved routes for undertaking this pilgrimage. First route is through Lipulekh Pass (Uttrakhand) and the other through Nathu La pass in Sikkim. Last year yatra through Nathu La pass was cancelled due to Doklam standoff.
The yatra through Lipulekh pass is undertaken partly by road transport and partly on foot or by hiring pony. The yatra through Nathu La pass is mostly performed by road transport, except for the parikkrama of Holy Mount Kailash which is done on foot or hiring a pony.
Usually 18 batches of pilgrims are allowed through Lipulekh Pass and 10 batches of pilgrims through Nathu La Pass. Itinerary indicating date wise send-off and return of each batch from/ to Delhi is available on the website. The number of yatries in each batch is restricted to 60.
Citizens of India having a valid Passport and between the age of 18 and 70 years can apply for this yatra. The pilgrims are required to be physically fit and mentally strong as the journey will take them through some challenging environment consisting of rough tracks, high altitude, peaks, streams, waterfalls, etc.
The selection of yatries is done through draw of lots. Applicants can also give their preference for yatra route. For Lipulekh pass route 24 days and for Nathu La pass route 21 days are assigned for yatra.
A Liaison Officer from MoEA accompanies the yatries for the entire journey. He carries with him the Group Visa issued by Chinese Embassy. He also carries with him necessary medical kit and does liaison work with the Chinese on the Tibetan side of the yatra.
The arrangement for yatra on Indian side is done by Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) for Lipulekh pass and Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) for Nathu La pass. The arrangement for only boarding and lodging is done by Chinese on Tibetan side while arrangement for food is made by yatries themselves by engaging cooks and buying provisions at Taklakot (also called Purang), Tibet. Payment for the same is to be made by the yatries.
The estimate cost of yatra through Lipulekh pass is Rs 1.60 lakh and that from Nathu La pass Rs 2.00 lakh approx. There is no financial assistance from GOI and all expenses are to be borne by yatries themselves. Certain state governments provide varying amounts of incentive (Rs 30000 to Rs 1.00 lakh) to the yatries from their states, after they have completed the yatra. Some religious organisations also provide some incentive in order to encourage people to proceed on this life time experience.
At the time of send-off a farewell function is organised by Delhi Government to felicitate yatries. The function is attended by a Minister from Delhi Government who meets each yatri and conveye his good wishes. When I had a chance to meet the Minister, I was surprised when the Minister informed me that he was very happy to see a yatri from J&K, which as per him was very rare. The Delhi Government also paid Rs 4000 to all yatries who undertook the yatra last year, as incentive. The amount was credited to bank accounts of yatries.
Details
Divya A, April 20, 2025: The Indian Express
The Mansarovar yatra
Lake Mansarovar, known locally as Mapam Yumtso, is a high altitude freshwater lake near Mount Kailash in the Ngari Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
Both the lake, which is at an elevation of 4,600 metres, and the adjacent 6,638-metre high mountain, which Hindus believe is the home to Lord Shiva, are sacred in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and the Tibetan Bon religion. Hundreds of pilgrims make the arduous journey to the region each year; they generally trek to Lake Manasarovar, and then circumambulate the nearby Mount Kailash.
Till the yatra was stopped in 2020, the MEA itself organised the pilgrimage for Indians between the months of June and September each year. The journey usually took between 23 and 25 days, and was open to anyone holding Indian passports, displaying medical and physical fitness (all yatris were thoroughly screened before the journey), and above the age of 18 and under the age of 70.
Registrations would open by April-May every year, after which a draw of lots would be held to fill the limited slots. The total cost of the yatra would be upwards of Rs 2 lakh.
The details of this year’s yatra are yet to be announced by the MEA.
The two routes
There are two primary routes to reach Lake Mansarovar from India.
LIPULEKH PASS ROUTE: Lipulekh pass lies at an altitude of 5,115 metres, on the border between Uttarakhand and TAR, near the trijunction with Nepal. It is an ancient passageway between the Indian subcontinent and the Tibetan Plateau, frequented by traders and pilgrims alike.
While the Lipulekh pass route is the most direct way to get to Mansarovar from India — as the crow flies, the lake is roughly 50 km from the border — the terrain makes the journey very challenging. Currently, this route entails roughly 200 km of hard trekking. Before 2020, it had been operational since 1981.
NATHU LA PASS ROUTE: Nathu La pass lies at an altitude of 4,310 metres on the border between Sikkim and TAR. It is one of two mountain passes in the region — the other being Jelep La — that have connected Sikkim and Tibet since ancient times.
The route to Mansarovar from Nathu La is much longer in terms of distance — close to 1,500 km. But it is fully motorable, meaning pilgrims can make it all the way to the lake without any trekking. (They would only need to trekk 35-40 km for the circumambulation of Mount Kailash). This route became operational in 2015.
On the Indian side, logistics were arranged by the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam on the Lipulekh route, and the Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation on the Nathu La route. TAR authorities provided accommodation and logistics on the other side of the border. (The yatra’s continued suspension was due to TAR authorities not making arrangements on their side of the border).
While one could provide the preference of route during the registration process on the MEA portal, routes were assigned by a computer. And once they were assigned, it was difficult to change routes.
NEPAL ROUTE: No private operators function on the two official routes. There is, however, a third route through Nepal in which private companies do operate. In theory, this route has been accessible to Indians since 2023, when China reopened its border with Nepal. But visa and permit requirements, as well as high costs due to China-imposed fees, have meant that few have likely availed this option.
In recent years, some airlines have been operating chartered flights out of Nepalgunj, Nepal in which the faithful can get an aerial darshan of Mount Kailash. India too is developing a Mount Kailash viewing spot in Dharchula, near Lipulekh, which will provide a direct line of sight to the sacred peak.
Suspensions of the Yatra
1994-2024
Divya A, April 20, 2025: The Indian Express
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which has not taken place since 2020, will resume in 2025. This comes as a part of a larger rapprochement between India and China in recent months.
A thaw in ties
While the yatra had initially been suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, deteriorating relations between India and China meant that it did not resume even after the virus was no longer a concern. Ties between the two neighbours had nosedived following a number of border skirmishes in 2020, most notably on June 15 in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh, which caused casualties on both sides.
Since 2024, however, both countries have been looking to improve ties. They signed a pact last October to disengage at Demchok and Depsang, the two remaining friction points on the border. The very same month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met China President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan.
The resumption of the yatra was formally discussed for the first time at the Special Representatives meet in Beijing between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and China Foreign Minister Wang Yi in December.
In January this year, following Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s visit to Beijing, the two countries agreed in principle to resume the yatra. A formal announcement with details will be made soon, with New Delhi and Beijing likely wanting to get this sticking point out of the way before the next Special Representatives meet, set to be held in Delhi later this year.
