(TibetanReview.net, May01’25) – China is to begin letting in Indian pilgrims to receive Mt Everest and lake Mansarovar blessings in eastern Tibet’s Ngari Prefecture from Jan 30 for those joining the government-organized trip after a gap of some five years. However, the pilgrimage still remains closed to those who may wish to travel through tour operators in Nepal, according to the kathmandupost.com May 1.
Besides, only 250 pilgrims in batches of 50 will be able to undertake the government-organized trip this year. Before 2020, this programme facilitated approximately 1,000 to 1,500 pilgrims, according to Indian media reports. For example, in 2019, a total of 1,346 pilgrims took part —1,005 via Lipulekh in Uttarakhand state and 341 via Nathu La in Sikkim, according to the financialexpress.com Feb 23, 2025.
In addition to the two government-organized routes from India, far higher number of Indians used to undertake the pilgrimage from Nepal. In 2019, the number was nearly 30,000, according to the kathmandupost.com Jan 18, 2025.
However, despite the reopening of Hilsa border point on Apr 30 last year, the closure of the Kailash-Manasarovar pilgrimage route has continued to leave the Hilsa area eerily quiet for the past five years, said the kathmandupost.com report May 1.
Since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, China shut down access to this sacred site, halting what used to be an annual influx of nearly 15,000 pilgrims, mostly Indians, from May to October, the report said.
The main factor which contributed to this shut down has been the Galwan Valley clashes between Indian and Chinese border troops in 2020, which led to a freeze in bilateral ties.
The Chinese government traditionally opens this Tibet pilgrimage route from April to September each year. And it is said that when Tibet was free, Indians did not need visas to undertake the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage.
The route through Hilsa was stated to have gained popularity after the 2015 earthquake, which led to the closure of the Tatopani dry port border. In fact, since 2006, Indian pilgrims had increasingly favoured the Hilsa route for their spiritual journey. The continued closure of this pilgrimage route has had a profound economic impact on western Nepal, particularly the Humla district, the report said.
Local government representatives have said the tourism industry in the district had collapsed due to the restriction on Kailash-Mansarovar visit. “Although China reopened the Hilsa border, it still hasn’t allowed access to Manasarovar. Hotels are empty, local goods have no market, and investments in tourism are at risk,” Shiva Raj Sharma, chief of the District Coordination Committee in Humla, has said.
Airport records from Humla are stated to show that prior to 2020, airlines like Tara, Sita and Summit operated up to 40 flights daily between Nepalgunj and Simikot to transport pilgrims. Chief District Officer Narayan Pandey has stressed that reopening the pilgrimage route is crucial to revitalizing Karnali Province’s tourism.
The Kailash-Mansarovar sites are sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and the followers of Tibet’s pre-Buddhist religion Bon.
Even locals with permit to work across the border in Tibet are stated to be subjected to tight restrictions. While local labourers continue to use Hilsa to reach the Tibetan town of Taklakot for work, even that is limited, the report said.
Chief District Officer Narayan Pandey has said that about 7,000 people have received temporary permits to work across the border. However, returnees are currently only allowed to bring back one sack of goods.