The much-awaited Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a holy pilgrimage for Hindus, will resume this summer after a five-year hiatus. The Yatra, which has not been undertaken since 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic and a subsequent suspension of cooperation from the Chinese side, will again be made available to pilgrims after successful diplomatic interactions between India and China. This was stated by the government in Parliament on Thursday.
The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which is an annual journey to Mount Kailash and the Mansarovar Lake in Tibet, is usually done between June and September. The Yatra is undertaken through two designated routes: the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand, which has been functioning since 1981, and the Nathu La Pass in Sikkim, added in 2015. Since the last five years, the pilgrimage was on hold, mostly because of the breakout of Covid-19 and non-renewal of arrangements by China as required, which caused a break in the schedule of the pilgrimage.
Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, had confirmed that the Yatra would be restarted in reply to questions raised within Parliament. The minister explained that the Indian government had brought about the matter of restarting the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through diplomatic means. Interestingly, the issue was deliberated during a meeting between India’s External Affairs Minister and his Chinese counterpart during the G-20 Summit of November 18, 2024, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More talks were conducted on the margins of the G-20 Foreign Ministers’ conference in February 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the 23rd meeting of the Special Representatives of India and China on the Boundary Question in December 2024 in Beijing. These talks led to the decision to restart the Yatra in 2025.
The resumption of Yatra is a huge development for millions of pilgrims who treat Mount Kailash as a holy place, considered the home of Lord Shiva. The pilgrimage is of immense religious and cultural significance, attracting thousands of pilgrims every year. The Yatra was suspended in 2020 after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the ensuing geopolitical crisis had further retarded its resumption. The agreement between India and China to resume the Yatra this summer marks a significant milestone in the restoration of this cherished tradition.
Although the modalities and terms of resumption of the Yatra are yet to be finalized between the two governments, both routes—the Lipulekh Pass and Nathu La Pass—are likely to be operationalized again. The Ministry of External Affairs has assured that the safety and smoothness of the Yatra is ensured on the Indian side in coordination with Chinese authorities.
This move is likely to cause tremendous relief and happiness to the large number of pilgrims who have been eagerly looking forward to the resumption of the pilgrimage. The resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra not only signifies the re-emergence of a deeply religious practice but also indicates the continued diplomatic process between India and China to iron out problems relating to cross-border cooperation and religious tourism.
While both sides negotiate the terms and modalities, the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra this summer is a testament to the resilience of diplomatic ties and the timeless cultural and spiritual importance of the holy pilgrimage to Mount Kailash.
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