The Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage season has begun for Indian pilgrims. Businessmen are busy taking bookings to start the pilgrimage from next week. According to businessmen, nearly 5,000 people have made travel bookings for the pilgrimage so far. Pilgrims travel by road via Kerung in Rasuwa and Hilsa in Humla for the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage.

The Tatopani border in Sindhupalchowk is currently closed, while some pilgrims travel to Mansarovar by air via Lhasa in China. Recently, the governments of India and China have agreed to open the pilgrimage via Lipulekh. Among them, the Hilsa border has attracted the most tourists due to weather, geography, distance, and cost.

Indian pilgrims have continued to book for Kailash-Mansarovar darshan through 35 tours and travels this year. According to traders, those going on pilgrimage through Hilsa checkpoint go to Nepalgunj via Lucknow, India, and Humla. ‘The nearest Indian airport from Nepal is Lucknow, from there the distance to Nepalgunj is 190 km, which can be traveled in 3 hours,’ said Bimal Naharki, president of the Association for Kailash Tour Operators (ACTON) Nepal. ‘From Nepalgunj, Hilsa can be reached via Simkot by plane, from there the distance to Mansarovar, which is 105 km, can be completed in 4 hours.’

Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage opens after four years 

According to him, tourists who stay in Nepalgunj for the first day stay in Simkot, the headquarters of Humla, on the second day, and from there they reach Hilsa on the Nepal-China border by helicopter and stay at Darchen Base Camp on the banks of Mansarovar on the third day. On the fourth day, they reach Mount Kailash, which is about 60 kilometers away, and return after visiting it, he informed. 'Those who can walk reach Kailash and circumambulate it for a distance of 52 km, while those who are unable to do so return after visiting it from Darchen Base Camp,' said another tourism entrepreneur Vijay Singh, 'After returning from there, they come to Simkot to stay the next day and return to Nepalgunj to stay the next day. This route is completed in 7 days at the earliest.' According to tourism entrepreneurs, it takes at least 10 days to complete the Mansarovar pilgrimage from other parts of Nepal. 

According to the District Police Office, Humla, 6,042 people visited Kailash-Mansarovar via the Hilsa checkpoint in Humla last year. China had only opened the pilgrimage last year after the Corona epidemic. According to the District Police Office, Humla, 5,717 Indians and 325 citizens of other countries visited Mansarovar via the Humla route last year. Of these, 3,334 were men and 2,708 were women.

Amrit Adhikari, CEO of Satyam Tours and Travels, said that the number of pilgrims is expected to increase this year. According to him, about 1,400 Indian pilgrims have made bookings through the travel agency so far. Out of them, about 1,000 people use the Humla route, he said. According to him, some Indian pilgrims come to Kathmandu via New Delhi by air and visit Pashupatinath and go to Nepalgunj.

Until the 2072 earthquake, Indian pilgrims used the Tatopani checkpoint in Sindhupalchowk. After the route was closed due to the earthquake, the Humla route was started, said Vijay Lama, a hotel and tourism entrepreneur from Simkot. "The opening of this border has benefited the entire tourism industry of Karnali. We are preparing to welcome guests this year as well," he said. "The necessary food and accommodation for tourists are being arranged."  Since 1985, there was an agreement between the Nepal-India governments to go on the Mansarovar pilgrimage via Nepal. Since then, the pilgrimage, which has been taking place every year, was stopped in 2020 due to the Corona epidemic. This year, the Indian government and the Uttarakhand government have given permission to 500/500 people for the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage via Lipulekh and Nathalu. ‘They will travel to Kailash Mansarovar via Dehradun in Uttarakhand along the Mahakali coast via Lipulekh-Taklakot (Old),’ said Acton President Naharki, ‘It will take them 3/4 days from there.’

Humla Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Ram Bahadur Bhandari said that Indian tourists have found good employment as porters, hoteliers, and tourist guides after they started using the Humla route. 

He informed that he managed up to 80 people in his hotel in a single day last year. According to him, 7 tourist hotels in Hilsa and 15 in Simkot, the Humla district headquarters, were full last year due to the pressure of tourists. About 25 small-investment hotels are also operating in Hilsa and 30 in Simkot for Indian tourists. 

Humla Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Ram Bahadur Bhandari said that Indian tourists have found good employment as porters, hoteliers, and tourist guides after they started using the Humla route. "Local produce such as apples, walnuts, beans, peas, and beans have found a market and value as tourists start taking them as souvenirs," he said. "Local vegetables are also consumed in the district, which has attracted farmers to commercial vegetable farming." 

With the increase in the number of Indian pilgrims, Simkot Airport is also struggling to accommodate flights. Simkot Airport Chief Mahendra Bahadur Singh said that last year, up to 82 flights were operated at Simkot Airport in a day to ferry pilgrims. According to him, last year, two planes from Sita Airlines, two from Tara, and three from Summit Airlines flew from Nepalgunj to Humla, while five helicopters were kept ready at Simkot Airport to ferry tourists. He informed that the pilgrims who reached Simkot by plane were taken by helicopter to Hilsa on the China border. According to him, this year too, aircraft and helicopter companies have started taking initiatives for flights. 

He said that a package of 250,000 to 300,000 Indian rupees has been prepared for Indians for this pilgrimage. According to him, Nepalis are being taken to visit Kailash in packages ranging from Kathmandu to 150,000 rupees. ‘Various religious texts mention that Lord Shiva resides on Mount Kailash,’ said Norbu, ‘The Mansarovar-Kailash Yatra is given importance as a symbol of self-purification, liberation from karma and salvation, so Indians believe that one must visit Kailash at least once in their lives.’ According to tourism entrepreneur Tenzin Norbu, the largest number of tourists come from South India, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and North India. According to him, various state governments have arranged grants ranging from 25,000 to 100,000 rupees for pilgrims coming on the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage. He informed that due to this, the attraction of Indians to Kailash-Mansarovar has increased. According to him, Telangana state has been providing grants of 25,000, Karnataka 50,000, and Uttar Pradesh 100,000 Indian rupees.

Kailash Darshan is important for all religious followers within the Omkar family, said religious activist Shivkumar Sharma.

Kailash Darshan is important for all religious followers within the Omkar family, said religious activist Shivkumar Sharma. According to him, Buddhists worship Thank Rinpoche, Jains worship the deity of the mountain, and Bon worships ‘Pribuddhista’. ‘Hindus, Buddhists, Bon and other religions circumambulate in a clockwise direction,’ he said, ‘Jains circumambulate counterclockwise.’ Now that flights have started from Kathmandu and Pokhara to Lhasa in China, tourists are also going to Lhasa to visit Kailash. Acton President Naharki said that Lhasa-Purang air travel and Purang to Mansarovar can be reached by car. ‘The most suitable border crossing from Nepal is the Korla border crossing in Mustang, but it has not been opened yet,’ he said, ‘If that border crossing is opened, Kailash-Mansarovar can be reached in the shortest distance from Nepali land. This  border crossing is currently open only to locals, and if this route is opened, the pilgrimage can be done within 5 days.’

Since it is a high mountainous region, there is heavy snowfall on Mount Kailash for at least 3 months, and there are storms during Falgun-Chait. Therefore, he informed that the time from Baisakh to Kartik is considered the most suitable. 

As tourism businessmen have started taking bookings from Indian pilgrims in droves, hotels in Nepalgunj have also started getting booked. As Indian tourists have started using the Hilsa border crossing, the number of large-scale hotels opening in Banke is increasing. According to the Hoteliers Association, two each in Kohalpur and Nepalgunj have opened four five-star and four-star hotels, while about a dozen well-equipped hotels are in operation.  Businessmen preparing to welcome tourists 

 As Indian tourists have started using the Hilsa border crossing, the number of large-scale hotels opening in Banke is increasing.

Keshav Neupane, Regional Executive Director of Siddhartha Business Group of Hospitality, said that bookings in hotels are increasing with the start of the season. ‘Every year, the Mansarovar-Kailash darshan season lasts from May to September. Businessmen have also received great relief after the pilgrimage, which was closed for a long time due to Corona, reopened.’ He said, ‘This year, with the expectation that more pilgrims will come than last year, necessary management work is being done. Travel agencies have started booking hotels in a hurry.’ 

Shriram Sigdel, Chairman of NATA Banke, said that since the residents of Indian districts close to Nepalgunj will use the old route, it will not be affected immediately. ‘India has a large population, most of whom want to go on the Mansarovar pilgrimage, and those who come from wherever Nepal is close to them will go on the pilgrimage from there,’ he said. ‘Since there are many hotels and infrastructures, many pilgrims will choose to go to Mansarovar via Nepalgunj and Humla.’ He complained that the challenges of roads and other infrastructure on the Nepal side remain. He said that it is necessary to upgrade the road up to Hilsa checkpoint to increase the attraction of Indian tourists.