On Wednesday alone, 29 airplane flights and 56 helicopter flights took place, and 2,100 pilgrims visited Kailash-Mansarovar in 3 weeks.
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The Humla district headquarters of Simkot has been packed due to the influx of Indian pilgrims. With the start of the pilgrimage season, tourism professionals, hoteliers, porters, etc. have been in a hurry. The Civil Aviation Office has stated that 170 (two-way) flights were operated at Simkot Airport on Wednesday alone. According to the office, 29 flights were operated from Nepalgunj to Simkot and 56 flights were operated by helicopters for Simkot-Hilsa. According to the District Police Office, 2,124 Indians have visited Kailash-Mansarovar in the three weeks since the pilgrimage began. Indian tourists reach Simkot from Nepalgunj by plane, while they go to Hilsa on the China border by helicopter. According to business professionals, nearly 16,000 Indian tourists have made 'bookings' for the pilgrimage this year. The District Police Office maintains a record of tourists entering Humla. According to the police, about 1,200 men and 900 women have visited Mansarovar so far.
‘There are crowds of Indian pilgrims everywhere now,’ said Humla Chief District Officer Tek Kumar Regmi, ‘Flights are already operating since 6:30 in the morning, necessary arrangements have been made for the safety of tourists.’ According to Humla Airport Chief Mahendra Bahadur Singh, Tara, Summit and Sita Airlines have kept two aircraft each in Nepalgunj to ferry pilgrims, while six helicopters from Simrik, Fishtail, Mountain, Prabhu and Kailash Air are on standby at Simkot Airport.
‘Since the wind blows from 12 noon, flights start from 6:30 in the morning,’ he said, ‘Until Wednesday, up to 12 flights were being operated daily, flights increased sharply on Wednesday, more than 15 flights are scheduled on Thursday as well, air traffic jams have been seen due to the high number of aircraft at once.’
The Kailash Yatra Operators Association (ACTON) has stated that more ‘bookings’ have been received this year than last year and that ‘bookings’ are still ongoing. Acton President Bimal Naharki said that the attraction of many tourists to Mansarovar is seen through the Hilsa border due to weather, geography, distance and cost. According to him, this year, travel arrangements have been made for Kailash-Mansarovar darshan through 35 tours and travels. Last year, about 6,500 Indian pilgrims went to Mansarovar darshan via Humla.’
According to the businessman, those who go on pilgrimage through the Hilsa checkpoint go to Humla via Nepalgunj via Lucknow, India.
‘The nearest Indian airport from Nepal is Lucknow, the distance from there to Nepalgunj is 190 km, which can be traveled in 3 hours,’ said Chairman Naharki, ‘From Nepalgunj, one can go to Simkot by plane and then reach Hilsa on the Chinese border by helicopter, from there the distance of 105 km to Mansarovar can be completed in 4 hours.’ According to him, tourists who stay in Nepalgunj on the first day stay in Simkot, the headquarters of Humla, on the second day, and from there they reach Hilsa on the Chinese border by helicopter and stay at Darchen Base Camp on the banks of Mansarovar on the third day.
He informed that on the fourth day, they reach Mount Kailash, which is about 60 km away, and return after visiting it. ‘Those who can walk reach Kailash and circumambulate the 52 km distance, while the disabled visit Darchen Base Camp and return,’ said tourism entrepreneur Vijay Singh. ‘From there, they return to Simkot the next day and return to Nepalgunj the next day. This route can be completed in 7 days at the earliest.’
According to tourism entrepreneurs, it takes at least 10 days to make the Mansarovar pilgrimage from other parts of Nepal. Mansarovar can also be traveled by road via Rasuwagadhi in Rasuwa to Kerung, while some pilgrims also travel to Mansarovar by air via Lhasa in China. The Tatopani checkpoint in Sindhupalchowk is currently closed.
Siddhartha Business Group of Hospitality CEO Krishna Neupane said that about a dozen big hotels in Nepalgunj are now full. He informed that he is hosting up to 100 Indian tourists daily in his hotel. Vijay Lama, the operator of Vijay Hotel in Simkot, informed that he has managed up to 80 people in his hotel in a single day. According to him, 15 hotels with tourist facilities in Simkot and 7 in Hilsa are full. Ram Bahadur Bhandari, the president of the Humla Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that after Indian tourists started using the Humla route, they have found good employment as porters, hoteliers, and tourist guides.
‘After tourists started taking them as Koseli, local products such as apples, walnuts, beans, phapar, and uba have found a market and price,’ he said, ‘Local vegetables are also consumed in the district, due to which farmers have been attracted to commercial vegetable farming.’
According to tourism entrepreneur Tenzin Norbu, the most tourists come from South India, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and North India. According to him, various state governments have arranged grants of Rs 25,000 to Rs 100,000 for pilgrims coming on the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage. Due to which, he informed that the attraction of Indians to Kailash-Mansarovar has increased. According to him, Telangana state has been providing grants of Rs 25,000, Karnataka Rs 50,000 and Uttar Pradesh Rs 100,000.
He said that a package of Rs 250,000 to Rs 300,000 has been prepared for Indians for this pilgrimage. According to him, Nepalis are being taken to visit Kailash in a package ranging from Kathmandu to Rs 150,000. ‘Various religious texts mention that Lord Shiva resides on Mount Kailash,’ said Norbu. ‘The Mansarovar-Kailash pilgrimage is considered important as a symbol of self-purification, liberation from karma and salvation, so Indians believe that one should visit Kailash at least once in their lives.’
Babu Patel, 64, of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, said that the easiest route to Mansarovar-Kailash is through Humla. He said that after years, the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage has been fulfilled. ‘Corona also postponed the journey by 3/4 years,’ he said, after visiting Mansarovar on Tuesday and reaching Nepalgunj via Humla. ‘After visiting Kailash, I experienced the direct vision of Shankarji. I believe that visiting Kailash has brought salvation.’ Rishikesh Gupta, 58, of Agra, Uttar Pradesh, who was a member of his travel team, said that visiting Kailash has given him the greatest happiness in his life. ‘We hope that Bholenath will fulfill our wishes,’ he said, ‘I felt golden bliss after visiting Kailash.’
According to the Kailash Yatra Operators Association Nepal, nearly 15,000 people have booked the pilgrimage till the end of September this year.’ Acton President Naharki said that it is estimated that at least 10,000 people will visit Kailash via Hilsa this year. ‘Various religious texts mention that Lord Shiva resides on Mount Kailash,’ he said, ‘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.’
Indian pilgrims had started using the Hilsa route since 2006. After the 2072 earthquake, the number of pilgrims through the Hilsa checkpoint in Humla increased dramatically. Tourism entrepreneur Sange Lama said that retired people and businessmen are the most frequent pilgrims. “Indians believe that they should visit Kailash once in their lifetime,” he said. “Retired people have money and 10 to 15 days of time, so many people in this age group come on pilgrimages.” According to him, the 6,714-meter-high Kailash mountain is triangular (pyramid) in the north-west of the border of China, India and Nepal. It takes at least one to three days to circumambulate the 53-kilometer base of Kailash mountain. The Lama informed that arrangements will be made for those who want to visit in one day. The circumambulation, which starts from Darchen, passes through Yamadwar-Dirapuk-Juthulpuk-Dolmala and ends at Darchen. Four major Asian rivers, Sindhu, Sutlej, Brahmaputra and Karnali, flow from Mount Kailash, located near Lake Mansarovar and Rakshasa Lake. He said that it is claimed that no one has climbed the mountain so far.
Religious activist Jhakku Prasad Upadhyay said that Kailash Darshan is important for all religions within the Omkar family. According to him, Buddhists worship Thank Rimpoche, Jains worship the deity of the mountain, and Bons worship him as 'Pribuddhist'. ‘Hindus, Buddhists, Bon and other religions circumambulate in a clockwise direction,’ he said, ‘Jains circumambulate counterclockwise.’
Santosh Kumar from Agra in Uttar Pradesh said that they come on pilgrimage because they believe that they can see Lord Shiva in person at Kailash. ‘Mount Kailash is also the abode of Lord Shiva, and it is believed that one can attain salvation by visiting it,’ he said, who was going to visit Kailash from Nepalgunj via Humla on Tuesday. ‘We believe that after visiting, Bholenath will fulfill our wishes.’ Similarly, Dhananjay Puri from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, who booked a flight on Friday, said that he believes that Indians should visit Kailash at least once.
‘If you don’t reach Kailash, you cannot attain salvation no matter how many other pilgrimages you do,’ he said, ‘The blessings given by Kailashpati are the most important thing in our lives.’ Being a high Himalayan region, there is heavy snowfall on Mount Kailash for at least 3 months, while there are storms during Chaitra-Baishakh. The time from June to September (from Jeth to Bhadau) is considered suitable for darshan. However, pilgrims complain that they have to suffer in obtaining a visa for Kailash darshan. Santu Nigam, who came from Uttar Pradesh, said that Indians are not being given individual visas for Kailash darshan.
‘There is a provision that there should be at least four people for a visa and that an entry visa cannot be obtained without a guide,’ he said, ‘due to which we have to accept whatever the travel agency says, and we are forced to pay whatever they say.’ He said that the Mansarovar Yatra is a sacred and unique experience for Indians. ‘Its religious and cultural significance is great. We want to go to Mount Kailash even once in our lives for bathing, worship and religious rituals,’ he said. ‘There is a popular belief that bathing in Lake Mansarovar will bring merit and wash away the sins of many births.’
Shivraj Sharma, head of the District Coordination Committee of Humla, says that since the tour involves experiencing various Himalayan settlements, climates and different biodiversity, the Mansarovar Yatra is also an exercise in self-discipline, restraint and dedication. According to him, amidst the altitude, cold, fatigue and difficulties, pilgrims try to balance their body and soul through mantras, meditation and yoga. ‘Since the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is a journey through high Himalayan regions, it is also an adventure,’ he said. ‘Due to adverse weather, this journey can be tiring and various health problems can occur, so it is important to be alert at all times.’ He said that tourists have suffered even though there is a lack of infrastructure on this journey. He says that tourists are facing problems due to the lack of seasonal food and suitable accommodation, as well as inconveniences such as telephone, internet, drinking water, and toilets.
