This renewed journey has revived India's religious faith as well as geopolitical activism and its fascination with mountain tourism.
Although India has opened the Nathula route in Sikkim, the route to reach Kailash Mansarovar through Nepalese territory is still preferred by many. Especially Indian pilgrims like this route more. Because it is not only short in distance, but also scenic in nature.
Mansarovar can be reached by road via Darchula-Lipulek or by air via Simkot-Hilsa route. However, this route is short and geographically challenging. The cost is also relatively high.
Indian and Nepali travel agencies operate package tours of 10 to 15 days on this route. The total cost of which is about 3 to 4 lakh Nepalese rupees. On the contrary, it takes at least 20 days to pass through Nathula, so a long time must be allocated . Also, the journey can be a bit slow and tiring as buses and vehicles are used.
Looking at the geo-political side of the journey, the 23rd India-China Special Representative Meeting held in Beijing on December 18, 2024 was very important. China's senior leader Wang Yi and India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval participated in this high-level talks held after five years. In the
meeting, a deep agreement was reached between the two countries on maintaining peace in the border region, resuming the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nathula Marg and expanding cross-border trade. After a long time with the same agreement, the door of Mansarovar Yatra has been opened.
selection through online application
is one of the mysterious and wonderful places on earth, Kailash Mansarovar . Located in the Tibetan territory of China, this holy land is at an altitude of about 5000 meters above sea level. It is considered very special not only from a religious point of view, but also as a natural beauty, silence and a miraculous structure of geography .
The Government of India has refocused its vision towards this supernatural destination and started the journey again after about eight years . The route of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Nathula route, which was blocked due to the Dokala border dispute and subsequent corona epidemic in 2017, has now returned to its old rhythm. Indian citizens will apply online for
travel and will be selected through a computerized lucky-draw system . After being selected, the passengers have to undergo health examination, passport verification, practice training and pay a fee of around 283,000 baht to the government.
State governments including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana provide partial subsidies to travelers going on the Mansarovar Yatra. Uttar Pradesh gives Rs 1 lakh, Haryana Rs 50,000 and Uttarakhand Rs 30,000. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India, the governments of Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh also provide travel grants ranging from 20,000 to 1 lakh.
Both China and India have built strong infrastructure on the Nathula route. Health camps, weather monitoring centers and emergency aid systems have been established for adaptation to the high mountain environment . Advisor to Chief Minister of Sikkim Birendra Tamling said that security has been given top priority in travel management.
What is the Doklam dispute?
Doklam is a high mountain plateau, located on the south-western border of Bhutan . However, this territory is a disputed area claimed by Bhutan and China.
In June 2017, China started construction of a new road in the Doklam area. Bhutan objected to this as a violation of its internal territory . India tried to stop the construction of the road by intervening militarily at the request of Bhutan. China strongly objected to India's move as an act against its territorial integrity. After that, the soldiers of India and China faced each other in the Doklam area for about 78 days, which led to the peak of tension.
Doklam is a very sensitive area from a strategic point of view for India, as this place is located near the 'Chicken Neck' (Siliguri Corridor). A narrow strip of land, which connects the north-eastern states of India with the rest of the country . For this reason, India has been considering the geographical stability of Doklam as very important from the security point of view.
The Doklam dispute not only created a rift in India-China relations, it also completely disrupted the Kailash Mansarovar journey and cross-border trade through the Nathula route. At that time, about a hundred Indian pilgrims who had gone on a journey were turned back by the Chinese army from Nathula Pass. That incident also made the religious journey a victim of geo-political tension.
Before that, during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India in 2014, an agreement was reached between the two countries to allow Indian pilgrims to travel to Mansarovar using the Nathula route. For the first time after that agreement, about 200 passengers reached Mansarovar using that route. The journey interrupted by the Doklam tension has reopened after about eight years.
This trip, which started in June 2025, has re-established India's religious faith, geo-political activism and its attraction towards mountain tourism.
