Nepal has objected to India and China routing this year’s Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Lipulekh Pass, claiming the strategic Himalayan route lies on its territory, a move India has firmly rejected as “untenable” and not based on historical facts.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Nepal’s foreign ministry said it was not consulted before the pilgrimage route was finalised and reiterated its longstanding position that Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani — areas east of the Mahakali River — are integral parts of Nepali territory under the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli. The ministry said it had formally conveyed its objection to both New Delhi and Beijing.
India pushed back hard. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described Nepal’s claims as “neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence” and “a unilateral artificial enlargement of territorial claims” that is “untenable”.
He stressed that Lipulekh has served as a pilgrimage and trade route for decades since the 1950s, calling India’s position consistent and longstanding. “This is not a new development,” Jaiswal said, while adding that India remains open to dialogue on outstanding boundary issues.
The annual yatra to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in Tibet’s Autonomous Region holds major religious significance for Hindus, Jains and Buddhists. India announced in late April that this year’s pilgrimage would run from June to August via Lipulekh in Uttarakhand and Nathu La in Sikkim.
The dispute dates back decades but gained prominence in 2020 when Nepal, under then-prime minister K.P. Oli, updated its official map to include the contested areas. That move followed India’s inauguration of an 80km road to Lipulekh, which Nepal criticised as a unilateral act.
The latest flare-up comes as Nepal’s new prime minister, Balendra Shah, seeks to balance assertive nationalism with pragmatic diplomacy shortly after taking office in March. The Lipulekh issue highlights the complex dynamics at the tri-junction where the borders of India, Nepal and China converge, even as broader India-Nepal ties remain underpinned by deep cultural, economic and people-to-people connections.
