Context

Following a five-year pause due to COVID-19 and India-China tensions, the Kailash-Mansarovar yatra resumed in 2025.

What is Kailash-Mansarovar yatra?

Kailash Manasarovar Yatra is a sacred pilgrimage undertaken by devotees to reach Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, located in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.

Spiritual and Geographical Significance

• Mount Kailash, which rises 6,638 metres in Tibet's Ngari Prefecture bordering India and Nepal, is deeply sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Tibetan Bon believers. 
• Hindus consider it Lord Shiva's dwelling; Jains regard it as the site of their first leader's enlightenment; Buddhists refer to it as the center of the universe; and Bon religions regard it as the home of the sky goddess Sipaimen. 
• South of the mountain are two lakes, Manasarovar (freshwater) and Rakshastal (saltwater), both of which are important to these spiritual traditions. 
• Mount Kailash is also the source of four main rivers: the Brahmaputra, the Indus, the Sutlej, and the Karnali, making it a spiritual and geographic landmark.

Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra: Then and Now

• The Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage consists of two treks: a 90 km circumambulation of Lake Mansarovar, which takes 3-5 days, and a more challenging 52 km circumambulation of Mount Kailash, which takes three days.
• In the late 1990s, pilgrims would start in Tseti camp, walk around Mansarovar via Huore and Seralung Monastery, and then travel around Kailash beginning in Tarchen, passing locations like Dirapuk and Dolma La.
• Trekking on the Indian side has decreased from 27 km in 2019 to 1 km in 2025, thanks to improved motorable roads.
• The Nathu La route, which opened in 2015, makes the journey even easier: pilgrims can travel the whole 1,500-kilometer stretch from Nathu La to Mansarovar by car or bus.
• This demonstrates the pilgrimage's increased accessibility throughout time.

Source: Indian Express