Context: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) recently announced that the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which has not taken place since 2020, will resume this year. 

Meaning of the context: While the yatra had initially been suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, deteriorating relations between India and China meant that it did not resume even after the pandemic. Ties between the two neighbours had nosedived following a number of border skirmishes in 2020, most notably on June 15 in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh.

Learning Zone:

• Lake Mansarovar, known locally as Mapam Yumtso, is a high altitude freshwater lake near Mount Kailash in the Ngari Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
• Both the lake and the adjacent 6,638-metre high mountain, which Hindus believe is the home to Lord Shiva, are sacred in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and the Tibetan Bon religion. 
• Pilgrims generally trek to Lake Manasarovar, and then circumambulate the nearby Mount Kailash.

There are two primary routes to reach Lake Mansarovar from India.

• Lipulekh Pass Route: Lipulekh pass lies at an altitude of 5,115 metres, on the border between Uttarakhand and TAR, near the trijunction with Nepal. It is an ancient passageway between the Indian subcontinent and the Tibetan Plateau.
• While the Lipulekh pass route is the most direct way to get to Mansarovar from India — the lake is roughly 50 km from the border — the terrain makes the journey very challenging. Currently, this route entails roughly 200 km of hard trekking.
• Nathu La Pass Route: Nathu La pass lies at an altitude of 4,310 metres on the border between Sikkim and TAR. It is one of two mountain passes in the region — the other being Jelep La — that have connected Sikkim and Tibet since ancient times.
• The route to Mansarovar from Nathu La is much longer in terms of distance — close to 1,500 km. But it is fully motorable, meaning pilgrims can make it all the way to the lake without any trekking. (They would only need to trekk 35-40 km for the circumambulation of Mount Kailash).
• Nepal Route: No private operators function on the two official routes. There is, however, a third route through Nepal in which private companies do operate. In theory, this route has been accessible to Indians since 2023, when China reopened its border with Nepal. But visa and permit requirements, as well as high costs due to China-imposed fees, have meant that few have likely availed this option.

Source : Indian Express