Geostrategic Passes Connecting Kailash Mansarovar Yatra | 12 May 2025

Source: TH 

India announced the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra (KMY)  after a 5-year pause, halted by China in 2020 due to Covid-19 and Line of Actual Control (LAC) tensions. KMY has been operational since 1981. 

• About KMY: KMY is a pilgrimage organized by the Ministry of External Affairs (India) to Mount Kailash (6,638 m) and Lake Mansarovar (4,600 m) in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR)  of China. 
• Official Operational Routes (as of 2025):  
  • Lipulekh Pass (Uttarakhand): It is the shortest route to Mansarovar (50 km from the border), but rough terrain extends the trek to 200 km.  
    • It was the first Indian border post opened for trade with China in 1992, followed by Shipki La (1994) and Nathu La (2006). 
  • Nathu La Pass (Sikkim): This 1,500 km fully motorable route (it is one of the world's highest motorable roads) opened in 2015; easier for pilgrims, no trekking needed.  
    • Nathu La connects Sikkim with China's TAR and is part of the ancient Silk Road. 
• Mount Kailash: Mount Kailash, a diamond-shaped black rock peak in Tibet, is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Bons, and is the source of major Asian rivers like the Brahmaputra, Sutlej, Indus, and Karnali.