Editor's View: Disruption in Kailash Mansarovar Yatra: Nepal explodes, Balen buffets for Lipulekh road, India gives a befitting reply, know the real story of the dispute

The new bride will knock on the door more. This proverb applies in Nepal. The new government of Nepal has started airstrikes to stop the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. However, India has also given a strong reply. What obstacles did Nepal try to create, what is the entire dispute over Kailash Mansarovar, today its in-depth story... Namaste, Kailash is a mysterious mountain. In Buddhist texts, it is called the center of the universe. It is written in Rigveda that the holiest peak in the Himalayas is Kailash. This is the abode of Lord Shiva. Millions of people from India are eager to visit Mount Kailash every year, but only a few people are allowed to go. There are two ways to reach Kailash Mansarovar. The first route passes through Nathula Pass in Sikkim and the second passes through Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand. Nepal says that this Lipulekh pass belongs to us. If you want to pass through here, you'll have to ask. What did Nepal say about the Lipulekh road? The Ministry of External Affairs, Government of Nepal, informed the Government of India in writing. The letter said that if the pilgrims of India go to Kailash Mansarovar, they should not go through the route of Lipulekh. Because this is a part of Nepal. He has said the same thing to China. If Chinese citizens want to go to Kailash, they will not have to go through Lipulekh. Lipulekh is the place where the border of three countries meet. Nepal, China and India's Uttarakhand. There are two other areas around Lipulekh. It is a part of India but Nepal has been claiming it as its part. One is Limpiyadhura and the other is Kalapani. These three areas of Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani are part of India but Nepal considers them as its own. The question is, why did Nepal say that if you want to go to Kailash Mansarovar, you should not go from Lipulekh? Nepal attributes this to a 210-year-old treaty. The Treaty of 1816, known as the Treaty of Sugoli. Nepal talks about the Sugoli Treaty 210 years ago, what is it? On April 30, the Indian government announced that the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is being resumed. This journey is being started with China. The yatra will take place between June and August. Of these, 10 batches of 50 people each will go to Tibet from Lipulekh in Uttarakhand. And 10 batches of 50-50 people will go from Nathula Pass in Sikkim. In this way, 1000 tourists will be exempted. The first batch of the yatra, which will start from Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, will depart from Delhi on July 4. Before that, passengers will have to complete the medical, document and briefing process in Delhi between June 30 and July 3. The biggest change in the yatra this time is that now the entire yatra will be able to be done by road. Earlier one had to walk more than 60 kilometres, now only 38 kilometres will have to be walked. The entire journey will be 1738 kilometers, mostly by vehicle. There will be less walking. India replied to Nepal that Nepal could not claim Lipulekh as part of its territory by presenting years old unsubstantiated historical facts. Pilgrims from India used to go to Kailash Mansarovar on this route since 1954. There is nothing new in this. Pilgrims from India will pass through Lipulekh. Where is the Lipulekh Pass? Lipulekh Pass is an important place in the Himalayas on the border of the Tibet Autonomous Region of Uttarakhand, India and China, near the border of India, Nepal and China. The pass connects Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand with the town of Purang (Taklakakot) in Tibet. Since ancient times, traders, pilgrims and monks have used this route for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. The Pithoragarh-Lipulekh Pass Highway (PLPH) is used to reach Lipulekh from the Indian side. In 2020, Nepal released a map of 'Greater Nepal', the Indian government built a road starting from Tawaghat in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand to Lipulekh Pass. It was inaugurated on 8th May 2020. Nepal was outraged. In October 2020, Nepal released a map of 'Greater Nepal'. At that time, KP Sharma was in the Oli government. Oli was leaning towards China and Balen was also inclined towards China. The map of Greater Nepal released by Oli showed the three areas of Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapa in Nepal. Then on December 20, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a public event in Haldwani, said that India has built the Tanakpur-Pithoragarh 'All Weather Road' along with the road up to Lipulekh. Now work is underway to carry it forward up to Mansarovar. Earlier, the coalition government in Nepal was silent on the Prime Minister's statement, but the Oli government opposed Modi's statement. Modi also said that this road is being constructed only for the devotees of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. The total distance of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra will be 1738 kilometers this time. In this, about 1690 km will have to be travelled by vehicle and only 38 km will have to be walked on the track. Before 2019, one had to walk 60 kilometres from Dharchula to Lipulekh Pass. The journey was very difficult due to lack of oxygen and adverse conditions on the way. Now with the construction of roads on both India and China, this journey has become much easier. Vehicles have started reaching the border area. It has become easier for the elderly and especially the devotees who are travelling for the first time to reach Kailash Mansarovar. The journey to Kailash Mansarovar is difficult... During the 1962 war between India and China, China took control of India's Kailash and Mansarovar. Even today, if you want to go to Kailash, it is not as easy as going to Shimla. ITBP personnel, Chinese soldiers can go only after fifty types of checks. Devotees believe that one should visit Kailash-Mansarovar once in a lifetime to make births successful. The journey lasts for two to three weeks (depending on where you start). Last year too, Nepal sang an old song, the US imposed tariffs, so India and China came closer. The two countries decided to trade through Lipulekh and oil was poured into Nepal's stomach. On May 8, 2025, Rajnath Singh inaugurated the second phase of the Lipulekh road, the next day on May 9, Nepal's foreign ministry issued a press release objecting to it. It claimed that Lipulekh falls on the part of Nepal. The construction of this road is wrong. In the press release, Nepal also referred to the Treaty of Sugauli of March 1816. In short, whenever Nepal objected, he would start singing the old song of the Sugoli treaty. Now let's talk about Kailash, why is this mountain so important? We have been reading and hearing for years that no one can climb Mount Kailash. Yes, some people have been able to circumambulate 52 kilometers. So far, 7000 people have climbed Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, its height is 8848 meters, while the height of Kailash is 2000 meters less than Mount Everest, yet no one has been able to climb it. Kailash has stood firm ever since the creation of the universe. Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism believe that Kailash is sacred and mysterious. The gurus of the Tibetan monastery believe that there is a flow of supernatural energy around Mount Kailash. Far from climbing Kailash, even after reaching close to Kailash, the mind becomes empty and one feels a supernatural current. Tibet has three parts. Eastern Tibet, Western Tibet and Central Tibet. Kailash and Mansarovar are in western Tibet. And finally... Tibetan astrologer Daulat Raipa has written that every 60 years, the fire horse becomes a rare yoga of the year. This time this yoga is happening. It is believed that a visit to Kailash once this year will take 12 lifetimes. That is why devotees not only from India but all over the world are expected to reach Kailash this year. Monday through Friday at 8 p.m. Stay tuned to Editor's View. See you again tomorrow. Namaskar. (Research: Yashpal Bakshi)