By The Sampadak Express
After a five-year hiatus, the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is set to resume between June and August 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Friday. The Yatra, which was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and border tensions with China, will once again be conducted via the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and Nathu La Pass in Sikkim.
Online registrations are now open at http://kmy.gov.in. Pilgrims will be selected through a computerised, fair, and gender-balanced process. This year, five batches of 50 pilgrims each will travel via Lipulekh Pass, while ten batches of 50 pilgrims will use the Nathu La route.
The Yatra’s resumption follows a series of diplomatic engagements between India and China, including discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan in October 2024. The two nations have since made progress on disengagement in Eastern Ladakh and have resumed normal military patrolling at friction points like Depsang and Demchok.
The issue of resuming the Yatra was consistently raised by Indian officials, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during the G20 Summit in Rio (November 2024), and at subsequent meetings between Indian and Chinese diplomats in December 2024 and January 2025. The decision was finalized during a bilateral review meeting in Beijing on March 26, 2025.
This year’s Yatra also coincides with the 75th anniversary of India-China diplomatic relations. In addition to the pilgrimage, both countries have agreed to enhance people-to-people ties, resume direct Delhi-Beijing flights, and encourage media and think tank exchanges.
The Lipulekh route, which includes a recently constructed 80-kilometre road from Pithoragarh to the pass, had previously drawn objections from Nepal due to its strategic location at the India-China-Nepal tri-junction.
Pilgrims and applicants are encouraged to use the official website’s feedback system for any queries or suggestions, as traditional communication methods like letters or faxes will not be entertained.
