A group of 36 Indian pilgrims successfully completed the difficult trek around Mount Kailash and the holy Mansarovar Lake, marking the return of the revered Kailash Mansarovar Yatra after a six-year break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
In addition to being a spiritual turning point for the pilgrims, this restart is a major diplomatic achievement since it is the first time that a people-to-people mechanism between China and India has been restored since ties were strained.
In a renewed commitment to cross-Himalayan cultural interaction, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping decided to resume the yatra during their 2024 meeting in Kazan.
With special preparations arranged by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in cooperation with Chinese officials, the group, which included pilgrims ages 18 to 69, was welcomed in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. In order to ensure the Yatris’ comfort and well-being while they were staying at the Zhunzhu Pu dormitory, they included the supply of Indian cooks and medical assistance.
According to Ali Prefecture Deputy Commissioner Wen Tao, the successful execution of this yatra is viewed as a “grand organization for cross-Himalayan cultural exchange” and is anticipated to open the door for the reestablishment of other bilateral mechanisms like direct flights, visa services, tourism routes, and economic cooperation.
The pilgrims’ arrival highlighted the wider warming in India-China ties, as it coincided with high-level trips to China for Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) talks by India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra’s revival is therefore a positive indication of increased diplomatic interaction and people-to-people communication in the post-pandemic period, as well as a monument to the two countries’ longstanding spiritual links.
