Why Nepal Is Objecting To India-China Kailash Mansarovar Yatra Plan

The 1816 Treaty of Sugauli ended the Anglo-Nepalese War and drew Nepal's western boundary along the Kali River. Nepal maintains that the river originates at Limpiyadhura and that land east of that source—including Kalapani and Lipulekh—belongs to Nepal.

Nepal's Foreign Ministry formally objected to India and China's plans to conduct the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Lipulekh, reiterating that Lipulekh sits on Nepali soil and urging both neighbours to refrain from activities there without Kathmandu's consent. The statement also noted that the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra for 2026 will proceed June-August with 1,000 pilgrims in batches of 50 via two routes (Nathu La in Sikkim and Lipulekh in Uttarakhand), with online registrations open and a May 19 deadline.

In August 2025, India and China agreed to reopen Lipulekh Pass for border trade during Wang Yi's visit to India. Nepal's response was swift; former Prime Minister Oli later raised the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin shortly after.

In June 2020, Nepal's Parliament unanimously endorsed a new map that explicitly adds Limpiyadhura, Kalapani, and Lipulekh to Nepali territory, embedding the claim in law.

In May 2020, India's Border Roads Organisation inaugurated an 80-kilometre road linking Dharchula to Lipulekh. Nepal called the move provocative and released a new official map that includes Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani within Nepal.

In 2015, India and China agreed bilaterally to open Lipulekh as a trade corridor and as the route for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra; Nepal was not consulted, drawing protests from Kathmandu that such bilateral arrangements cannot legitimise Nepali territory without Nepal's knowledge.

Following the 1962 Sino-Indian War, Indian troops established posts in the Kalapani valley to monitor the Chinese border, and they never left.

The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra has used Lipulekh Pass as a route since 1954.