Nepal Floods Expose Heavy Reliance of Kailash Pilgrims on Risky Private Routes

Hyderabad: The devastating flash floods that swept through Nepal’s Rasuwa district and the adjoining Tibet region showed how hundreds of Indians and Indian-origin pilgrims who went missing, were either on their way to the Manasarovar pilgrimage, or were returning through Nepal using private tour operators.

While the ministry of external affairs (MEA) organises the official Kailash Manasarovar yatra every year, its route does not pass through Nepal and goes directly to Tibet. In 2026, the government-organised pilgrimage had 20 batches in total, divided into 10 batches each for two routes; one travelling through the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and another through Nathu La in Sikkim.

Each batch has 50 pilgrims, with the Central government selecting 1,000 pilgrims to Mount Kailash each year who are selected through a random draw of lots. As pilgrims have to trek through high altitudes of up to 19,500 feet, where the oxygen level in the atmosphere falls, pilgrims have to undergo extensive and detailed medical examinations at the Delhi Heart and Lung Institute and the ITBP Base Hospital. Only after passing the tests will they be allowed to go on the pilgrimage.

Additionally, the trip takes 21 days on both the routes assigned by the government. In the Nathu La Pass route, the pilgrims are taken from Delhi to Shimla’s Gangtok via bus. From Gangtok, they are taken to Gangtok’s 15th mile, then to Sherathang near Gangtok, pass through immigration and customs and head to Gyangze in Tibet. They are further taken to Lhatse and Zhongba, and eventually reach Tarqin where they begin the Kailash Parikrama. They eventually reach Chugu, where they stay at Manasa Sarovar, and start their return journey from the same destinations.

In the Lipulekh Pass route, pilgrims are taken from Delhi to Tanakpur, then to Dharchula, Gunji and Nabhidhang, all in Uttarakhand. From Nabhidhang, the pilgrims are taken to Purang County after immigration, and are taken to Tarqin for the Kailash Parikrama. They stay at Chugu, and return to Purang County and return to Budhi in Uttarakhand and make their way to Delhi. Both the routes take 21 days to travel.

Because of the limited number of openings for the pilgrimage, along with the rigorous physical tests and longer travel times, many pilgrims turn to private travel agencies. These operators organise journeys through Nepal, allowing Indians, NRIs and foreign nationals to travel to Mount Kailash without going through the MEA's lottery-based selection process.

With India and China having a specific government-to-government arrangement for the Kailash Manasarovar pilgrimage through the Lipulekh Pass and Nathu La Pass routes, private operators cannot use these routes and have to go through Nepal to reach Mount Kailash.

The Nepal route begins in Kathmandu and travels north through Trishuli, Dhunche, Syafrubesi and Timure before reaching the Rasuwagadhi border crossing with Tibet. From there, pilgrims enter Tibet through Gyirong County (also known as Kerung) and continue toward Saga, Paryang and eventually reach Darchen, the base for the Kailash Parikrama.

Trishuli, Dhunche and the Rasuwagadhi border crossing were among the key regions devastated by the flash floods in Nepal on Wednesday.

According to Nepal government immigration data, 13,523 religious tourists travelled through the Rasuwagadhi crossing to Kailash Manasarovar during the 2025-26 financial year. This was an 18.75 per cent increase from the previous year, when 11,387 pilgrims used the route.

The wider border crossing also recorded 53,742 movements during the year, with Indians making up the largest group at 24,278. The rise in pilgrimage traffic is partly linked to the Rasuwagadhi route being considered more affordable than the alternative route through Hilsa in Nepal's Humla district.

Private operators generally arrange the Chinese group visas and Tibet travel permits for their clients. The overland journey from Kathmandu to Kailash can take around 10 to 14 days, depending on the package and conditions. Another private option involves travelling by air from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj, then Simikot and Hilsa before entering Tibet.

The scale of private travel explains why the floods affected so many pilgrims at once. Isha Foundation’s tour group involved 77 pilgrims and three staff members. The group had completed its pilgrimage and was reportedly at the Gyirong immigration centre on the Chinese side, when they lost contact with everyone. The group consists of several Indian-origin pilgrims.

The Rasuwagadhi route's growing popularity means thousands of pilgrims now pass through a narrow Himalayan corridor each year. The floods have exposed the risks involved in relying on this route, where roads, bridges, communication networks and border infrastructure can be extremely vulnerable to sudden floods and landslides.