Good News For Lord Shiva Devotees: India, China To Expand Kailash Mansarovar Yatra From 2026

In a good news for Lord Shiva devotees, India and China have agreed to further expand the scale of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, starting next year.

The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra—a sacred annual pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in Tibet—is organized by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) through two primary routes: Lipulekh Pass (Uttarakhand) and Nathu La Pass (Sikkim).

The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra was suspended in 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and mounting India–China tensions, including border stand-offs.

In the years that followed, the resumption of the pilgrimage increasingly featured in diplomatic overtures between the two sides, symbolising both cultural connectivity and the potential for people-centric engagement.

These efforts finally began to take shape in early 2025, when preparations for restarting the Yatra were formally initiated.

In June, India and China reaffirmed the resumption of the Yatra during senior-level discussions in New Delhi.

On 14 June, the first batch of pilgrims was flagged off from Delhi.

A total of 750 pilgrims were selected through a gender-balanced, computer-generated draw from 5,561 applicants (4,024 men and 1,537 women).

They were divided into five batches of 50 via the Lipulekh route and ten batches of 50 via the Nathu La route, marking the structured and carefully coordinated return of the sacred journey after five years.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was on a visit to India on 18 and 19 August, met with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday (19 August).

During the meeting, the two sides "had positive, constructive and forward-looking discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest and agreed on the following understandings and outcomes/practical steps on people-centric and economic engagement", according to a Ministry of External Affairs statement.

Both sides also agreed to "continue and further expand the scale of the Indian pilgrimage" Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar, the statement added.

Further, the two nations also "agreed to resume direct flight connectivity between Chinese mainland and India at the earliest, and finalize an updated Air Services Agreement. They also agreed on the facilitation of visas to tourists, businesses, media and other visitors in both directions".

Also Read: Kailash Manasarovar Yatra Resumes After Five Years As First Batch Of Pilgrims Flagged Off