Nepal reiterates territorial claim to Lipulekh Pass, flags concerns over Kailash Mansarovar Yatra

Nepal's Foreign Ministry formally restated its territorial claim to Lipulekh Pass, opposing the planned India-China Kailash Mansarovar Yatra scheduled for Ju...

What Happened

Nepal's Foreign Ministry formally restated its territorial claim to Lipulekh Pass, opposing the planned India-China Kailash Mansarovar Yatra scheduled for June–August 2026.
Nepal conveyed its "clear stance and concerns" to both India and China through diplomatic channels, urging them to avoid road construction, border trade, and pilgrimage through the pass.
The Yatra, which will allow approximately 1,000 Indian pilgrims across two routes (500 via Lipulekh in 10 batches of 50, and 500 via Nathu La), resumed after a multi-year suspension linked to pandemic disruptions and border tensions.
The Ministry of External Affairs opened registrations on kmy.gov.in; the Yatra is scheduled between June and August 2026 with a registration deadline of May 19.
Nepal argues the three territories — Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani — lying east of the Mahakali River are integral parts of Nepal since the Sugauli Treaty of 1816, a claim India has consistently rejected.

Static Topic Bridges

The Sugauli Treaty of 1816 and the Kalapani Dispute

The Sugauli Treaty, signed between the British East India Company and Nepal in 1816 following the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–1816), established Nepal's western boundary along the Kali (Mahakali) River. The treaty, however, did not explicitly identify the source of the river, creating an enduring ambiguity. Nepal contends the Kali originates at Limpiyadhura, which would place Lipulekh and Kalapani within Nepalese territory. India maintains that the effective source is at Kalapani village (where tributaries merge), placing the trijunction east of that point and keeping the pass under Indian administration — a position that has held since the British colonial era.

The Anglo-Nepalese War ended with Nepal ceding about one-third of its territory; the Sugauli Treaty defined its modern borders.
India has administered the Kalapani area since the 1962 Sino-Indian War, when Indian security forces were deployed there.
Nepal amended its constitution in 2020 to incorporate Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani into its official political map, which India formally rejected.
The British surveyor W.J. Webb's 1816 survey and subsequent colonial-era cartography remain contested reference points.

Connection to this news: Nepal invokes the Sugauli Treaty as the primary legal basis for its objection to Indian and Chinese activities through Lipulekh Pass, framing the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra as a violation of its territorial sovereignty.

Lipulekh Pass — Strategic and Commercial Significance

Lipulekh Pass (elevation ~5,334 m) is located at the India-Nepal-China trijunction in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, providing the shortest overland route from India into Tibet. Its strategic value lies in controlling mountain trade and trans-Himalayan access.

India and China conducted bilateral trade through Lipulekh from 1954 to 1962 under the Panchsheel Agreement framework; trade resumed in 1992.
In 2020, India inaugurated a road linking Dharchula to Lipulekh Pass (80 km), which Nepal protested as passing through its claimed territory.
The pass sits near Taklakhat (Purang) in Tibet's Ngari prefecture and is the traditional route for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage.
Its resumption as a Yatra route in 2025–26 is considered part of confidence-building measures in India-China relations post-Galwan disengagement.

Connection to this news: The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Lipulekh brings the territorial dispute into immediate diplomatic focus, as using the pass for an organised pilgrimage implicitly reinforces India's administrative claim over the region.

Kailash Mansarovar Yatra

The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage organised by India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in Tibet (China). It holds profound religious significance for Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Bon followers. The Yatra operates via two routes: Lipulekh Pass (Uttarakhand) and Nathu La Pass (Sikkim).

The Yatra was suspended from 2020 due to COVID-19 and subsequent border tensions; it resumed in 2025 following troop disengagement at Depsang and Demchok.
The MEA manages the Yatra through a computerised, random, gender-balanced selection process.
For 2026, 1,000 pilgrims are to be facilitated in 20 batches (10 via each route).
China's facilitation of the Yatra is viewed as a diplomatic signal of improving bilateral ties.

Connection to this news: Nepal's objection targets the Lipulekh leg specifically, as it passes through territory Nepal claims; the Nathu La route is uncontested by Nepal.

Key Facts & Data

Lipulekh Pass elevation: approximately 5,334 metres (17,500 feet)
Sugauli Treaty year: 1816 (signed between British East India Company and Kingdom of Nepal)
Nepal's constitutional amendment incorporating disputed territories: 2020
India-China trade via Lipulekh: 1954–1962, resumed 1992
Kailash Mansarovar Yatra 2026: 1,000 pilgrims, 20 batches, June–August, via Lipulekh and Nathu La
Kmy.gov.in registration deadline: May 19, 2026
Nepal's Foreign Ministry statement date: May 3, 2026
Nepal's claim: Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, Kalapani — east of Mahakali River