Longstanding border tensions between Nepal and India have resurfaced after New Delhi announced the resumption of a major pilgrimage route through the disputed Lipulekh Pass in the Himalayas.
On Thursday, India said that pilgrimage travel through the Lipulekh Pass — located near the tri-junction of China, India, and Nepal — would resume this year following consultations with China. The route had remained suspended since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nepal strongly protested the announcement. In a diplomatic note issued on Sunday, Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that, according to the 1816 Sugauli Treaty signed between the Kingdom of Nepal and British colonial authorities, the area falls within Nepalese territory.
The statement reaffirmed Kathmandu’s “clear and firm position” that the regions of Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani are integral parts of Nepal.
In response, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said that pilgrims from Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Bon communities have been using the Lipulekh route since 1954 to travel to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.
An Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, “This is not a new matter. India has consistently maintained that such claims lack both justification and historical basis. These unilateral and artificial territorial claims are unacceptable.”
According to India’s plan, around 500 Hindu pilgrims are expected to travel to Tibet this year through the Lipulekh Pass via Uttarakhand state. Additional pilgrims are also expected to enter Tibet through another route via India’s Sikkim state.