Why Nepal is objecting to Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Lipulekh Pass

Key points

• The road winds up through Uttarakhand's high mountains, past army posts and prayer flags, before opening into a stark, wind-cut pass that leads towards Tibet.
• For decades, this route through Lipulekh has quietly carried Indian pilgrims on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
• Now, it carries something else -- a dispute.
• As India and China prepare to facilitate the 2026 yatra through the pass, Nepal has formally objected, saying the route cuts through territory it claims as its own.
• What looks like a religious journey has once again turned into a diplomatic flashpoint.