Indian envoy to China shows facilities available for Manasarovar pilgrims
Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Doraiswami, who recently visited Tibet to review arrangements for Indian pilgrims for Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, has posted a video explaining the facilities.
“Greetings, friends from India, pilgrims on the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. This is from the Embassy of India in Beijing. We wish you a warm welcome in Yadong County, China,” he said in the video taken in Yadong County of Tibet posted on the Indian Embassy website on Friday.
He said the pilgrims will be received by the Chinese Customs and Immigration authorities at Nathulla Pass entrance. After immigration formalities, they will be taken by bus to Yadong County, which is a journey of about 35 to 40 minutes. A special facility was built at Yadong County for the Border market, which is to start sometime soon, he said. Doraiswami explained the amenities, such as restaurants and foreign currency exchange, and cautioned pilgrims about the cold climate. He also promised to post more videos to highlight the facilities at different places.
Doraiswami went to Lhasa last week on his first visit to the Tibet Autonomous Region to jointly review arrangements made by local government authorities for Indian pilgrims on the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra.
The pilgrims are scheduled to arrive later this month. Doraiswami took over as ambassador early last month and has been interacting with the senior Chinese foreign ministry officials on the bilateral issues.
The pilgrimage, organised by the Ministry of External Affairs, was suspended initially in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently because of the military standoff between the two sides on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. It resumed in June last year after the first batch of Indian pilgrims arrived at Manasarovar Lake in Tibet after a five-year hiatus.
Resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra was the first initiative taken by both countries last year after the resumption of ties following the meeting between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Kazan in Russia in 2024.
