The violence in Nepal has significantly affected the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra arrangements for numerous residents of Calcutta who had made tour reservations but are now compelled to cancel.
The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra resumed in June 2025 after a five-year hiatus because of border tensions between India and China.
The outbreak of political violence in Nepal since early last week has forced groups planning to go to Kailash Mansarovar to cancel.
Pilgrims from India go through Nepal to the Tibet Autonomous Region under China to reach the lake.
A group of eight was supposed to go on September 18.
“We had to cancel the trip because the permission from the Nepal authorities did not come. We waited till Tuesday afternoon for the permission, but we did not get it,” said Abhijit Das, managing director, Hermes Voyages, the travel agency that was conducting the trip. “We had applied for the permissions about a month ago. However, because of the violence, everything was stalled in Nepal,” said Das.
The pilgrims go through Nepal to access Kailash Mansarovar, and permissions are needed from the governments of Nepal and China.
According to Das, each person had to spend around ₹6 lakh for the eight-day tour.
The pilgrims were to arrive in Kathmandu and then fly to Nepalgunj and then onwards to Simikot in the northwestern part of Nepal the next day by a chartered flight.
On day three, the pilgrims were scheduled to fly to Hilsa by helicopter, then cross the Nepal-China border and drive to Taklakot city, also known as Purang.
Everyone has to get acclimatised to the climate there. On the fourth day, the group was scheduled to drive towards Mansarovar and view Mount Kailash from Horchu.
“We paid around ₹9 lakh to the Nepalese authorities for the required permissions. Now we have to get the refund,” said Das.
“The period between September and the first week of October is the best time to go to Mansarovar. The maximum demand is around this time,” said Das.
On September 10, the Indian embassy in Beijing issued an advisory for Indians in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
“The prevailing situation in Nepal has impacted the planned travel arrangements of Indian citizens undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra organised by private tour operators via Nepal,” the embassy said in a post on X.
“In view of ongoing developments, Indian citizens presently in the Tibet Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China, are advised to exercise due caution,” it said.
Salt Lake resident Tapswaya Saha, 71, was at Kailash Mansarovar last week and was caught in the violence while returning to Calcutta.
Saha, an educationist from Salt Lake’s HA Block, started the trip on August 31 and returned on September 10.
“I went from Lucknow to Nepalgunj, where I met other members of the group,”
Saha said on Tuesday. They took the usual route through Simikot and Hilsa to
Mansarovar.
“The lake was breathtaking, and I had never seen anything like this before. It was a lifetime’s experience,” said Saha. After Kailash Mansarovar, they returned to Nepalgunj on September 9.
“Everything was shut because of the violent protests. Our hotel was a 15-minute drive from the airport in Nepalgunj, but it took us more than an hour because the vehicle carrying us had to make detours through villages, avoiding the town,” she recounted. “We could see flames in the town.”
“We heard many pilgrims were struck at Hilsa and Simikot because the flight services were closed after we took off,” he said.
“We had plans to shop, which we had to cancel and did not go out of the hotel,” said Saha.
The following morning, they departed at 8am to arrive at the border before the curfew was enforced at 10am.
“On the way, we saw a customs office burning. There were youths on motorcycles and others gathering on both sides of the road. We were scared, but they didn’t do anything to us,” said Saha.
Tour operators said a few groups from Calcutta visited Mansarovar before the violence, but now things were uncertain.
“We sent two groups to Kailash Mansarovar earlier and were hoping for more tours since the pilgrimage opened after five years. But now everything is uncertain,” said Raktim Roy, managing director, Dolphin Travels.