Krishna Adhikari/Yagya Bikram Shahi
Nepalgunj, February 19
Mount Kailash, with a height of 22.030 feet above sea level, is a sacred Hindu pilgrimage site in Tibet, China. Buddhists and Jains also consider it as their sacred place. Mansarovar Lake, another holy site is spread over an area of 410 square meters at an altitude of 15 thousand 60 feet and is the source of Sutlej, Indus, Brahmaputra and Karnali rivers.
Every year, about 20 to 25 thousand Indian pilgrims reached Kailash Mansarovar on road via the Humla-Hilsa and Rasuwa-Kerung passes of Nepal.
Mysteries around Mt. Kailash
Apart from religious beliefs, Mt. Kailash carries some geological mysteries. Some believe that time passes faster here than anywhere else, nails and hair grow quick, and people age in weeks. Some even say it’s the ‘navel of the universe.’
Although this is not the tallest mountain, it is said that no one has succeeded in scaling it so far because of steep slopes and unpredictable weather conditions.
The shape of Mt. Kailash resembles a man-made pyramid and is surrounded by more than 100 other smaller pyramids of 100 to 1.800 metres in height. The snow cap of Mt. Kailash never melts, and there is minimal presence of wildlife in the region.
Visitors report the constant humming sound of ‘AUM’ is audible in the region. However, the scientists believe that this is the sound of melting snow.
Routes to Mt. Kailash
Some tourists used to reach Simikot in Humla, a northern mountainous district of Nepal, and trekked about 150 kilometres to Limi Lapcha pass and visited the Kailash Mansarovar from Nepali land.
Before the spread of COVID-19 in 2020, about 12 thousand Indian tourists visited Kailash Mansarovar from Nepalgunj only through Simikot and Hilsa. From Nepalgunj by plane to Simikot Airport, from Simikot Airport to Hilsa by small helicopter, and from Hilsa by road about 100 kilometres, they reached the Kailash Mansarovar area.
Alternatively, they reached the Kailash Mansarovar area on the fourth day via a 600-kilometre-long road from Kathmandu via the Araniko highway, which is about 115 kilometres long and goes through the Kodari pass. The highway began operation in 1988 and was closed after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.
Basu Adhikari, managing director of Touch Kailash Travels and Tours Kathmandu, said that 15-16 thousand Indian tourists went for the Kailash pilgrimage every year before the COVID-19 started by crossing the 184 km long Pasanglyamu route from Kathmandu to Kerung, an alternative route.
Ban on travel and aerial worshipping
With the increased risk of corona infection, the ban imposed by the Chinese government on the entry of Kailash Mansarovar for Indian tourists since 2020 has not been lifted even after four years have passed. The worshipping of Kailash Mansarovar, which has stopped for four years due to the ban imposed by the Chinese government, has started from the Nepali sky through a mountain flight.
Bikas Mishra, Managing Director of the Indian travel company Trip to Temple, said that Indian tourists and tourism entreprenuers who reached Nepalgunj by road from different provinces of India were very excited to see Kailash Mansarovar by mountain flight from Nepal.
Indira Bajrachaman, a tourist from Karnataka, India, said that it was the greatest privilege of her life to have a sight of Kailash Mansarovar even though it was by mountain flight.
On January 29, 2024, a group of Indian tourists visited Mt. Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in China’s Tibet for the first time from Nepalgunj on a Shree Air charter flight from the Nepali Sky.
The airliner’s senior captain, Praful Baidya, claimed that their aircraft gave Indian tourists a view of the Kailash Mansarovar from 27.000 feet above Limi Bhangyang in Humla district.
Rochesh Saxena, an Indian tourist, said he felt lucky to see Mt. Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in one go from a mountain flight of about one and a half hours.
Hindu beliefs
In Hinduism, Mount Kailash is considered the abode of Lord Shiva. There is a religious belief that Lord Shiva resides in Mt. Kailash with his wife Parvati and children Ganesha and Kartikeya.
In the Hindu scripture – Bishnu Purana, it is mentioned that Lord Shiva is in the form of a lotus flower in deep meditation in a state of eternal bliss in Mt. Kailash.
Shiva devotees believe seeing and circumambulating Mount Kailash cleanses one’s sins and attains virtue.
Pandit Abhinab Tripathi, who came from Kashi Baranasi, recited puja to the tourists who visited Kailash Mansarovar from the plane.
What is in store?
Keshab Neupane, director of Siddharth Business Group of Hospitality, said that the vision of Kailash Mansarovar, which started from Nepalgunj through a charter flight, has opened the door of opportunity for visitors to see Mt. Kailash as well as new possibilities in Nepalgunj’s tourism industry.
With the start of Kailash Mansarovar’s charter flights, Shree Air has dedicated its aircraft with a call sign of CRJ 700 9N AMB at Nepalgunj airport. Upendra Shrestha, station manager of Shri Air at Nepalgunj, said that the charter flight to Kailash Mansarovar is ready to go with the demand of travel agencies and tourists.
Mahesh Gautam, Managing Director of Pathhill Holidays in Kathmandu, said that along with the launch of packages for tourists, Pathhill Holidays, as the official travel company of the charter flight started by Shree Air for Kailash Mansarovar, has received enthusiastic bookings and responses.
Tourists can easily visit Kailash Mansarovar from Kathmandu and Lucknow in India via Nepalgunj through a charter flight. Nepalgunj has become a new tourist destination for tourists with the launch of the route from Nepalgunj to Kailash Mansarovar through charter flights.
Cost of flights
For Indian tourists, the flight costs (USD 615) are approximately 75% less than the road travel, which costs USD 2.461 minimum and a week. For other nationals, the total cost may vary. Hotels in Nepalgunj are comparatively cheaper than those in Kathmandu or Pokhara.
Tourists who want to see Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar can do so by charter flights without an age limit, health check-up reports, and even a passport.