Modi will be Pilgrim No. 1 to cross Nathula!

MANSAROVAR VIA NATHULA COULD COME AS EARLY AS JUNE 2015

VISHNU NEOPANEY
If things proceed to plan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be leading the first batch pilgrims over Nathula to Kailash Mansarovar as early as the summer of 2015!
Senior officials at the Tourism Department here, when contacted for an update on the proposed opening of a new route to Kailash Mansarovar in the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China via Nathula, informed that things are progressing at a very fast clip and that the Centre and the State are aiming at having the first batch of pilgrims taking the route in June 2015.
Officials at the Tourism Department inform that as things stand, the plan is to flag off the first batch of pilgrims to Kailash-Masarovar from the border pass of Nathula in June next year. The Prime Minister is reported to have evinced interest in leading the first pilgrimage to Kailash via Sikkim himself. It is clearly this directive which has Delhi putting the project on fasttrack.
India and China, it may be recalled, had signed a bilateral agreement on the Nathula alternative route as recently as in end-September 2014. MoU’s are one thing, and delivery quite another and very few were expecting the new route to open any time soon. The agreement to open Nathula for border trade was signed in the year 2003 for instance and the actual resumption happened only in 2006.
The Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China on opening a new route for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Nathula was , signed on 18 Sept 2014 as part of 12 MoUs inked after delegation-level talks between India and China. The MoU provides for conducting the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nathula in addition to the existing Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand. “The route through Nathula will augment the capacity and reduce the hardship and journey time enabling many more pilgrims in particular aged pilgrims to undertake the Yatra,” the MoU states.
Officials inform that more than 1,600 pilgrims, moving in ten batches, are expected to take the Sikkim route to Kailash-Masarovar next year. Frenetic preparations are underway to ensure that the June deadline is met, officials here inform.
Two senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs were recently in Sikkim to examine Sikkim’s infrastructural preparedness for the new development and to finalise other nitty-gritties. They are reported to have identified two places - 17th Mile and Sherathang – on the JN Road as acclimatization centres for pilgrims.
As per a proposal floated by the MEA, the pilgrims will be required to halt at least for two days in Gangtok and then proceed to 17th Mile and Sherathang for further acclimatization before they proceed to the thinner air of the Tibetan plateau beyond Nathula.
The alternative route from Nathula will reportedly proceed through Shigatse in TAR and then move on to Kailash-Mansarovar.
Following the preliminary inspection of preparedness in Sikkim and further requirements here, a meeting is scheduled to be held in Delhi on 25 November between officials from Tourism and Home Departments of Sikkim and officials from concerned central Ministries to chalk out the finer modalities and devise co-ordinations and distribute responsibilities.
There is reportedly already an agreement to monitor the Nathula-Kailash Mansarovar Yatra on G2G [Government-to-Government] basis. Once the G2G plan is finalized, the Sikkim Tourism Development Cooperation will be shouldered a bigger role in sending pilgrims to Kailash-Mansaorvar and coordinating their travel and return to India upto Gangtok.
Meanwhile, a seven-member team comprising of State Government representatives and MEA officials is expected to travel across Nathula to Kailash-Mansarovar on a trial run in March next year. This tour is expected to provide them with an even better understanding of the feasibility and further requirements of this pilgrimage.
The Nathula route is considered a comparatively easier route to the ones currently being used. The existing routes are through Uttarakand and Nepal, and both involve heavy-trekking through grueling terrain at altitudes up to 19,500 feet. The new route will allow pilgrims to be driven all along, travelling first from Gangtok in Sikkim to Shigatse in Tibet from where they can take vans and buses on the existing road to Mansarovar and Kailash directly.
Facilities for proper weights and measures, warehouses, inspection posts, rest houses, improved transportation facilities, proper roadway, and better opportunities for traders as well as for tourists need to still be provided for further growth and trade benefits.
Sacred to Hindus, Jains and Buddhists, the journey to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake located in the Himalayan mountain ranges of the remote Southwestern corner of the Tibetan Autonomous Region is usually undertaken from Uttarakhand via Lipulekh Pass or overland from Nepal.
While the Nepal route takes 10 days, the arduous trekking option via Uttarakhand takes 27 days. The Nathula option, as per projections, will take only 8 days to complete the yatra. While the Nathula route is usually open from March to November, the Lipulekh route is only open for four months in a year from June to September. Also, there is a limit on the number of pilgrims allowed to take the Lipulekh route every year. Normally there are 16 batches of 35 pilgrims each every year.

Prepping Sikkim for Mansarovar Yatra

Chief Secretary R Ongmu led a high-level delegation comprising of senior officials of the State Government, the Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, and Customs & Immigration to take stock of infrastructure in place and the improvements required along the Gangtok-Nathula corridor in the event that the pass is opened for pilgrims travelling to Kailash-Mansarovar in Tibet. The findings and recommendations worked out from this visit will be discussed at a meeting scheduled with the Ministries of Home and External Affairs in the first week of November to discuss this project.
This was the first visit to Nathula by any high level delegation led by the Chief Secretary to check on the preparedness of the State to host the alternate route agreed upon by India and China for pilgrims travelling to Kailash-Mansarovar. In contrast to the route through Lipulekh in Uttarakhand which requires a trek over difficult terrain and is open for a limited period in a year, Nathula, when it opens for this pilgrimage, will allow pilgrims to travel in the comfort and safety of an all-weather road.
An official press communiqué informs that the CM was accompanied by the Additional Chief Secretary cum Home Secretary SC Gupta, Heads of concerned departments, and senior engineers and officers of concerned departments like Roads & Bridges, PHE, Commerce & Industries, Tourism, Forest & Wildlife, IPR, Energy & Power, and Ecclesiastical.
At Nathula, she inspected the consolidated centre for Immigration and Customs and discussed the possibility of constructing parking facilities at the adjacent area. The team then carried out a recce of stretches of land under Forest Department for the development of an acclimatization centre for pilgrims and tourists.
At Sherathang, the Chief Secretary took detailed stock of the progress of infrastructural works under the Commerce & Industries Department.  She visited the Hotel which is nearing completion. She also visited the Trade Mart Building, the adjacent Conference Hall, and inspected the Parking yard for traders. She issued directions to ensure that all infrastructure should contribute towards the upcoming pilgrimage route.
The team stopped at various key points along the highway and discussed in detail ways to augment resources like forest, lakes, soil and other natural resources of the State and deliberated on how these could be used effectively in the overall development of the region, especially keeping in mind the Mansarovar Yatra. She also directed the Forest Department, PHE Department and Science & Technology Department to carry out a detailed study of the possibility to augment the level and purity of water at Tsomgo and Tamzey lakes and also ways and means to tap these resources to meet water requirements.
The Additional Chief Secretary, who also holds charge of Home Affairs, confirmed to NOW! that the State Government has received a communication from the Government of India in regard to the Mansarovar Yatra possibility and is hence preparing a blueprint to facilitate the yatra. The state government will bear all the infrastructural support to meet the pilgrimage tourism and required facilities at the earliest, Mr. Gupta said, adding that a detailed project report will be prepared after consultation with all the stakeholders and Government of India.
GoI officials are scheduled to visit Sikkim in the first week of November when they will hold detailed discussions on the preparedness part, the Additional Chief Secretary said.

Govt preps up for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Sikkim

Gangtok, 26 Aug [IPR]: A preliminary meeting to work out the logistics, timeframe and other matters relating to preparedness of the State Government with regard to alternate route through Nathula to conduct Kailash Mansarovar Yatra was held at the conference hall of Secretariat, here in the capital, today. The meeting, chaired by Additional Chief Secretary SC Gupta, was attended by the representatives of UD&HD, Commerce and Industries Department, Tourism Department, Roads & Bridges and Additional District Collector, East.
It may be mentioned here that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China on opening a new route for Indian Pilgrimage (Kailash Mansarovar Yatra) to the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China on 18th September 2014 during the State visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India.
The interactive meeting deliberated on various issues pertaining to Nathula Trade Route and available infrastructure, road condition in the context of the proposed new route. It also discussed on the requirement of acclimatization center for the pilgrims visiting Kailash Mansoravar. The meeting took note that the new development should not be taken into isolation but has to be a part of the holistic integrated plan.

To the Centre of the World, via Sikkim!

THE KAILASH MANSAROVAR YATRA COULD FINALLY MOVE THROUGH THE SAFER OPTION OF NATHULA
The Memorandum of Understanding signed on Thursday between the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China on opening a new route for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Nathula comes as welcome news for the tourism stakeholders of the State as well as pilgrims across the country who now have another, shorter, safer and easier alternative. The agreement was among the 12 MoUs inked after delegation-level talks between India and China on Thursday.
The MoU provides for conducting the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nathula in addition to the existing Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand. “The route through Nathula will augment the capacity and reduce the hardship and journey time enabling many more pilgrims in particular aged pilgrims to undertake the Yatra,” the MoU states.
Although a significant announcement, the MoU appears to have excited the rest of India more than Sikkim, where responses needed to be invited and were not spontaneous as one would have expected on a development which has been on a demand list for several years now. Expectedly, the Sikkim Democratic Front was the first off the block and welcomed the signing, pointing out that this has been a consistent demand of the SDF with the Central Government.
Although it is still early days, and the details of the new development are still sketchy at best, the stakeholders, when contacted, were exuberant.
JN Road Drivers cum Owners Association president, Phurba Sherpa, through whose beat the new traffic will ply when it does, expressed that the association welcomes this MoU which will be especially beneficial for the areas along JN Road [to Nathula].
“This decision was the most important for our area especially for the tourism stakeholders and this route will help for the progress and development of these areas and its people,” he added. The Association has also conveyed its gratitude towards the Central Government and the Prime Minister and to the State Government and the Chief Minister for their respective roles in the development.
“We, the people of these areas welcome this agreement and we are ready to extend our full help and support for the success of the decision of the government,” Mr Sherpa expressed. He added that the decision was in the favour of the economic development of the state and its people.
Similarly, the Travel Agents Association of Sikkim president, Satish Bardewa, mentioned that the opening of this route was a long-cherished dream of the tourism stakeholders of the state. He added that TAAS and other stakeholders had also presented memorandums seeking the same to the Parliamentary Committees when they had visited Sikkim.
“This is a historic event for the state of Sikkim as this will project Sikkim in a still better way in the international map apart from the economic benefits to the state and neighbouring areas,” he added.
Mr. Bardewa stated that this development will also help promote Sikkim as a tourist destination in the international level and would help in the economic development of the state and the neighbouring area.
He expressed that the tourism stakeholders of the state were very much thankful and happy and excited at the same time with this MoU. On behalf of the TAAS and stakeholders, TAAS president expressed his gratitude to the vision of the Prime Minister and the Chinese President. He also thanked the State Government for its part in the historic event.
He also urged the State government that it ensure local participation in this route.
Sacred to Hindus, Jains and Buddhists across the world, the journey to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake located in the Himalayan mountain ranges of the remote Southwestern corner of the Tibetan Autonomous Region is usually undertaken from Uttarakhand via Lipulekh Pass or overland from Nepal.
While Delhi-Kathmandu route by air takes 10 days and the ardous trekking route via Uttarakhand takes 27 days, the newer route via Nathula will take only 8 days to complete the yatra, according to sources. Nathula route was closed by China in 1962. After a decade of talks, Nathula was opened for trade on 06 July 2006.
The opening of the new route via Nathula could also mean that the yatra can now be undertaken from the country from March till November. The Lipulekh route is only open for four months in a year from June to September. Also, there is a limit on the number of pilgrims allowed to take the Lipulekh route every year. Normally there are 16 batches of 35 pilgrims every year. This year, 18 batches, each with a maximum 60 Yatris, are planned to be sent for the Yatra between 08 June and 09 September.
The Nathula route will make it possible to complete the Kailash Mansarovar yatra in around Rs. 60,000 cost. At present, the same yatra costs around Rs. 1 lakh. Nathula Pass was a major corridor of passage between India and Tibet before it was closed in 1962. Located around 56 kms from Gangtok at an altitude of 14450 ft, the road to Nathula passes through the Tsomgo lake. Nathula is presently open for trade on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sundays just on Indian side of the border. Foreign nationals are not allowed to visit Nathula.
Nathula route will pass through the city of Shigatse, which is part of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The path that the Chinese have made after the Nathula Pass (a mountain pass between the north eastern province of Sikkim and Tibet) is a motorable road where pilgrims will be able to take a car.

• The Kailash Parvat or Mount Kailash along with the holy Manasarovar lake is deeply integral to the heart of spiritual Asia, capturing the imagination of human beings since time immemorial.
• According to Hindu legend, the lake was first created in the mind of the Lord Brahma. Hence, in Sanskrit it is called Manasarovar, which is a combination of the words ‘Manas’ (mind) and ‘Sarovar’ (lake).
• Hindus also believe Mt. Kailash to be the abode of Lord Shiva, the holy centre of the earth and the manifestation of heaven itself.
• Tibetan Buddhists profess that Kailash is the home of the Buddha Demchok who symbolizes supreme harmony.
• The Tibetan religion of ‘Bon’ believes Mount Kailash as their spiritual seat of power.
• In Jainism, Kailash, referred to as Mount Ashtapada, is the place where the creator of their faith, Rishabhadeva, attained freedom from the cycle of life and rebirth.
• Just 20 kilometers away from Mount Kailash, the sacred blue and emerald green Manasarovar lake that lies at a height of 15,015 ft, is known to be an epitome of purity, containing healing properties and the power to wash off all mortal sins.

fotoCaption: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chinese President Xi Jinping witnessing the historic signing of an MoU between the Ministry of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Wang Yi on opening a new route for pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar in the Tibet Autonomous Region through Sikkim.