A few days back, China announced that it would permit 1,000 Indians to take part in the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra this year (250 more than in 2025). Following this announcement, the Nepalese Foreign Ministry has now issued a statement, saying that the yatris can’t walk past Lipulekh pass for this pilgrimage as it falls into their territory. India responded to this provocative statement by saying that Lipulekh has been a traditional route for yatris, along with Nathula Pass from Sikkim.
“Lipulekh Pass has been the route for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra since 1954, and the yatra through this route has been going on for decades,” affirmed a statement from the ministry for external affairs. “This is not a new development.” And, as regards the neighbour’s territorial claims, India has consistently maintained that such claims are neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence. Such unilateral artificial enlargement of territorial claims is untenable. India remains open to a constructive interaction with Nepal on all issues in the bilateral relationship, including on resolving agreed outstanding boundary issues through dialogue and diplomacy, added the spokesperson of the MEA.
Meanwhile, it may be worthwhile to recall that when Balen Shah, the 35-year-old rapper-turned-prime minister, was the mayor in Kathmandu, he had brought out a map that showed parts of India as Nepalese territory. India had protested, and this was withdrawn. “It waits to be seen whether Balen Shah would visit India anytime soon,” said an expert on India-Nepal strategic relations. “It’s likely that when India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visits Kathmandu, he would extend a formal invite to him. Then, these undercurrents will go”. Balen Shah was an engineering student in Bengaluru earlier.
Kailash Manasarovar Yatra has been conducted via the Lipulekh Pass since 1954. The dispute stems from long-standing ambiguities in historical maps. The 1816 Treaty of Sugauli defined the Kali River as Nepal’s western boundary, but disagreement persists over where the river actually begins. India argues that Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura are part of Uttarakhand, whereas Nepal maintains that these areas lie to the east of the river and therefore fall within its territory. The Boundary Working Group, set up by Nepal and India in 2014 to oversee boundary maintenance and technical matters, has continued to function in areas where the border is not disputed. However, on more sensitive issues such as Kalapani and Susta, progress has stalled. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2014 visit to Nepal, both sides had agreed that their foreign secretaries would lead negotiations to resolve these disputes. In practice, no such high-level meetings have taken place since.
Nepal has also raised concerns over the inclusion of the Lipulekh Pass in the joint statement issued during Modi’s 2015 visit to China. Kathmandu maintained that Lipulekh is a disputed tri-junction, where Nepal has an equal claim. The statement had referred to expanding border trade through several points, including Nathu La, Lipulekh Pass and Shipki La. This reference triggered concern across Nepal.
Redrawing the map?
Tensions came to a head in May 2020, when India inaugurated an 80-km road, linking Dharchula in Uttarakhand to the Lipulekh Pass. The Nepal government of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli responded by issuing a revised administrative map incorporating the same territories. Parliament endorsed the map and, in June 2020, Nepal amended its constitution to include it in the national emblem.
Meanwhile, India and China have used Lipulekh for border trade and infrastructure development, which Nepal sees as undermining its sovereignty. Though quieter, China’s actions have often unsettled Nepal. In 2015, India and China agreed to use Lipulekh for trade and pilgrimage, without consulting Nepal, prompting protests from Kathmandu. The issue re-surfaced in August 2025 when, during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Delhi, both countries agreed to reopen the pass for border trade. Nepal objected, and Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli raised the matter with Xi Jinping at the SCO summit in Tianjin. Xi reportedly acknowledged Nepal’s concerns but described the Lipulekh dispute as a bilateral issue to be resolved between Nepal and India.
Nepal’s objection is not new. It is part of a decades-long territorial dispute rooted in colonial-era boundaries, now reignited by modern infrastructure and shifting geopolitics. Until India and Nepal reach a consensus on the origin of the Kali River, the status of Lipulekh will remain contested, regardless of how many pilgrims pass through it. With a new government in place, diplomatic engagement appears to be gaining momentum. Foreign Secretary Misri is scheduled to visit Kathmandu on 11-12 May, and Nepal’s Foreign Minister Khanal is expected to travel to New Delhi later this month for the first Global Big Cats Summit. Interlocutors close to Prime Minister Balendra Shah have signalled his interest in resolving the boundary issue with India.