Welcoming Ceremony for the first batch Yatris for Kailash Manasarovar Yatra through Nathu La
06/22/2015

Welcoming Ceremony for the first batch Yatris for Kailash Manasarovar Yatra through Nathu La

The first batch of the Yatris for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatrathrough the new route through Nathu La Pass crossed over from Nathu La on the morning of June 22, 2015. A welcome ceremony was organized for the incoming Yatris at Nathu La.

Ambassador of India, H.E. Ashok K. Kantha, delivered a message to the incoming Yatris welcoming them along the new route. Ambassador Kantha thanked the Government of the People’s Republic of China for opening the second pilgrimage route for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra which wasan important decision announced during the visit of President Xi Jinping to India last September and noted that the route has been operationalized within nine months after the decision. Saying that the new pilgrimage route is an enduring symbol of the rich and growing people-to-people bonds between India and China, Ambassador said that the opening of the route through Nathu La is another milestone that cements the strong civilizational linkages forged over centuries that provide the fountain head of our shared cultural space.Ambassador assured the Yatris of the full assistance of the Embassy as well as himself, personally.

From the Chinese side, Vice Chairman of Tibet Autonomous Region H.E. Mr. Dong Mingjun and Ambassador of China to India H.E. Mr. Le Yucheng were present at the ceremony.

Ambassador Le Yucheng referred to the visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping, and said that the government of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) as well as the Foreign Ministries of India and China had put in a lot of hard work to ensure that the route was ready to receive the pilgrims. Vice Chairman of TAR Mr. Dong Mingjun, representing TAR Government, said that the opening of the route through Nathu La would take people to people and cultural exchanges between India and China to historical heights.

Representing the Yatris, Hon'ble MP Rajya Sabha, Shri Tarun Vijay, thanked the leaders of the two countries and said that a new path of friendship and trust between India and China has been created in Nathu La.

The route to Kailash Manasarover Yatra through Nathu La will be in addtion to the existing one through Lipulekh Pass that was opened in 1981.The first batch that crossed over today comprised of 38 Yatris. Five batches of Yatris are proposed to take the route through Nathu La this year and 18 batches of Yatris will proceed on the Yatra to Kailash and Manasarover through Lipulekh Pass.

Nathu La
22 June 2015