Uttarakhand’s Old Lipulekh Pass | 03 Jul 2024

Why in News?

The old Lipulekh Pass, located at an altitude of 18,300 feet in the Vyas Valley of Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand, will be accessible to the public from 15th September 2024.

  • It would allow devotees to view the sacred Kailash Peak in Tibet from within the Indian territory.

Key Points

  • The Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra via the Lipulekh pass was suspended in 2019 following the Covid-19 outbreak and the route has yet to be opened by the Chinese authorities.
  • This sacred trek leads devotees and adventurers to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar, located in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
    • The pilgrims will be able to drive up to Lipulekh from Dharchula. From there, they will need to traverse approximately 800 meters on foot to reach the vantage point for viewing the Kailash peak.
    • The pilgrims can now also have a view of Om Parvat from within the Indian territory.

Kailash Mansarovar

  • The Kailash range’s supreme peak lies in the Chinese-occupied Tibet at the height of 6,675 meters.
  • The pilgrimage to Kailash and to the sacred Mansarover lake that lies 30 km to its south, is run exclusively by a government organization, the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN).
    • The organization works in collaboration with the Government of India’s Ministry of External Affairs and the Government of China.