Chinese language land on left, and Nepalese land on proper are seen after Friendship bridge, a key bridge over the Bhotekoshi River connecting Nepal with China was swept away in monsoon rain at Rasuwagadi, 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital, Kathmandu, Nepal, on July, 9, 2025.
| Picture Credit score: AP
The Trekking Companies Affiliation of Nepal (TAAN), an umbrella organisation of mountain tourism entrepreneurs, has reported that pilgrims travelling to Kailash Mansarovar are going through difficulties owing to the collapse of the Nepal-China Miteri Bridge close to the Rasuwagadhi border level.
In an announcement, TAAN common secretary Sonam Gyaljen Sherpa mentioned the bridge was washed away by floods within the Lehende River on Tuesday morning (July 8, 2025), disrupting the motion of pilgrims en path to the sacred website.
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Sherpa urged the Chinese language authorities to take instant diplomatic measures to facilitate the passage of pilgrims through various routes, together with Tatopani, Korola, Hilsa, and different checkpoints.
The assertion famous that each Nepali and international pilgrims travelling through Rasuwagadhi to Kailash Mansarovar —positioned within the Tibet Autonomous Area of China — are encountering vital issues following the destruction of the Miteri Bridge, which serves as a crucial connection level between the 2 international locations.
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With the pilgrimage season about to start, TAAN has additionally referred to as on Nepal’s Ministry of International Affairs (MoFA) to interact diplomatically with the Chinese language Embassy in Kathmandu to simplify and expedite the visa course of. It urged the Ministry to “create an setting the place pilgrims ready in Kathmandu can journey to Kailash as quickly as potential.”
Nepal is anticipated to host a minimum of 25,000 Indian pilgrims this 12 months for the revered Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, resuming after a five-year hiatus. On January 27, 2025, Chinese language Vice-International Minister Solar Weidong and Indian International Secretary Vikram Misri held a bilateral dialogue in Beijing, throughout which each side agreed to renew the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage for Indian nationals.
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The Indian authorities facilitates the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through two official routes: the disputed Lipulekh Cross and the Nathu La Cross in Sikkim, each coordinated with Chinese language authorities.
The Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam manages the Lipulekh route, whereas the Sikkim Tourism Improvement Company oversees the Nathu La possibility. These are pre-arranged, government-managed routes with mounted quotas. Nevertheless, the vast majority of Indian pilgrims select to journey privately through Nepal, with 4 principal routes out there: Tatopani, Rasuwagadhi, Hilsa, and the Kathmandu-Lhasa flight.
The Rasuwagadhi-Kerung route, operational since December 2014, turned Nepal’s second main commerce level with China after Tatopani. In 2017, it was upgraded to a world checkpoint, permitting cross-border journey with visas and passports. Since then, it has turn into essentially the most cost-effective possibility for pilgrims heading to Kailash Mansarovar.
The annual pilgrimage season considerably boosts Nepal’s tourism sector and authorities income, as spiritual travellers fill motels and eating places and supply employment for journey brokers, airways, guides, and porters. The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra season usually runs from June to September.
Revealed – July 12, 2025 11:46 am IST
