The need to put Kailash-Mansarovar
Yatra on hold
Major General Mrinal Suman
It is said that only the blessed souls get an
opportunity to undertake the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage. Taking a dip in the
holy lake and offering prayers to Lord Shiva in his abode of Mount Kailash is a
sublime experience. The feeling of ‘union with the maker’ overwhelms all.
Pilgrimage (called yatra) is an article of faith for
most Hindus. A yatra is a journey of devotion to a sacred place or shrine. The
term is always used with due deference as it echoes the religious ardour of the
devotees.
Many uninformed devotees mistakenly believe that Kailash-Mansarovar,
being a sacred place of the Hindus, falls in India. They are unaware that it is
located in
the western part of Tibet and they have to obtain Chinese visa and special
Tibet permit.
There are three routes of reaching
Kailash-Mansarovar – two official and one private. The Ministry of External
Affairs organises yatra through Lipulekh (Uttarakhand) and Nathu La (Sikkim) every
year. Eighteen batches of sixty
pilgrims each traverse the ancient route of Lipulekh. The yatra
through the Nathu La is undertaken by ten batches of fifty pilgrims each.
The third route is managed
entirely by the private tour operators. It passes through Nepal. One can travel
by road from Kathmandu to Taklakot in Tibet. The other option is to fly to
Simikot by small aircraft and further on to Hilsa on Nepal-China border by
helicopter.
Chinese
Haughtiness
As the Lipulekh route involves
trekking and is physically arduous, India had been seeking Chinese clearance
for yatra by the motorable road through Nathu La. China had been unresponsive. It
was during the summit meet between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi in 2014
that China consented to open the Nathu La route as a special favour to India.
Prime Minister Modi thanked him profusely for this goodwill gesture while
President Xi sat with his typical smile of munificence.
In 2017, China unilaterally stopped the
yatra in the aftermath of the military face-off with India at Doklam, as if to
punish India for its stand. Many pilgrims were put to great inconvenience as
they had to return from Sikkim. The yatra remained suspended that year. However,
after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj requested her Chinese counterpart
Wang Yi in 2018, China reopened the Nathu La route. Needless to say, there has
been no yatra this year due to Covid-19.
As can be seen, the Indian
government keeps pleading, while China behaves arrogantly and condescends to grant permission as a
special favour.
Two visits to Tibet in the
recent past have given me a fairly reasonable idea of the prevailing atmosphere. The first visit was a pilgrimage to
holy Kailash-Mansarovar. The second visit was of much longer duration, covering
capital Lhasa,
Shigatse in the west and Nyingchi in the southeast.
The
Chinese officials are arrogant and rude. On entry into Tibet, Indians are asked to disembark from the bus and
spread their luggage on the roadside for inspection. Chinese soldiers and policemen
rummage through each item to ensure that no paper, document, newspaper,
photograph and other material concerning the Dalai Lama is carried into Tibet.
Printed material is closely examined. Worse, visitors are asked to show all
pictures stored on their cameras and cell-phones. It is a highly time-consuming
and degrading experience.
In
addition, the pilgrims are made to go
through numerous other checks by immigration, custom, local police, frontier
police and military. It can take hours. Chinese behaviour is
apathetic – the pilgrims are forced to
carry their duffel bags for close to 100 mtrs for screening in high altitude
area.
Chinese functioning reeks of corruption and high-handedness.
Two
years back, a group of pilgrims was debarred from taking a dip in the holy lake
by the Chinese officials for no apparent reason. In another
case, the official at the Kodari border post sent back a group of 59 persons as
some pilgrims were slow in appearing before him. Consequently, the whole group
had to spend another night in Nepal. With no hotel reservations, the group went
through a harrowing time.
The
Chinese have made no efforts whatsoever to develop any infrastructure for the
comfort of the pilgrims. Even basic minimum facilities have not
been created. The quality of accommodation is pathetic and appalling. The pilgrims are lodged in cheap, filthy and
unhygienic conditions. They have to use beddings that have never been washed
and stink of urine and vomit.
At Mansarovar, the
conditions are filthier. Everyone has to defecate in the open. The whole area is
like an open latrine, with excreta lying everywhere. Imagine the most hallowed
Mansarovar lake being subjected to such environmental abuse and mistreatment. It
was the same scene at Darchen.
Yatra
via Nepal
Yatra through Nepal is
gaining popularity as anyone with cash can undertake it. Unlike the government
controlled yatras, there are no quotas and no restrictions. One can fly to
Kathmandu and join any of the numerous tour operators. Here are a few inputs
from my first-hand experience.
The
whole yatra is controlled by a Nepali-Chinese mafia network that involves officials,
tour operators, hotels and the airlines. Safety, comfort and welfare of
pilgrims are totally neglected. Worse, even after charging exorbitant sums up
front, the
mafia has invented ingenious ways to swindle helpless pilgrims. Without any
prior intimation, one group was forced to shell out ₹ 30,000 for two-way heli-lift
across a landslide on Kathmandu-Kodari Road. These are well-organised scams. The loot is shared by all.
Induction into high
altitude areas is carried out without any acclimatization – from Nepalgunj (490
ft) to Taklakot (13,025 ft) in a single day. Nearly 30 percent pilgrims fall sick with varying degrees of high
altitude effects. There is no medical aid available at all. Some pilgrims perish
while others have to be evacuated to lower altitude to save their lives. The
mafia ensures that such incidents are kept under wraps and never get publicised.
Air transport in Nepal is
primitive, unsafe and totally disorganized. Pilgrims are made to travel on fictitious names as the tickets are
purchased underhand. At Simikot, the runway does not even have a fire
tender or an ambulance. From Simikot to Hilsa, pilgrims are taken by a
5-seater single-pilot helicopter. Dead bodies are also brought down by the same
helicopter. It was scary to see the lone pilot flying continuously in high
altitude area for 10 hours. Helipad at Hilsa is neither paved nor marked. There
is no wind-sock, no smoke candle and no ground support equipment or staff.
Need to Put Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra on Hold
It
is strongly recommended that the Kailash-Mansarovar yatra be put on hold for a
few years. My reasons are as follows:-
· No pilgrimage,
howsoever hallowed, can take precedence over national self-respect. Why should
our Prime Minister be obliged to seek favours from President Xi? Why should our
Foreign Minister plead for permission? It makes China perceive itself to be a
dispenser of favours and behave in a haughty manner. Worse, permission for
yatra is being exploited as a leverage, as seen during the Doklam
confrontation.
· Why should India
let its citizens be subjected to humiliation, exploitation and filth? Why
should the Indians be put at the mercy of the Nepali-Chinese mafia and their
lives risked?
· The boost that
the yatra gives to the local economy in Nepal and Tibet is enormous. Many areas
are thriving only because of the Indian pilgrims. In the absence of the yatra,
areas like Nepalganj, Simikot, Hilsa, Taklakot, Mansarovar and Darchen will
suffer massive losses, some may even turn into ghost towns.
Many religions have a central seat of religious
authority or spiritual head. That is not the case with the Hindus. They are
blessed with numerous hallowed places where they can experience celestial
ecstasy. The Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra is certainly a soul-satisfying pilgrimage
but it has no holy pre-eminence. There
are many other equally sacred Hindu places for pilgrimage, e.g. the holy Amarnath cave and the Vaishnodevi Shrine. Therefore,
the Hindus can certainly do without the Kailash-Mansarovar
yatra.
Nature
has blessed India with numerous areas with breathtaking beauty and awesome
splendour. Hindu shrines located in these out-of-the-way, unpolluted, serene
and blissful places attract hundreds of devotees every year. Unfortunately, no
facilities have been created for their comfort, with the result that they have
not generated the interest that they deserve. Tour operators have also paid no
attention. As a result, very few outside the state are aware of their
existence.
India
has numerous places that possess the necessary potential for pilgrimage, treks
and adventure tourism. It is for the government to identify and develop them
with necessary infrastructure. With the influx of visitors, the local economy
will get a huge boost. We have the example of Vaishno Devi shrine. The earlier demanding
track has been transformed into a comfortable pathway with toilets, eateries
and medical facilities. It was visited by a record 104.95 lakh devotees in
2012. Enormity of the beneficial effect on the region’s economy can be well appreciated.
I
am citing two such places that have huge potential – Manimahesh and Kinner
Kailash. There are several other areas of equal natural majesty.
Manimahesh
Lake and Mount Kailash
The Manimahesh Lake is situated twenty-six kilometers from
Bharmour in the Budhil valley in Himachal Pradesh. The lake is situated at an
altitude of 13,000 feet at the foot of Mount Kailash peak (18,564 ft). A rock
formation in the shape of a Shivling on Kailash is considered to be the manifestation
of Lord Shiva. It is considered invincible as no one has so far been able to
scale the peak.
According to a local legend, Manimahesh (as the name
signifies) refers to a jewel (Mani) on Lord Shiva’s (Mahesh’s) crown. It imparts
its holy darshans (sight) to the devotees when the moon rays reflect from it on
a clear full-moon night. This is followed by another rare event when the first
rays of the sun fall on the peak of the Kailash hill. It appears like a saffron
tilak in its reflection in the lake. The
lake and its surroundings present an imposing view. The quiet waters of the
lake carry the reflection of the snow capped peaks.
The easiest route to Mani Mahesh is from Chamba and runs through
Bharmaur. At present, buses ply up to Hadsar via Bharmour. Beyond Hadsar, the
pilgrims have to trek for 13 kms to reach Manimahesh. Some philanthropic
organisations run free kitchens during the festival period. No other facilities
exist.
Mount Kinner Kailash
Considered to be one of the abodes of Lord Shiva, Mount
Kinner Kailash at 21,330 feet, boasts of a 79 feet tall Shivlinga that changes
its colour with each passing moment. According to popular
belief, the Kinnaur Kailash is the winter abode of Lord Shiva and he holds a
meeting of all gods and goddesses in January at this place. The Sutlej River rising from the slopes
of Mount Kailash in Tibet, flows through the Kinnaur valley adding to its
serene and picturesque charm. Owing to the valley's close proximity to Tibet, one
finds a unique blend of Hinduism and Buddhism.
The Kinner Kailash Parikrama (circumbulation) starts
from Chail, near Shimla in Himachal Pradesh and ends at Manali. It is a
challenging trek. One has to negotiate raging water streams, climb boulders,
ascend steep trails and walk through loose moraine gravel. On
the way, 17,200 feet high Charang La pass has to be crossed. Only the physically fit and mentally
tough can undertake it. However, one is duly compensated with the sights of unrivalled
scenic beauty, mesmerising landscapes, pristine glaciers and fruit orchards.
Finally
Pilgrimage
always gets supplemented with religious tourism and adventure trekking. All
three flourish concurrently and collectively. Therefore, development and
promotion of Indian religious places
will generate enormous employment opportunities in the underdeveloped/remote
hilly areas.
However, it must be ensured that the fragile
ecology of the area is not disturbed. Flora and fauna must be protected. Due
attention should be paid to hygiene and sanitation. No pollution of any kind
should be accepted. Concrete structures should not be allowed. Instead, use of
light weight prefabricated shelters of artificial/composite/synthetic wood
should be encouraged. Rest places, eateries and toilets should be provided at
regular distances. Safety of the pilgrims should never be compromised with medical
aid being made available along the whole route.
To
conclude, by eschewing Kailash-Mansarovar yatra, Indian leadership will be saved
the discomfiture of pleading with China for permission; the pilgrims will not have
to suffer ill-treatment and exploitation; and we, the Indians, will not be nurturing
the economy of the antagonistic countries.
Prime
Minister Modi’s ‘Atmanirbhar Abhiyan’ is an all encompassing clarion call. It
implies self-reliance in all fields, including pilgrimage. Let us develop our
own areas and put Kailash-Mansarovar yatra on hold. Nothing can take precedence over India’s
self-esteem.*****
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