Travel companies of Nepal, facilitated a journey for around 150 Indian pilgrims from Nepalgunj to Kailash Mansarovar, a sacred pilgrimage site for Hindu devotees, in Tibet, China on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivaratri.
The trip was made possible by chartering a couple of flights of Shree Airlines. The flights flew in the North Western part inside Nepal within Kathmandu Flight Information Region (VNSM FIR) where pilgrims could witness Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar from the sky. The journey also offered views of mythical places like Ravana’s meditation site, Rakshas Tal, Api, and Saipal Himalayas.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 14,000 Indian tourists used to travel to Mansarovar via Nepalgunj route annually. However, after the pandemic, when China stopped issuing visas to Indian tourists, this route became less frequented, affecting tourism businesses along the route.
To revive tourism and provide Indian pilgrims with the opportunity to visit Mansarovar, the Trip to Temples travel company initiated mountain flights to Kailash Mansarovar. The company’s management director, Vikas Mishra, mentioned that they aimed to develop Mansarovar as a new destination for Indian tourists who wish to undertake the pilgrimage.
In preparation for the mountain flights, 150 Indian tourists arrived in Nepalgunj and were accommodated at Hotel Siddhartha. They were then flown by Shri Airlines to Tibet for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage. The journey commenced in Magh (January-February) and continued onwards.
The focus of Pathil Holidays and Trip to Temples is to promote mountain flights for pilgrims to visit Kailash-Mansarovar every week in the coming days, as mentioned by Vikas Mishra.