Reconsider proposal to alter yatra route of Kailash-Mansarovar
Kailash mountain i s situated at a height of 19,500 feet in the snow-clad Himalayas with the serene lake Mansarovar nearby and Rakas Tal on its periphery. The mountain has been revered for ages by millions of Hindus in India as the abode of Lord Shiva and the Divine Mother Parvati. Hence, whenever Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage or its travelogue was recounted, it raised spiritual feelings of great delight.
The respected Narayan Swamiji Maharaj, a very learned saint who lived up to the age of 135 years till a decade and a half ago, was a frequent visitor to Kailash Mansarovar, then in the Tibet region. From his abode in Loharkhet in the upper Kumaon region, he guided very many times trekkers to Kailash-Mansarovar or else Nanda Devi peak and gave them practical tips for reaching difficult destinations.
His personal experiences of the enchanting natural beauty exhilarated us all. He spoke of Tibetan robbers on horses suddenly appearing from the wilderness, but sparing sadhus and their entourage, green bushes existing in some parts of the extremely cold region, which could catch fire even when green and its stem could be used as fuel.
He talked about special energising food made from dry fruits and kept wrapped around as a belt for an emergency during travel in cold weather. He also mentioned a dip in the chilling waters of Mansarovar and parikrama around Kailash Parvat.
Hence, the news reported in 1980, that a Chinese delegation, after the confrontation of 1962, was coming for the first time for talks with India, prompted me to write to Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister and also personally known to me, that resumption of pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar be discussed with the Chinese. I also sent a copy of the letter to Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had just relinquished the office of minister of external affairs in the previous government.
His secretary from Delhi, acknowledging the letter, wrote that Vajpayee was out of station.
However, the very next day, I was happily surprised to receive a hand-written post card from him greatly appreciating the suggestion. Incidentally, the only agreement with the Chinese at that time was about re-opening the traditional route for the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra.
PV Narsimha Rao, who was then holding the charge of minister of external affairs, sent me a personal letter, thanking on behalf of the government for the suggestion. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi also gracefully acknowledged.
Hence, now when a change in the traditional route is proposed and yatra being planned via Nathula Pass in distant Sikkim, I fully agree with Anupam Trivedi who, in a recent write-up, has stated that a journey of 1500 km on the cold desert of Tibetan plateau and the long circuitous route in India as proposed, would not be comfortable at all to the pilgrims.
Such a proposal, it should be noted, shall not be mentally satisfying to them, an essential motivation for undergoing rigours of the difficult pilgrimage.
I would like to add with all emphasis at my command, that the new route proposed shall rather vitiate the psyche, sentiments and inner feeling of devotees for their longing to be a part of the long heritage of their ancestors for trekking and scaling heights in the midHimalayas, popularly conceived as abode of the Gods, to reach Kailash Parvat.
The mighty Himalayas extend from high peaks of Karakoram in Afghanistan to the far-east in NEFA extending beyond Sikkim. However, it’s only the mid-Himalayas that inspire the people most for undergoing arduous treks in the region of high mountains to perform Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage.
It is there that the lake Mansarovar exists from which the mighty Brahmaputra flows east and the Sindhu (Indus) flows west and from where the sacred rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Sutluj emanate and where the ancient gods Badrinath and Kedarnath have an abode.
Hence, the government of India has to weigh the sentiments and aspirations of prospective pilgrims, rather than the technique of easier but uninspiring travel arrangements in dealing with this sensitive issue before agreeing to the major change in the route of Yatra as suggested by China.