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In a novel initiative, a Nepali airline has launched an aerial tour of the revered Mt Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in Tibet, China.

The Kailash-Mansarovar region is an important pilgrimage site for Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains. More than 20,000 Indian pilgrims were taking spiritual journeys to the Kailash region before Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020. They were utilizing routes like Nepalgunj-Hilsa-Taklakot and Rasuwagadhi-Kerung-Mansarovar to reach Mt Kailash.

However, since the pandemic, Chinese authorities have prohibited Indian nationals from visiting the Kailash-Mansarovar region. Despite these restrictions, some have continued their devotions from the Nepali territory, specifically from Lapcha Pass located approximately 150 kilometers from the district headquarters of Simkot in Humla.

Before the pandemic, around 12,000 Indian pilgrims were taking the Nepalgunj-Hilsa-Taklakot route. They would take a flight to Simkot and then board a chopper to the Nepal-India border village of Hilsa. From there, after completing border formalities, they continued their journey to the Kailash region via road. The Rasuwagadhi and Kodari routes served as the two surface options to reach the sacred destination. However, the Kodari route became inactive after the 2015 earthquakes. Around 15,000 Indian nationals had been using the Rasuwagadhi route until 2019.

The new flight service offers a unique opportunity for visitors to offer prayers to Mt Kailash and Lake Mansarovar right from the comfort of their aircraft seats. Bikas Mishra, the managing director of the Indian travel company ‘Trip to Temple’ said Indian nationals were very happy to see the sacred sites.

Indira Bajrachaman, a tourist from Karnataka, India, described the experience of having the direct darshan (view) of Kailash Mansarovar from her aircraft seat as the greatest privilege of her life.

Senior Captain Prafull Baidya of Shree Air, the airline operating the flight, said that a group of Indian nationals had the unique opportunity to see Mt Kailash and Lake Mansarovar from an altitude of 22,028 feet above Limi village during the one-hour and fifteen-minute flight.

A team from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), including Suresh Khanal, Chief of Civil Aviation Office in Nepalgunj, were also in the flight. Rochesh Saxena, an Indian tourist, considered himself lucky to witness Mt Kailash Parbat and Lake Mansarovar in a single frame during the brief flight. Abhinav Tripathi, a priest from Varanasi, recited sacred scriptures inside the aircraft.

Mt Kailash is revered as the abode of Lord Shiva, and it is believed that Lord Shiva, along with his family, resides there. Devotees perform circumambulation of Mt Kailash, believing that it cleanses their sins and helps them attain virtues.

Keshab Neupane, director of Siddharth Business Group of Hospitality, said the flight has opened new possibilities for tourism in Nepalgunj. Likewise, Upendra Shrestha, the station manager of Shree Airlines at Nepalgunj Airport, expressed readiness to operate the flight based on demand from travel agencies and tourists.

Mahesh Gautam, managing director of Pathhill Holidays Kathmandu, the official travel company for the chartered flight, said they have received enthusiastic bookings and positive responses for the flight. Tourism stakeholders say the flight is cost-effective and hassle-free as it offers visitors the aerial tour of Kailash-Mansarovar region for just InRs 50,000 without the need for a passport, visa application, health tests, and an extended stay, Mishra said.

In the Indian Union Budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 unveiled on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was allocated InRs 22,154 crore. 

In line with India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, the largest share of aid portfolio has been granted to Bhutan with an allocation of InRs 2,068 crore. The development assistance to the Maldives has been kept at InRs 600 crore against last year’s InRs 770 crore, according to budget papers.

Nepal has come third with InRs 650 crores for various development projects currently underway which is InRs 100 crore up compared to last year.

In continuation with India’s special relationship with the people of Afghanistan, a budgetary aid of InRs 200 crore has been set aside for that country.

An amount of InRs 120 crore will be provided to Bangladesh under development aid while Nepal would be provided InRs 700 crore.

According to the budget documents, Sri Lanka will get development aid worth InRs 75 crore, Mauritius InRs 370 crore and Myanmar InRs 250 crore. A separate amount of InRs 200 crore has been set aside for African countries.

The total development assistance to various countries and regions such as Latin America and Eurasia has been pegged at InRs 4,883 crore. 

Presenting the interim budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the recently announced India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is a strategic and economic game changer for India and others.

The IMEC is seen as an initiative by like-minded nations to gain strategic influence in the face of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that has faced increasing criticism over lack of transparency and disregard for sovereignty of the nations.

The Interim Union Budget for the financial year 2024/25 was tabled in the Indian Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman earlier on Thursday. This was the sixth budget presented by the current FM and the last one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government’s second term.

The full budget will be presented in July this year after the new government is formed after the Lok Sabha Elections.

Most businesses in the Khumbu region in Solukhumbu district, home to Mount Everest, have been closed for winter.  

Damu Sherpa, a local resident, said around 70 percent of the people in the region, including hotel owners and staff members, have already left to escape the frigid winter condition. 

Every winter, people living and running hotel business in the Khumbu region move to lower altitude areas for warmer climes. Some even take advantage of the winter break to make a pilgrimage to India’s Bodh Gaya.
Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla, hotels, camping sites and sightseeing spots wear a deserted look. 

Only a few shops and hotels are open, but there are no businesses to speak of.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) branch office Lukla, hardly five or six flights are taking place to and from Lukla these days. During the peak travel season, the airport sees lots of daily flights, mostly carrying foreign visitors who come to trek the Everest region. 

Cold weather has also affected other parts of Solukhumbu. In the district headquarters, Salleri, people are either staying indoors or sitting next to bonfires to keep them warm.

Nawaraj Parajuli of the Meteorological Center, Salleri, said the temperature in Salleri has been steadily decreasing for the past one week. The town recorded a temperature of minus two degrees Celsius on Tuesday. 

General life in the upper areas of Solukhumbu have been affected the most. In some parts, the mercury has dipped as low as minus 17 degrees Celsius. The cold weather has also halted development works in the district.

A total of 79,100 foreign tourists arrived in Nepal in January, the first month of 2024.

The number was up by 24,026 as compared to the month of January, 2023. A total of 55,074 foreign tourists visited Nepal in January, 2023.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 81,897 people went out of the country in January. The highest number of Indian tourists (24,139) visited Nepal in January against 16,436 in January, 2023.

Similarly, 7,267 tourists from China, 7,047 from America, 4,619 from Thailand, 3,812 from South Korea, 3,629 from Bangladesh and 3421 from Australia entered Nepal in January.

Likewise, 3,276 from the UK, 2,229 from Bhutan and 1,568 from Japan visited Nepal in the month.