Nepal PM 'Prachanda' visits Kailash-Mansarovar; pledges to make it accessible through his country

Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' visited Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in the Tibet Autonomous Region in China and vowed to make them more accessible to pilgrims, including Indians, through the Himalayan country.

Prachanda, who is on an eight-day official visit to China, visited Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake, considered holy by Hindus, on Thursday after visiting Lhasa, Tibet's capital, on Wednesday.

The prime minister told Nepal's national news agency RSS that provisions would be made for pilgrims to visit Mt Kailash and Manasarovar Lake through the Nepali route via the Humla district of Karnali province.

According to Prachanda, an agreement has been made with the Chinese government in principle for allowing the travel of visitors and pilgrims, including tourists from Nepal, India and other countries, through Humla district to Mt. Kailash and Mansarovar, MyRepublica newspaper reported.

The Mansarovar Lake lies around 160 kilometres from Humla district's headquarters in Simikot, according to the report.

The prime minister and his delegation also held bilateral talks with the Secretary of Sichuan Province of China on Friday. The Chinese delegation was led by Wang Xinhui, who is also the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Sichuan Province People’s Congress.

During the talks, Prachanda recalled his recent meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Li Qiang and other high-level discussions in China.

Prachanda met President Xi on Saturday on the sidelines of the Asian Games in Hangzhou and travelled to Beijing, where he held wide-ranging talks with Chinese Premier Li on Monday.

He also witnessed the signing of 12 agreements, including seven MoUs, to enhance bilateral cooperation in various sectors, including trade and road connectivity.

“The Prime Minister expressed confidence that these high-level meetings will be a milestone in the implementation of agreements reached between the two countries in the past and taking the bilateral relations to a new height,” the government-run daily Gorkhapatra reported.

In Lhasa, where the prime minister arrived from China's Chongqing city, Prachanda held various bilateral talks with Chinese officials. He also visited the ancient Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple there.

Prachanda flew directly to China on September 23 from New York, where he addressed the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations.

The prime minister is accompanied by his daughter, Ganga Dahal, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Narayan Prakash Saud, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Prakash Jwala, and his chief political advisor, Haribol Gajurel among others, according to Foreign Ministry sources.

Prachanda is scheduled to return to Nepal on Saturday after concluding the official visit.

Meanwhile, prime minister Prachanda's visit to Mt. Kailash and Mansarovar has led to speculation in the Nepalese media about his intentions.

One Nepalese news portal – Lokantar -- has termed the visit as Prachanda’s religious diplomacy, while another news portal - Nepalkhabar - asks what message Prachanda wanted to convey by visiting from Mahakaleshwar to Mansarovar?

He made headline news after he offered prayer at Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, India wearing a yellow saffron dress. The former guerrilla commander had never visited a temple or worshipped any idol in the past until he paid an official visit to India in May.