The Government of India announced on Thursday that the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra may resume soon as the preparations are already underway. The pilgrimage has remained suspended since 2020, but is expected to resume this year as India and China continue to work towards mending their relationship following recent troop disengagements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Speaking at a press briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that both countries have reached an “in-principle” agreement to restart direct flight services too. “We will soon issue a public notice on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, and there is a possibility of its resumption in the near future,” Jaiswal stated. “The Yatra will take place this year, and we are already making the necessary preparations. More details will be shared with the public shortly.”

Rebuilding Ties

India and China have been trying to build healthy relations after a tense four-year military standoff in eastern Ladakh. Last year in October, both sides signed a pact to disengage troops from the two remaining friction points, Depsang and Demchok.

The effort and preparation to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and restart flight operations is a part of these broader efforts to stabilise ties. On the aviation front, Jaiswal said, “Technical teams from both countries are coordinating to finalise operational details.” He added that the civil aviation authorities of India and China have already met and are actively working out an updated framework for the flights to resume.

Recent Meetings

These developments are occurring after a series of high-level diplomatic meetings. Last month itself, officials from India and China met in Beijing to figure out ways to mend relations. The discussions focused on restarting people-to-people exchanges, including direct flights and the pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar.

Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs’ East Asia division, held talks with Liu Jinsong, Director General of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Department of Asian Affairs. The two sides agreed to reintroduce various dialogue mechanisms in a phased manner and to apply them in working through areas of joint interest. They also expressed interest in putting the relationship back on a more stable path.

The ties between the two nations had fallen sharply after the deadly Galwan Valley clash in 2020. Since then, several rounds of discussions have taken place to address the tensions and move forward diplomatically.

Previous Meetings and Discussions

In January 2025, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Beijing and held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Sun Weidong. The discussions led to a mutual decision to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and execute several people-centric measures to “stabilise and rebuild” bilateral ties.

The diplomatic efforts are built on earlier meetings, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s visit to Beijing in December. During the visit, Doval held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi under the Special Representatives (SR) framework on the boundary issue. This revival of the SR dialogue and other key formats was initially agreed upon during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan on October 23, 2024, just two days after the formal troop disengagement agreement took place.